Paiwan Wooden Box Carved with Human Heads

This fine, small wooden box with a sliding lid, is from the Paiwan people of Taiwan. It has been carved on the lid with what might be a boat motif and around the side with human head and animal motifs.  It has been painted red and also decorated with metal studs.

The Paiwan people are the indigenous people of Taiwan island. They inhabited the mountainous areas of southern Taiwan and are linked more culturally and ancestrally to the indigenous peoples of Southeast Asia such as those in the nearby Philippines and Indonesia than to those of China. Headhunting was a traditional practice.

The human head is an important motif in Paiwan culture. It is believed that the motif alludes to ancestors and might well allude to headhunting as well.

Carved wooden Paiwan items with similar motifs are illustrated in Capistrano-Baker (1994, p. 146).

The box here is in fine condition, has a good patina, and has obvious age.