For #LoveHornbillsDay, here are examples of kenyalang figures from the Iban people of Borneo. These carved and painted wooden figures are stylized representations of the kenyalang bird, aka the Rhinoceros Hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros). It is the official state bird of Sarawak and national bird of Malaysia.
GALLERY
The largest sculptures of the Iban people of northwestern Borneo are stylized images representing the rhinoceros hornbill (kenyalang), a large forest bird whose beak is surmounted by a horn-like projection, typically depicted, as here, as a spiral form. In Iban cosmology, hornbills are associated with the upper world and formerly, with warfare and headhunting. They serve as intermediaries between the powerful deity Singalang Burong and the human world. Hornbill effigies are the centerpiece of the gawai kenyalang, a ceremony that, in former times, could only be sponsored by a prominent war leader or his descendants. They also are used in similar rites called gawai burong. At the climax of the ceremony, the hornbill figure, lavishly decorated for the occasion, is erected atop a tall pole inserted through a hole in its body, such as that which appears on the present work. Following the ceremony, the sacred hornbill image is preserved in the loft of the communal longhouse and brought out to receive offerings during future gawai kenyalang or gawai burong.
This Kenyalang or Tenyalang was cut from a specially selected tree and placed on a high pole. There the bird symbolized the messenger of the gods and the masculine. The pole stood in a large jar, a martavan, a symbol of the feminine. Sometimes a snake was also cut out on the pole.
The Iban Dayaks believed that they were descended from the Sengalong Burong, a divine ancestor whom they depicted as a hornbill. He was the god of warriors and protector of headhunters. The image also works as an aid in concentration of thoughts during the worship of the spirit.
Previously, these types of images played a role in the ritual before the start of a headhunting party. The spirit of the statue would fly to the enemy’s house and weaken the warriors there. Nowadays these images are only used during harvest ceremonies.The hornbill was an important animal among the various Dayak peoples of Borneo that featured frequently in their myths. His image had symbolic meaning and was a frequently recurring motif. For the Ngaju Dayak, this bird symbolized the masculine and the upper world. He was a manifestation of the supreme god of the upper world called Mahatara. This name probably arose in the thirteenth century due to influences from the Hindu empire Majapahit, which then ruled over many now Indonesian islands (including Borneo). For example, certain concepts were adopted by the Dayak peoples. In some Dayak groups, the hornbill motif was only allowed to be used by the aristocracy, as it would be too powerful for the lower classes. Wooden statues of the hornbill were often carved. These were then placed on poles to protect a village or used in ceremonies or grave architecture. The ivory from the hornbill’s beak was often turned into ear jewelry, usually worn by warriors and aristocrats. The hornbill was also seen as the embodiment of war. This explains why it was used as a symbol of strength. For example, in the war costumes of some Dayak groups, they did this by adding hornbill feathers. The hornbill was the male counterpart of the water serpent that represented the feminine and the underworld. Together they represented the entire cosmos. That unity in the universe was an important part of the different cultures of the different Dayak groups.
Stylized representation of a Rhinceros Hornbill. (kenyalang). The beak is greatly attenuated, and the “horn” is rendered as a large openwork spiral. Round openwork crest. In times of prosperity, such as after a good rice harvest, the Iban people of Borneo held major celebrations called Gawai Kenyalang, at the culmination of which a large carved and painted figure of a Rhinoceros hornbill (kenyalang), was lifted high into the air at the top of a pole and urged to fly away, carrying with it the forces of misfortune. In some communities smaller “child” (“anak”) versions of the hornbill figure were created at the same time by individual households in the multi-family longhouses. This is an example of such an “anak” figure. The bird holds in its beak a fig, the hornbill’s principal food. In the past, in the time of headhunting , the bird was urged to fly to an enemy community and destroy its power to defend itself. In this context, the oval fig could also be a reference to a trophy head.
To the Iban peoples of Borneo, the hornbill is a bird of prophecy and a primary vehicle of communication between the human and spirit worlds. The greatest of all Iban festivals climaxes with the raising of carved and painted hornbill figures perched atop tall poles. As a part of the complex of Iban practices once focused on warfare, the hornbills were metaphorically launched to vanquish the enemy.
Probably made in Saribas (Borneo, Indonesia); acquired in 1894.
Curator’s comments:
Additional information from Michael Heppell:
‘… an anak kenyalang. They graced a festival in honour of a successful headhunter, participating in many of the rites during that festival and at the end of the festival the kenyalang is raised on a pole (about 20 metres or so in height) which is pointed in the direction of the Iban’s enemies. It is made of ‘Alstonia Spp.’, a very light wood.’
The effigy on the pole was pointed in the direction of the Iban’s most immediate enemies. It was expected to fly down to them and peck out their eyes and envelop them in a fog so that they were totally disorientated when the Iban war party descended on them.
This effigy is small and so may be an ‘anak‘ or child of the larger effigy used in ritual and placed outside on a high pole. Such an anak would have been kept inside a longhouse.
This kenyalang was used in a peacemaking event in Marudi (Claudetown) in the Baram River district, Sarawak in 1899. It was published in Charles Hose and William McDougall, The Pagan Tribes of Borneo, volume 2, pl. 206, published in 1912.
Comment from Michael Heppell:
‘An Iban anak kenyalang. Surprising it was found in Marudi because there were no Iban up that far I would have thought. Maybe Kayan/Kenyah bought it.’
Curator’s commentsSee AOA Eth.Doc.1826 – Correspondence between D Bingham and B Durrans (1977). This includes a detailed description of the carving and of the feasts at which it was displayed.
Geography: Made in probably Saribas, Borneo, Indonesia.
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For more info on and photos of kenyalang figures, check out this paper:
Additional book recommendation: