传统婴儿背带（Ba’） Dayak Kenyah – 藤条、木材与由骨珠或鹿角珠串成的珠饰项链 - 婆罗洲

原件是可归属于婆罗洲中部基南雅日南卡族Dayak Kenyah文化圈的民族志对象，位于阿博卡延/上马哈坎河流域（ Apo Kayan / Upper Mahakam）。它是一只刚性、实用的婴儿携带筐，传统上被称为 ba'。

串珠的分析与象征意义
在婴儿携带筐的上沿，嵌入一串手工切面几何形状的珠串，珠子由骨头或鹿角制成，穿在深色织物绳上。绳子在每颗珠之间用单结固定，使珠子保持固定、避免位移或摩擦，这种排列显示出谨慎而稳定的做工，整体与物件融为一体。
在Dayak物质文化中，ba'婴儿携带筐常融入具有保护性的元素，如珠、铃、牙齿、贝壳或其他具有象征意义的物件，目的在于按照传统信仰保护婴儿在生命最初岁月的灵魂脆弱期。它们并非仅仅是装饰品，而是防护护盾的主要要素之一。
本品最独特的特征之一，是保留了一串珠子，珠子据称由人手雕刻、打孔并逐一系结的珠串。与进口玻璃微珠（aban）所展现的密集织锦地毯式的华美相比——高贵贵族阶层的婴儿携带筐——这件作品通过一种显著手工艺的 ornamental传统表达同样的保护功能，依托本地可得的自然资源与群体代际传承的风俗习惯。

这种做法揭示了对象价值理解的不同形式：其象征意义并非寄托于通过贸易获得的声望材料，而是在于以周围环境提供的材料进行手工创作的仪式。这种传承的智慧，非但没有削弱作品的简约性，反而强化了其作为日常物质文化证言的民族志价值。

婴儿携带筒的主体：
筒状容器的凹形躯干完全以紧密、封闭的野生藤条扁带编织而成，采用鱼骨花纹编织技法，旨在提供结构刚性，同时不显著增加重量。
两条侧向携带带也以相同类型的藤条编织而成。该植物结构通过木质半月形座位的传动与有机钉子及因使用与年龄而变深的织物系带连接成型。
座位的尺寸（25 × 14 cm）与在博物馆收藏的传统 ba' 婴儿携带筐样本一致，这些样本来自婆罗洲的民族志收藏馆，如佩恩博物馆的收藏。

年代：约 1940–1970

尺寸：
• 高度：36 cm
• 顶部宽度（开口）：34 cm
• 基座宽度：25 cm
• 基座深度：14 cm

保存状态：
结构上完整牢固。藤条保持原有柔韧与张力，呈现稳定的天然赭褐色光泽。木底部有表面磨损，角部有小缺口，但不影响整体稳定性（见红框处细节）。未见修复或结构性损坏。
背部内侧有一小块暗色区域，符合长期使用的特征，其位置可能对应婴儿在使用过程中的头部反复支撑点。

提供的照片为本批次描述的组成部分。

参考文献：
1. 大都会艺术博物馆 – Aban 与 Kayan/Kenyah 婴儿携带筐的收藏记录。
2. Penn Museum – J. Chin, Baby Carriers, Expedition Magazine, Vol. 30, Nº 1 (1988).
3. Whittier, Herbert L. (1978). The Kenyah. 收录于 Essays on Borneo Societies.
4. Faridah Sahari (2016). Ba': Central Borneo 社会分层中的婴儿携带筐角色变迁。

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::英文版:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Traditional Dayak Kenyah Baby Carrier (Ba') – Rattan, wood and a garland of bone or antler beads knotted as a protective amulet – Ethnographic object, Borneo, mid-20th century.

Description:

Original ethnographic object attributable to the Dayak Kenyah cultural sphere of central Borneo (Apo Kayan / Upper Mahakam river basin). It is a rigid utilitarian baby carrier basket, traditionally known as a ba'.

Analysis and Symbolism of the Garland Beads

The baby carrier incorporates, along its upper edge, a festooned garland of hand-faceted geometric beads carved from bone or antler and strung on a dark textile cord. The cord is secured by individual knots between each bead, keeping them fixed in place and preventing movement or friction, an arrangement that demonstrates a deliberate and stable construction fully integrated into the object.

Within Dayak material culture, ba' baby carriers frequently incorporated protective elements such as beads, bells, teeth, shells and other objects of symbolic value, intended to protect the child according to traditional beliefs concerning the vulnerability of the soul during the first years of life. They were not merely decorative ornaments, but one of the principal elements of the protective shield.

One of the most distinctive features of this example is the preservation of a garland of beads individually carved, drilled and knotted by hand. In contrast to the refinement of the dense panels of imported glass microbeads (aban), characteristic of the baby carriers belonging to the high aristocracy, this piece expresses the same protective function through a distinctly handcrafted ornamental tradition, based on the use of locally available natural resources and on the continuity of the community's customs and traditions, passed down from generation to generation.

This approach reveals a different understanding of the object's value: its symbolic significance did not rest on prestigious materials acquired through trade, but on the ritual of creating by hand with what the surrounding environment provides. This inherited knowledge, far from diminishing the sobriety of the piece, reinforces its ethnographic value as a testimony to everyday material culture.

The Body of the Baby Carrier
The concave body of the receptacle is entirely constructed from a dense, tightly woven arrangement of flat strips of wild rattan in a herringbone weave, a technique intended to provide structural rigidity to the whole without significantly increasing its weight.

The two lateral carrying straps are made from the same type of plaited rattan. The vegetal structure is joined to a rigid crescent-shaped wooden seat by means of organic pegs and textile bindings darkened through use and age.

The dimensions of the seat (25 × 14 cm) are consistent with those observed in traditional examples preserved in major ethnographic collections devoted to the ba' baby carriers of Borneo, such as those of the Penn Museum.

Chronology: c. 1940–1970

Measurements:
• Height: 36 cm
• Upper width (opening): 34 cm
• Base width: 25 cm
• Base depth: 14 cm

Condition:
Condition: Structurally sound. The rattan retains its original flexibility and tension, displaying a stable natural honey-brown patina acquired through age. The wooden base shows surface wear consistent with use, including a small chip localized on one of the corners, without affecting the structural stability of the piece (see detail outlined in red). No restorations or structural damage are observed.

The inner back panel shows a small localized area of darkening consistent with prolonged use of the piece, the location of which may correspond to the repeated resting of the child's head during use.

**The photographs provided form an integral part of the description of this lot.**

References:

1. The Metropolitan Museum of Art – collection records on Aban y portabebés Kayan/Kenyah.
2. Penn Museum – J. Chin, Baby Carriers, Expedition Magazine, Vol. 30, Nº 1 (1988).
3. Whittier, Herbert L. (1978). The Kenyah. In Essays on Borneo Societies.
4. Faridah Sahari (2016). Ba': The Shifting Role of Baby Carrier among the Stratification Society in Central Borneo.