This paper presents an imaginary account of the birth, life, unexpected travel, and final resting place of a piece of cotton textile called a <i>pua</i>, a cloth of many ceremonial uses. It was made by the Iban, one of the head-hunting tribes of Borneo, in the 19th century. It was created over a span of approximately four years by the mother and grandmother of a bride-to-be, according to traditional methods of cotton gathering, spinning, tie-dyeing, and weaving. It is used for the daughter's wedding ceremony, becomes an heirloom, is respected for its spiritual strength, and protected from degradation by being stored in a box among the rafters. The author tells of the real or imagined acquisition by a typical American traveller and how this representative sample of ancient life finds its way to a museum conservator's perusal; the purpose of this paper is to suggest that before treating an object, a conservator should pause to consider its origins, its original climate and use, the time period over which it was used, when it left its native habitat, and how it might have been cared for along the way. If the conservator can do this for the textiles that arrive weary into his hands, decisions about how to treat them will be easier to make. -- AATA