Vintage Borneo Kayan Tribe Wooden Box with Aso Dragon – Borneo Wood Carving – Asian Folk Art – Primitive Home Decor – Interior Styling

Important Information

• Pricing & customs: the listed price excludes any sales tax and import costs. The buyer is responsible for the additional duties or taxes that may incur. 
• This is a vintage item, some signs of use are to be expected. Please look at the photos carefully before purchasing.

About the Vintage Wooden Box

This wooden box was hand-carved by the Dayak people located in Borneo, an island shared by Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. This box were used as container to store medicine and small precious items. Circa 1940s, features a sliding lid. 

It depicts a mythical creature from the Dayak culture, named Aso, which is a composite mythological beast, part dog and dragon. Aso acts as a guardian figure, protecting the Dayak from malevolent spirits and is also associated with fertility. It usually appears at doorways, on house gables, and on ritual objects. The box is made of ironwood (traditionally called ulin), one of the rare woods in the forest habitat of Borneo known for its hardness and durability.

About the Dayak Tribe of Borneo

Borneo is the third-largest island in the world, divided between the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak, Indonesian Kalimantan, and Brunei. The Dayak (also spelled Dyak or Dayuh) are a collective term for more than 200 indigenous ethnic groups native to Borneo, many living traditionally along its major rivers.

This Item is Perfect for

• Tribal & ethnographic art collectors seeking authenticated Southeast Asian carving with cultural symbolism
• Shoppers looking for a one-of-a-kind Borneo handmade folk art
• Interior stylists sourcing a conversation-starting statement object 
• Gift buyers shopping for anthropology enthusiasts or collectors of Asian tribal art
• Galleries, libraries and curators building or rounding out a Southeast Asian indigenous craft collection

Ironwood