Kayan Glass Beads Beaded Baby Carrier Dayak Borneo

We ship internationally, we group ship multiple purchases to save you money, if you have any questions, email cheetahdmr@aol.com

All our handcrafted or rare collector items come with pages and pages of research, about provenance, with history of the tribes and photos as well, depending on item and whenever possible. 

Great value, compare. Perfect condition. This traditional authentic Kayan Glass Beads Beaded Baby Carrier and unique collector item, collectable from Borneo, took 6 months to create, was entirely hand crafted from the weaving of the body, to the carving of the wooden seat and sides, to the bead panels (I have seen the bead panels alone selling for $400.00 and up on the internet and the full carrier for $700.00 and up). Borneo natives are seen on some of the following photos.

This is a traditional baby carrier from the Kayan people, central Borneo made of a combination of beads and weaving. The anthropomorphic figure in the center of the beaded panel suggests that this carrier was used by a family of prominent genealogy. Woven rattan backing, wood seat, plaited shoulder straps with various beads, shells, and bells added for status, adornment and empowerment. These carriers support the baby physically and the combination of designs and hanging talismanic decorations offer psychic protection for the vulnerable little one. Size around 19”x 14”

The exquisite beaded piece attached to the front is fashioned of trade pottery beads and natural fiber created within a spider web base, it is very hard to form the pattern and as a result, a time consuming intricate process that requires extreme dexterity. The panel alone can take quite a few months to produce so they are valuable and when a carrier falls apart, the beaded panel is saved and sewn onto another backpack. It is an extremely well executed labor of love. The classic design wards off evil spirits and vibrates with color and lore, protecting the infant perched on the mother's back from the evil spirits of the jungles. Among the tribes of central Borneo, all life - whether animal, vegetable, or human - is endowed with a spiritual aspect. Spirits living in the jungle must always be propitiated and never offended. Recently, Vince Hemingson, who was traveling with the Iban, said that even when an individual wishes to urinate, he or she must ask the spirits for permission in order to give them an opportunity to move: "No one would ever want to pee on a invisible spirit that is sitting directly in front of them and certainly no one would ever piss on a tree, you never know whose house that tree might be [and] I certainly didn't want to pee on anyone's house." Spirits (Iban: antu), both good and bad, exercise many powers; they provide the techniques of rice cultivation, the techniques of textile weaving, and the techniques of tattooing. Spirits usually come to individuals through dreams and even tattoo artists are under the protection of a particular spirit. Dreams are believed to be revelations sent by the gods, sometimes by deified ancestors, and all men are guided by them in their daily affairs.

Our prices are very low as we sell mostly wholesale and we go straight to the source to find these treasures, so you are getting the advantage of that saving as well as the advantage of the wholesale price without having to purchase multiples for a little while longer while we are making room.