Powerful Symbols Through Indigenous Art as the Hornbill Figure - Essay Example

The ‘Hornbill Figure’ Introduction In ancient times, humans had extensively used natural resources to manage their primitive way of life, finding that almost everything can be derived from nature. People around this age thus adhered to the conceived possibility of a powerful entity residing in a tangible form within nature which was believed to allow energy flow from one being on to the next in a cyclic process. Such profound connection between mankind and the rest of the living led to convictions which, as perceived or inferred through history, were either supernatural or spiritual, inspiring men to readily associate an image of nature to a concept of higher being with supreme powers. This attitude on symbolism has since been carried on through generations and found to signify the essence of religion and creativity in a culture like how the specially skilled Ibans of Sarawak pioneered in carving an exclusively designed hornbill figure. Humans Create Powerful Symbols Through Indigenous Art – ‘The Hornbill Figure’ The Hornbill Figure, known to be Tenyalang or Kenyalang in the context of Iban nomenclature for the bird species, has essentially been the chief subject of interest among the Iban carvers of Sarawak, Malaysia (Davenport). It was during the period between the 19th and the 20th centuries that the Iban people began the talent of further enriching their culture by sculpting images of hornbill to become an indispensable part of sacred ceremonies conducted by Iban community. With a nearly standard length of 84.6 centimeters, the Hornbill Figure is traditionally created in wood, paint, cotton thread, some plant materials, and wool. At the Fowler Museum, its current location, one may gain appreciation of the eruditely chiseled details in the art of the hornbill’s sculpture which is specifically prominent with its peculiarly and sharply pointed bill having a seemingly elaborate trajectory and body painting under various strokes and pigments depicting how colorful Iban festivals are. Besides its extensive recognition as an object of art of aesthetic and crucial value, hornbill carvings signify the way of life of Iban people and the unique reputation associated with Iban’s utmost festive celebration with religious rituals (Davenport). Hornbill Figure typically is a special embodiment of a bird believed to possess knowledge and wisdom of what is to come. Aside from bringing a prophecy upon which Iban communities heavily relied in the past, it is profoundly considered as a fundamental medium that allowed blending of spiritual dimension with the world of humans so that the latter may possibly convey their freedom to interact with spirits and supernatural beings in a variety of concerns. To achieve triumphant conquests during warfare for instance, the hornbill article and faith in its image was employed on invocation at the high aim of obtaining extraordinary power to intimidate and eventually subdue the enemies. In particular, the custom of Iban’s Gawai Kenyalang acquired such belief for the purpose of attaining success in raiding and headhunting (trophy-taking) wherein the heads taken from the enemies were claimed to have their own powers that could potentially add to the overall strength or invincibility of the victorious community (Davenport). Looking intently onto the figure of the hornbill and being able to assess its distinct features, my attention is drawn upon at depth with an ensuing feeling that an aspect or portion of Malaysian history appears much to be fathomed. It is quite stimulating to find out that despite the complex undertakings of politics and of culture for the Iban people through the course of spontaneous history that has impacted their living in several ways, they remain intact to the practice and belief of the hornbill image. The carved figure of the bird truly reflects its essence of symbolizing courage and power in an Iban artist’s approach of giving ancient radiance to the hornbill’s colors as well as the projected keenness of the subtle look in its eyes. Unlike other icons of religion, the Hornbill Figure occurs more enlivening in character than necessitating believers to follow under austere sense of conviction. As the making of hornbill images flourished during the 19th until the mid-20th century, there came a turning point when the Sultanate of Brunei handed over the political fate of Sarawak to James Brooke, a British colonist endowed with the governance of the region after his victorious assistance in vanquishing local rebels. With the unrestrained privileges as a white rajah, his dynasty of three generations ruled Sarawak for a hundred years under which the indigenous inhabitants were shielded from exploitation (Sarawak). Hence, it is within his era that the Iban people and other Dayak natives were entrusted to assume control of the militia for this ground which was why they could have received inspiration in enhancing military performance and creative rituals with the traditional regard for hornbill figure. The Brooke regime, especially at the transition from the 19th century, sought favor on the commerce and trade with Chinese merchants in Sarawak. Chinese merchandise consisted of beeswax, birds’ nests, camphor, dammar, and horns in exchange of guttah and rattan (Wadley, 2006). Circulation of ecological articles through these products became prevalent that the trading economy further enriched the overall culture of Borneo, substantially affecting Sarawak people’s way of life as determined by the increased craftsmanship of the Iban sculptors. Around this part of the latter 19th century as well, the Dutch were able to gain scheming advantage over the community market in the exportation of rubber, coffee, pepper, copra, coal, tin, and petroleum commodities (Rowthorn & Cohen, 2008). At the time, the commerce made a shift towards acquiring Chinese labor for employment on mining and plantation fields in Borneo and gutta-percha, a tall tree-latex extract, entered the ethnic market as a new commodity (Wadley). By this time, the Iban natives became more engaged in ranging forests than farming in search of gutta-percha which was intended to support the technology of expanding cable communication during the late 1860s since the latex material may be utilized for insulating cables of submarines (Wadley). Consequently, the Iban communities from which the hornbill carvers came had the opportunity of learning the essence of migration and how they could benefit from gathering forest products. Though the Brooke administration felt it was more suitable for these people to focus and augment their potentials with agriculture, migrating to other places enabled the Iban people to seek improvement of living and mode of socialization as they agreed to interact with Chinese traders and other ethnic groups and converged on a mutual purpose. In effect, the art piece critic understands the value of aesthetic work in the context of Iban sculpture that had been influenced by colonization and trade. The hornbill figure reflects ingenuity in the choice of colors and approach in carving based on how the aspects of culture in Sarawak were shaped in the age of White Rajahs. While the image preserves its religious worth, the social foreign dimensions are vivid and are representative of the amount of advanced skills the sculptor obtained in the period which greatly challenged ethnicity in this side of Borneo. Conclusion The carving of the Hornbill Figure is indeed of immense worth to the Malaysian culture for long considering how this unit has withstood the test of time and change to this extent in history. With its struggle through several battles fought by the tribal Iban communities, one acquires the benefit of discerning how the hornbill figure, more than a mere object of art, reflects the trait of indigenous valiance during the pre-colonial 19th century in Sarawak and even the preserved attribute of spirituality in period of British occupation. In the study process, a learner earns having contemplative regard for the combined relevance in the unit’s roots of ethnicity, cultural advantages, and in being a product of religious and military causes alike. Works Cited Davenport, William H. Hornbill Carvings of the Iban of Sarawak, Malaysia. RES: Anthropology and Aesthetics. [online] Available at: < http://www.jstor.org/pss/20167497>[Accessed 22 July 2011]. Sarawak. [online] Available at: [Accessed 23 July 2011]. Rowthorn, C. & M. Cohen. Borneo (Lonely Planet Travel Guides). Lonely Planet, 2008. Wadley, Reed L. Histories of the Borneo Environment: Economic, Political, and Social Dimensions of Change and Continuity. KITLV Press, 2006. Read More