An Ironwood Mask, Found Amidst the Dried Fish

I walked out into the humidity and bright sunshine of a Sarawak afternoon. Strolling down the street, I turned onto a street that was all Chinese. Vendors dozed in darkened shops, no lights on, no one asking for sales, but eyeing me over, not friendly, not curious, more like what the hell do you want? I walked on, wanting to shoot photos but not feeling eager, or willing to anger these sleepy shopkeeps.

The stores were tiny, the sidewalk a portico. It felt good to get out of the sun, my eyes still sensitive to light, sunglasses on. I walked up and down the street and then back toward the waterfront. Here there was a mix, more Chinese owned stores but a friendlier bunch, more people wearing headscarves, more dark-skinned Indians with bad teeth but smiles, and lots of shops selling spices and huge baskets of dried fish. There were so many different sized little fish, each a different price, and the customers sifted through the baskets of fish, checking I guess for the ones they liked.

I went into a shop that said antiques, and at the back was a row of carved masks. I found one I liked, and a shopkeep approached me, and told me it was ironwood, and was Iban. I liked this guy’s grin and big round eyes, and it felt substantial. “480 ringets,” he said. I was curious but at that price, no sale, it was around $150. “For you, I can do a discount. How about $250?” I was interested but walked away. “Well, tell me how much you want to pay,” he said. I came back with $100 and at $150, ($50 US) I had my mask.

He will make a great addition to the office, and ward away bad spirits and bad payers. I like that he’s made of ironwood, the same wood they make telephone poles with here, sturdy and built to last for years. He will look great up on the wall of the GoNOMAD office.