OT DANUM
HAMPATONG
C E N T R A L B O R N E O
OT DANUM HAMPATONG
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Late 19th century
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Central Borneo, Indonesia
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Ot Danum peoples
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Wood
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107 cm (42 in) x 81 cm (32 in)
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Collected by the former owner in Borneo more than forty years ago. Private American collection.
One of the greatest Ot Danum hampatongs in existence. Here, a vaunted ancestor is depicted astride a mythical animal or aso lejau (dragon-dog-tiger) of a type erected at the entrance to a village or beside a ritual sandong structure.
The tension of the figure facing emphatically in one direction and the beast's head in another creates the impression of dynamic animation. This creation invokes a sense of safe passage where the living and deceased are celebrated while a personage of great status is being safely transported to the realm of departed souls.
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