Wooden shuttles used for weaving textiles are among the finest of Iban carving. This example, which has golden brown hue, is particularly fine. Apart from the usual foliage designs, the top end of the shuttle is incised with the image of a woman giving birth, while the lower half is decorated with what appears to be stylized centipedes, a power protective symbol that sometimes appear in the sacred cloths known as pua kumbu. Just like the weaver of a pua kumbu, the carver of this shutter may have etched her own dreams, combining them with the canon of stories and symbols that are passed down over generations. Ex. Davide Manfredi (France).