Gravestone

This ironwood stele is carved on both sides and consists of one piece of wood. Partial remains of a white colour can be seen in the hollows. For the central carving stylized letters or lucky symbols were carved into the wood. The top of the stele is carved with openwork leaf tendrils and orchid motifs. This could be the tree of life pohon budi.

The stela comes from the Malay Kutai region, from a Malay sub-group that lived in the ancient Islamic Malay Sultanate of Kutai on the Mahakam River in Borneo.

The stela is very large compared to others, which indicates a high rank of the deceased. They were inserted and fastened at each end of the wooden coffin, so the lower third was no longer visible.