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Pig Trap Charm (Tuntun)

early 20th century

Wood with brass studs, cloth fragments, and shells

53.5 x 2.3 x 4 cm (21 1/16 x 7/8 x 1 9/16 in.) base: 8 x 8 x 25 cm (3 1/8 x 3 1/8 x 9 13/16 in.)
Promised gift of Thomas Jaffe, B.A. 1971
ILE2012.30.305
Tuntun are measuring sticks used when setting up traps to catch wild pigs. The trap includes a bamboo spear and a rattan spring, which is triggered by a wire. The angle of the spear is determined with the help of the tuntun. The small figure at the top of each stick holds magical substances to help attract the animal.
Culture: 
Iban
Period: 
20th century
Classification: 
Ritual Objects
Geography: 
Made in Borneo, Malaysia
Status: 
On view
Provenance: 

Ex-collection: A. Schoffel, Brittany, France. D. Caput, Paris.

Bibliography: 

Jerome Feldman, The Eloquent Dead: Ancestral Sculpture of Indonesia and Southeast Asia (Los Angeles: Fowler Museum at UCLA, 1985), 122-124.

Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.