传统婴儿背带（Ba'）Dayak Kenyah—藤条、木材，以及由骨珠或鹿角珠串组成的花环 - 婆罗洲

原始民族志对象归属于中部婆罗洲日阿克肯雅（Dayak Kenyah）文化圈的对象，流域为 Apo Kayan / 上马哈坎河流域。它是一件刚性实用的婴儿背篮，传统上被称为 ba'。

分析与珠串符号学
婴儿背具在上缘嵌入一串手工 Faceted 的几何珠珠花环，珠珠材质为骨质或角质，穿线为深色纹理线。线绳以各珠之间的单结固定，使珠珠保持固定，防止移动或摩擦，这种布置体现出一种经过深思熟虑并稳定融入整体的加工方式。

在日阿克日常物质文化中，ba' 婴儿背具常融入保护性元素，如珠、铃、牙、贝壳或其他具有象征意义的物品，旨在依传统信仰保护婴儿在前几年生命中的灵魂脆弱性。它们并非单纯装饰品，而是保护盾的主要组成要素之一。

此件最独特的特征之一，是保留了手工雕刻、钻孔并逐一系结的珠串花环。与昂贵的进口玻璃微珠（aban）密集的织锦式装饰品相比，代表高贵阶层婴儿背具的丰富繁复不同，这件作品以同样的保护功能体现出明显手工艺传统的 ornamental 特色，基于对可用自然资源的利用以及社区世代相传的习俗与传统。

这一思路揭示了对象价值理解的不同方式：其象征意义并非基于通过贸易获得的名贵材料，而在于以周围环境所提供之物进行手工创作的仪式性。代代相传的这份智慧，非但没有削弱这件作品的朴素性，反而加强了其作为日常物质文化证据的民族志价值。

背篮主体：
容纳器的凹形主体完全由密集而紧密编织的野生藤条扁带构成，采用菱形花纹（人字纹织法），此技法旨在为整体提供结构刚性，同时尽量不显著增加重量。

两条侧向携运带亦由同种藤条编制而成。植物结构通过一组有机插针与经久使用而变暗的纹织绑定，与之连接于木制成型的半月形座座。

座座尺寸为（25 × 14 cm），与在博物馆等民族志收藏中保存的传统 ba' 婴儿背具样本相符，如宾州博物馆等收藏。

时间序列：约 1940–1970

尺寸：
• 高度：36 cm
• 上缘宽度（开口处）：34 cm
• 底座宽度：25 cm
• 底座深度：14 cm

保存状况：
结构在力学上完好。藤条保持原始柔韧性与张力，呈自然烘焙黄褐色的稳定包浆。木底座表层因使用而略有磨损，一角上有小剥落，但不影响整体稳定性（详见红色标注的细节）。未见修复或结构性损坏。
背靠内侧显示出一小块着色暗沉，符合长时间使用的迹象，其位置可能对应婴儿在使用过程中的头部多次支撑。

**所附照片构成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 婴儿背具的收藏记录。
2. Penn Museum——J. Chin，《Baby Carriers》，Expedition Magazine, 第30卷，第1期（1988）。
3. Whittier, Herbert L.（1978）。The Kenyah。载于 Essays on Borneo Societies。
4. Faridah Sahari（2016）。Ba': 中婆罗洲分层社会中的婴儿背具角色之变迁。

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::英文:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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 – registros de colección sobre 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. En Essays on Borneo Societies.
4. Faridah Sahari (2016). Ba': The Shifting Role of Baby Carrier among the Stratification Society in Central Borneo.