facegrip mandaus and Tromp.
 

Hi,
I would like to know if there are collectors who has also mandau's with a face on the grip.
on the pics below two very old examples one is in my own collection and the other sadly not (yet?) :D :D :D

the one with the rattan stick along the scabbard is a very old type and could be dating from around 1850-1880.

the other one is also very old and I think dating around 1880-1900.

note the very nice carved faces.Tromp who was a resident in Borneo was interested in mandaugrips and so he almost the only one as far as I know who has written an article about them.
He mentioned that the faced grip was quite common in his day's (1880)
and he mentioned that they ( the dayak) had sometimes an uncarved model.

indeed I could find plenty models in the museum with a face ( however not many like the pics here) but only a few 2-3 uncarved models.
also it seems that however the facemodel was widespread they are hard to find nowadays.

Arjan.

Arjan,

Nice one with the rattan strip ;)

enclosed some pictures of a mandau you already know, but for sake of the other forum members.

Hi Arjan face grips are much longer in use by the Iban people so it could be
that the koetai people take it over from the Iban and developed their own style



Ben

Hi Arjan,

I found this Tromp Kutei face grip mandau last week - the "bloodthirsty tongue-version".

Michael

Nice piece Michael!
can you show also the other side of the scabbard?
I'm intersted what kind of carvings it may have....

Arjan.

Thanks Arjan,

There isn't much carving on this sheath.
On the backside there is animal fur.
The only carving is at the lower end of the scabbard.

Michael