Here are 2 traditional  Dayak ear ornaments made from Hornbill beak. These ear ornaments were made from a single piece of Hornbill beak or casque, and were only permitted to be worn by successful head hunters. The items were acquired at auction in the west of England, and came  together with a hand typed transcript of the reminiscences of the famous Dayak tribal leader TEMONGGONG KOH. It is not known if the ornaments have any link with the tribal leader himself but he would certainly have qualified to wear such items. The text is accompanied with a photograph of Temonggong Koh and a hand drawn map to assist the reader. The Folder is marked at the top left G S Mathews and carries a label REMINISCENCES OF AN IBAN CHIEF. The folder consists of 8 pages describing events in the chiefs life between the 1920s and 1955. They are translated directly from a tape recording made by the Dayak chief himself in 1955. Temonggong Koh died in  1956.

One of the ornaments has been cracked and professionally reglued such that it is invisible from the outside of the decoration. The restoration appears to have some age. Otherwise both items are in good condition and are of rare quality with fine fretted carving.

Dimensions cm : 9 L x 4.5 W x 6 h. and 4 x 5 x 2