Iban art
Subtitle: sexual selection and severed heads : weaving, sculpture, tattooing and other arts of the Iban of Borneo
By: Michael Heppell, Limbang Anak Melaka, Enyan Anak Usen.
Contributors: Melaka, Limbang anak.; Usen, Enyan anak.
Publisher: C. Zwartenkot, Art Books; KIT Publishers
Published: 2005
Place of publication: Leiden; Amsterdam
Language: eng
Number of pages: 180
Subjects: Decoration and ornament, Iban -- Borneo; Art and society -- Borneo; Decoration and ornament, Iban -- Themes, motives
Description: "Drawing on the vast repertoire of 'oral literature' of the Iban, this book shows how Iban women ritualized art in such a way that textiles drove men to take heads. The Iban people to Borneo had no scholastic aptitude tests to help them assess the intellectual capacity of a prospective mate and so they turned to art. Women looked for an intelligent and courageous man to protect them and pass on his gifts to their children. The performance indicators were a trophy head and demonstrable artistic talent. Men simply sought an intelligent woman. The performance indicator was the completion of a complex woven design in ikat, sungkit or pilih which displayed well formed hooks throughout the design. Consequently, art was consciously used by the Iban as a marker of intelligence and a basis for sexual selection."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 176-177) and index.