Dayak Earring
Dayak Earring
Dayak is one of Indonesia tribes who mostly live in Borneo Island. Like any traditional tribe in Indonesia, Dayak people is having a thick tradition concerning their rules and the way of living. The appearance of the men and women are are also particular and interesting to be discovered.
The main jewelry from Dayak people are earrings, bracelets, necklaces and head ornaments. Those jewels can be made from anything like rock, metal, animal bones, tusks, horns, bird feathers, and beads, the motives can be plain or have pattern. The Motif in jewelry is usually drawn from the surrounding flora and fauna. There is also a motif taken from mythology such as the dragon motif, which is probably the most popular and most often found.
A simple geometric motifs like circles, lines and angles, are rarely used for jewelry and it is only used as a fabric motif, carving and tattoo. There is jewelry that can not be used by everyone. The jewelry made of hornbills feathers or in the form of hornbills patterned. It may only be worn by aristocratic class or it being called as The Patent.
Dayak Women
Dayak earrings are generally bulky and made of heavy material. This is because in Dayak culture, a person is considered more attractive if you have long ears. Big and weight earrings is have function as a decoration and also it helps to pull out ears longer. The use of earrings is done in stages starting from the not-too-heavy and small to widen the hole so that it can be added by next earrings. This is also to prevent tearing of the ear.
For jewelry, Dayak bracelets also has another function. The bracelets made from materials such as ivory, bone, tusks and certain timber and usually not motivated, has a function as a protector for the user of things that are evil and bad. These bracelets are usually full circle as the symbol of the user is surrounded or guarded by ancestral spirits and ancestors.