FEATURE going blind. Interestingly, old persons and, formerly, slaves (viewed as outsiders to the community) could make them without risk. Here, the reference may be the central feature 136 rather than the name. Among the upper Mahakam River peoples, for example, “dog” is a common alias for “dragon” (see Sellato 1992), as it is widely believed that even uttering the word “dragon” brings about danger. Alternate names for a pattern, therefore, may not necessarily be incongruous, as they refer to the same concept. Similarly, the names of various fruits or leaves with more or less the same shape may all “summon the idea of ‘fragrance’ and be connected with head trophies, which bring fertility” (Bléhaut 1997). Likewise the dragon-dog and its more concrete avatars, the deer and the water buffalo, may all refer to the underworld, as do the crocodile and the lizard (Sellato 1989, 1992). Being themselves perilous to handle, motifs that refer to divinities, powerful spirits, or head trophies certainly possess marked symbolic value. They are produced for ritual reasons and are used, or are at least present, during religious festivals. Furthermore, articles thusly decorated are imbued with power of their own. The plaiting of (or indeed any form of representing) the dragon at once invokes the great dragon goddess and creates a new dragon as well as its dwelling place. The artist and the artifact are under its protection, rendering its presence far more significant than a mere decorative motif. Aesthetics Undeniably, all humans have a taste for beauty and experience aesthetic pleasure, but in Borneo this is expressed primarily in relation to objects. Whereas author Bernard Sellato has never witnessed an Aoheng person showing admiration for a colorful sunset, he has often observed people handling an object at length and commenting appreciatively on its workmanship. In many languages of interior Borneo, no word is found for “beauty” or “beautiful,” although recently Malay words have come to serve for these. Traditionally, the idea of “beautiful” is rendered by the world for “good” in the general sense of “superior.” The same word for “good” is used concerning people, where it also means “superior” in the sense of “rich” or “noble”—though it does not carry the sense of “goodhearted.” Contrary to what might be assumed, decoration is not considered essential to beauty in the art of inland Borneo, but technical excellence is primary. Apart from personal aesthetic pleasure, it is widely believed that a beautiful object or pattern—that is, a well-made one—is pleasing to the gods. The above essay is derived from sections of the recent publication Plaited Arts of the Borneo Rainforest. Thanks are due to the many authors who contributed to this volume. Plaited Arts from the Borneo Rainforest, Bernard Sellato (ed.), 2012, Jakarta: The Lontar Foundation; Singapore: NUS Press; Copenhagen: Nordic Institute for Asian Studies Press; Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press; 536 pp., 1,260 photographs. NIAS Press price (Europe): £45; UHP price (USA & Americas): $70; NUS Press price (Asia): S$78. FIG. 24: Large mat with three longitudinal rows of octagonal medallions in which the torso motif is still recognizable. Beketan, upper Belayan River, Tabang area, East Kalimantan. Rattan. Photo: G. Perret.
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