Iban Dayak. Sarawak State (possibly Skrang River area), Borneo Island, Malaysia.
Wood, bark, rattan, porcelain chips, pigments. H: 9.75" (24.8 cm), with figures W: 8" (20.3 cm), box Dia: 7" (17.8 cm).

A ritual container used by a shaman or healer "Manang" for holding divinatory objects. These objects might include small figurative charms, special stones, roots, herbs, teeth, bones, quills, and glass bottles. Novice shamans would normally have a simple container but older, more experienced shamans often own containers with two or more attached wood figures, representing male and female pairs.

Some boxes have a figure on the lid, similar to this example. The containers themselves have their own ritual energy, requiring a major rite to be performed when they are made and included into the shaman's ritual possessions. On the death of the shaman, the container is kept with the family and may be passed down to a son (or daughter) who is willing to take up the calling.

See: Iban Art, Sexual Selection and Severed Heads, by Michael Heppell, et al., pages 154 to 156.

Ex: Fred Smit collection, ex: Gallery Lemaire (1981).