Vintage Dayak Tribe Long House Ladder - Kalimantan, Borneo, Indonesia

Description

I am pleased to offer, for the first time, this rare Dayak long house ladder, circa 1950 from Kalimantan, Borneo, Indonesia. I acquired the ladder in the late 1980's when I was working in Indonesia.
The ladder is carved from one piece of indigenous Ironwood, which is very heavy and dense.
The patina on each step demonstrates many years of daily and ceremonial use.
The Dayak tribe built their homes high to protect against environmental elements and predator animals. They carved frightening faces, or Aso, on the ladders to ward off evil and to protect their families and village from spiritual harm.
The top figure is an animal laying on its stomach with its face turned backward to keep vigilant. There are a total of five faces used as steps.
THIS IS A SPECIAL PIECE FOR THE ETHNIC ART LOVER.
PLEASE ASK ME ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
HEIGHT: 7'
WIDTH:  6"
DEPTH:  2.5"
FOR LOCAL PICK-UP:   PLEASE BE AWARE TO HAVE THE APPROPRIATE VEHICLE TO FIT THE LADDER'S HEIGHT, AND THAT A SECOND PERSON MAY BE NEEDED TO HELP LOAD IT.