Pair of Tun Tun Staffs (Trap Measuring Sticks/Pig Charms)

Like many other objects associated with hunting, these Dayak tun tun staffs were designed to serve both practical and magical purposes. The staff shafts were used to measure the depth of traps for wild bearded pigs, while the figures on the top of each represent Dayak hunters lying in wait for their quarry, and were intended slow or stop the pigs as they ran through the forest and ideally to lure them into the traps. The bearded pig hunted in Borneo is a medium-sized wild boar that feeds on oil-rich seeds and nuts, migrating in large herds to take advantage of various plant seasons. It is still by far the most commonly hunted animal on the island, where yearly totals killed in Sarawak alone average over a million animals. With wild pork representing up to 90% of the protein consumed by some peoples (particularly the Kenyah), ritual surrounding the hunting and consumption of the pigs is still of considerable importance to many communities, whose yearly ritual calendar is marked by several dates associated with the hunt. With increasing deforestation and overhunting, however, the range and population of the pigs is shrinking steadily, and this important source of physical and spiritual nourishment is now listed as threatened throughout Borneo.

(L) Ironwood; 53.5 x 5 x 2.5cm. | (R) Ironwood, beads; 55 x 5 x 2.5.cm