The honorary curator of beads at the Sarawak Museum, Heidi Munan, displays the beauty, variety and mystique of the beads and bead culture found in the world's third-largest island, transcending its political boundaries to cover the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak, Brunei and Kalimantan in Indonesia. Drawing on the author's extensive fieldwork. Beads of Borneo explores the island and people of Borneo, the history of the bead trade, beads as jewelry, their religious qualities and modern trends in bead design.
This fascinating study is the first detailed description of the ancient and enduring trade in beads that spans more than two millennia and once stretched from the Middle East to East Asia and affected areas as far apart as West Africa and the American Pacific coast. Beads are universal and among the earliest art forms. Made of glass, semiprecious stone, or precious organic materials such as amber and coral, they were ubiquitous in the ancient world, serving as decorations, magical charms, mnemonic and counting devices, symbols of wealth and status. Much of the ancient bead trade was incorporated in Asian maritime commerce, and many of the beads involved have Asian origins. Peter Francis, Jr., a pioneer in bead studies, incorporates firsthand knowledge of beads and beadmaking in the field with years of solid, scholarly research, effectively eliminating much of the hearsay and speculation that so often characterizes works on beads. In addition to the production, use, and provenance of beads, he examines the importance of the bead trade for the economies of the countries involved and provides insights into the lives of its many participants: artisans, mariners, and merchants. He covers the widely-dispersed Indo-Pacific beads (sometimes called Trade Wind beads or mutisalah), Chinese glass beads, Middle Eastern glass beads, Indian stone beads, heirloom beads in Southeast Asia and Micronesia, and other minor beads and bead industries involved in the trade.
A former professor and museum director offers a fascinating, in-depth look at the culture and history of beaded objects around the world. From a beaded dress found in an ancient Egyptian tomb to the beaded fringe on a 1920s Parisian flapper’s hem, humans throughout history have used beading as a way to express, adorn, and tell a story. Bol explores beadwork across the world and through the ages, showing how beading has taken on many different styles, forms, and purposes for different cultures. She looks at children’s clothing, puberty ceremonies, burials, emblems of social status and leadership, festivals, and many other cultural occasions that involve the use of beadwork. Images of artifacts and heirlooms as well as photography of people and their beadwork enhance the scholarship of this book for a beautiful, enlightening addition to art, history, multicultural collections everywhere.
The remarkable longhouses of Borneo remain mysterious. This book describes life within them, and puts them in their historical and ethnographic context.
The Kayan culture is one that is rich with cultural diversity, and it's important to appreciate and preserve it for future generations. The Kayan people are categorized as part of the Dayak communities of Borneo, and this book focuses on the Sarawak tribe with special reference to the Kayan Uma Pu clan. In addition to learning about the Kayans through an assortment of beautiful pictures, you'll learn about tribal customs, beliefs, and more. Get insights on how: * Kayans expanded their living area over time; * communication occurs even without an alphabet; * villagers resolve household and community disputes; * beliefs and omens play a critical role in their society. The Kayans have survived so long because they cooperate and stick together, even though they're scattered over a large area. While they've often been displaced, they'll enjoy a much brighter future if the world seeks to understand their culture, heritage, and accomplishments.
Ethnic Jewellery from Indonesia: Continuity, Creativity and Evolution is a compelling introduction to the little known visual power and beauty of the body adornments used by the myriad peoples of Indonesia s outer islands, including Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi, Sumba and Maluku. Illustrated with more than 500 rare pieces that have been accumulated since the 1970s by collector Manfred Giehmann, the book explores the depth and breadth of an ancient and magnificent tradition, revealing the fruits of careful documentation that has taken place over a period of decades. It will provide information on the origin, meaning and purpose of the jewellery items, as well as unique insights into the people who crafted and wore the jewellery for ritual or ceremonial functions. Ethnic Jewellery: Continuity, Creativity and Evolution is a definitive work on the subject and a testimony to the greatness of a fast-disappearing Indonesian tradition."
Beads, beadwork, and personal ornaments are made of diverse materials such as shell, bone, stones, minerals, and composite materials. Their exploration from geographical and chronological settings around the world offers a glimpse at some of the cutting edge research within the fast growing field of personal ornaments in humanities’ past. Recent studies are based on a variety of analytical procedures that highlight humankind’s technological advances, exchange networks, mortuary practices, and symbol-laden beliefs. Papers discuss the social narratives behind bead and beadwork manufacture, use and disposal; the way beads work visually, audibly and even tactilely to cue wearers and audience to their social message(s). Understanding the entangled social and technical aspects of beads require a broad spectrum of technical and methodological approaches including the identification of the sources for the raw material of beads. These scientific approaches are also combined in some instances with experimentation to clarify the manner in which beads were produced and used in past societies.
