Dani Plaited Armband (Milak)

Dani people, mid-20th century, Baliem Valley, Irian Jaya (Papua), Indonesia

Magnificent, finely plaited ornamental armband (milak), expertly crafted from plant fibres including fern and orchid stem fibre, traditionally worn by men high on the upper arm. The tight, intricate plaiting and superb aged surface give this piece an exceptional sculptural presence, characteristic of classic highland craftsmanship.

The Dani are one of the most populous and culturally influential peoples of the Central Highlands of Western New Guinea, closely related to the Yali, Moni, and Lani groups. Although the region remained isolated from outside contact until the late 1930s, the Dutch established their first colonial post in the remote Baliem Valley only in the mid-1950s. Prior to this, the Dani existed as a highly skilled agricultural, hunting, and gathering society, with a rich tradition of fibre work, woodcraft, and stone tool production.

The Dani were traditionally animists whose cosmology centred on land spirits, water spirits, and the ghosts of the recently deceased—beings considered powerful and potentially dangerous if not properly appeased. Central to their belief system is the concept of a soul-like essence called edai-egen (“seeds of singing”), thought to reside beneath the sternum and essential to vitality; illness or injury could disturb this essence, requiring ritual intervention to restore balance.

Until the arrival of metal tools in the 1960s, Dani material culture was entirely based on stone, bone, wood, bamboo, and pig tusk. Everyday utilitarian objects—axes (kapak), adzes, gourds for water, and bark-fibre carrying bags (bilum / noken)—were complemented by an impressive corpus of personal adornment. Men traditionally wore only a penis sheath (koteka), ornamented with feathers, shell, or woven accessories such as this finely made milak. Women wore grass skirts (sili) if unmarried, and fibre coils (yokal) or seed skirts after marriage.

Dani craftsmanship is particularly admired for its woven rattan bracelets (sekan), arm and headbands (milak), cowry, bone, and feather necklaces (mikak), and head decorations incorporating pig tusks (suale). Wealth items—including polished stone valuables (ye), slabs of salt, and ceremonial fibre bags—played a central role in social exchange, bridewealth, ritual, and clan relations.

An outstanding and authentic example of mid-20th-century highland artistry, with superb age, use, and desirable patina.

Excellent condition. Surface wear consistent with age and use. Stains. Faded colors. Size approx. 7,5cm x 7,5cm x 1,5cm.

Provenance: From a Dutch private collection; reportedly originally from the holdings of a now-closed ethnographic museum and foundation in the Netherlands.

For a similar examples see:

Bracelet, Pace, Stichting Papua Erfgoed, Accession Number: EA/34/19 (https://www.papuaerfgoed.org/en/EA/34/19)

Arm-band, The British Museum, Accession Number: Oc1906,1013.333 (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Oc1906-1013-333)

Bracelet, Pace, Stichting Papua Erfgoed, Accession Number: EA/41/1 (https://www.papuaerfgoed.org/en/EA/41/1)

References and further reading:

Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Oceania, Karl Heider, edited Terence Hays, G.K.Hall & Company, 1991.

Wealth Items in the Western Highlands of West Papua, Anton Ploeg, Ethnology, Vol.43. No.4 (Autumn 2004), pp. 291-313.

Papua blood: An account of West Papua, Peter Bang, BoD, 16 Apr 2018.