Old Borneo Dayak Iban Smoking Pipe

Old Borneo Dayak Iban smoking pipe

This Old Borneo Dayak Iban smoking pipe is a striking example of traditional craftsmanship from the Iban people of Sarawak, Borneo. Carved from dense dark hardwood, the pipe combines function with symbolic ornamentation. The elongated stem leads to a raised bowl, while the body is richly decorated with openwork geometric and flowing motifs, carefully pierced and carved in low relief.

The repeating patterns—looped and interlaced forms punctuated by small circular piercings—are characteristic of Dayak visual language, often associated with protection, continuity, and the unseen world. The sculpted bowl rises like a small vessel or shield, suggesting both containment and guardianship. Traces of age, patina, and wear speak to prolonged use, likely over generations.

Notably, a chipped or worn section near the bowl appears intentional or at least culturally significant, rather than accidental damage. Such alterations are sometimes associated with ritual handling, repeated touching, or deliberate removal of material for non-smoking purposes.

Among the Iban, objects were not merely tools—they were companions, witnesses, and sometimes healers.

It is said that this pipe once belonged to an elder who carried it not only for smoking but for guidance. When illness visited the longhouse, he would sit quietly, holding the pipe close, murmuring words older than memory. From the edge of the bowl, a small fragment was once chipped away—not in haste, but with intention. The wood, warmed by smoke and breath, was believed to hold the strength of the forest and the wisdom of the spirits.

The tiny shaving was mixed with water or oil and gently rubbed onto the skin of the sick, not as medicine in the modern sense, but as a bridge between body and spirit. The pipe bore the mark thereafter—a scar that told a story. Each time it was lifted again, the elder remembered that healing does not always come from what is taken in, but sometimes from what is given away.

Thus, the chip remains: a quiet testament to care, belief, and the living power once attributed to everyday objects.

Price include shipping worldwide by DHL.