Product Description

Kalimantan Baby Carrier Beadwork 1

Material: Beads
Style: Kalimantan, Indonesia
Size: Length 32 cm, Width 26.5 cm
Order Number: E4A

This original piece from a babycarrier is slightly damaged. The Dayak communities of Kalimantan, which is the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo, have been making excellent beadwork for centuries.

The babycarrier is a reedwork basket to carry a young baby, although some mothers carry two or three year olds in them. Young infants tend to be carried in the front to make breast feeding easy in the early months and older ones on the back.

Curling representations of human figures are a common theme. Others contain geometric motifs. Patterned beadwork is also used in necklaces, clothing, caps, hats, vests, tunics, baby carriers and ritual objects.

The outer part of the baby carrier of the Dayak people was adorned with a symmetrical beadwork panel depicting mirror images. The beauty was thought to attract good spirits and bring good luck to the child.

The design indicated the family’s social position.  The highest ranks could use full-figure human figures, dragons and tigers (although tigers do not exist in Borneo). Lesser ranks could only use animal motifs and geometric shapes.

Aristocrats might decorate the baby carrier with a leopard’s tooth. Large beads, bells and animal teeth might decorate the upper rim. The tinkling sound would soothe the baby.

After the baby no longer needed the basket, it was stored away carefully for the next one. The beadwork and ornaments would be detached and kept safe.

Early-mid 20th century.

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