Indonesian spears and blowdarts
 

Hello all,
I just won this lot in an auction, nobody bid on it but I find it is an ethnical interesting set.
The blowdarts come with a quiver
and the two spears are decorated with rattan.
Said to be before 1920 collected in Indonesia.

Have some members any idea / info about précise origin / island ?
Kind regards

Hi,

The lot is from Borneo, Dayak tribes.
If the second 'spear' on the right has a 'hollow' shaft, than that's the blowpipe.

Regards,
Maurice

Agreed! :)

Thank's a lot for nail it 😁😉

Yes one of the spears shaft must be a long blowpipe .

I wonder if the darts can (still) have curare/poison on the tip ??
I will handle them with care when I get them

And I will post close pictures .

Kind regards

Hi,

Yes they could contain poison, because it looks like they have darker (colour) tips (which could indicate they were provided with poison). Sometimes a piece of poison (getting sticky when heated) is kept in the inside of the dartquiver ('tolor') lid.

The tips are not likely to be curare (that's a South American poison and, AFAIK, does not exist in nature in the Philippines or other areas of SE Asia). I tried to look into what arrow poisons were used in the Philippines when I worked there in the late 1990s and early 2000s. There are natural poisons that have been used, but information about what was used is sparse. Getting botanical samples for some of the possible poisons proved very difficult and I eventually gave up. In addition to plant/tree poisons, snake venom was also used in the past.

If you suspect that the dart tips have been treated, please handle them very carefully and wear thick gloves.

Ipoh.

Great pics Maurice! Thanks for sharing!

Marius, have a look here: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...light=sumpitan
And here: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...light=sumpitan

Regards,
Detlef

Thank you for posting these links Detlef.
You have some excellent sumpitans. The one with the 'diamond' shape blade and round base is extremely old. I would even not be surprised if it turned out to have an age of around 1800's.

Kind regards,
Maurice

Thank you Maurice! :) I guess you mean the one on the right?

Best regards,
Detlef

Yes, that's the one I mean.

Kind regards,
Maurice

Hi Maurice,

This one I sold some years ago! :(

Best regads,
Detlef

Hi Detlef,

A pity, but that is also sometimes a necessary when collecting.
We can't have it all! Do you still have the other one with the scabbard?

Hi Maurice,

Yes, agreed, we can't have it all. And yes, both others are still in my collection.

I specially liked the left one and the one you sold. Rare to find one with original scabbard nowadays.

Kind regards ,
Maurice

Hello,
Between the sending which took a long time
and the Christmas New Year holidays, ( HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!)
I am only now showing you the pictures,
for the darts, no doubt given the packaging on the poison! 😅

thank you again Maurice for the details on the Ipoh tree !
I am placing some photos of the spear and the blowpipe.
they seem old to me and well made both the blade and the carved shaft + rattan
Do you have any idea what corresponds to a kind of '' stopper'' on the spear ?
maybe an attempt to make a blowpipe at the start?
The blades look very old is it possible that they are also darkened/poisoned ?
I don't think so but...

Hello Marius,

Nice sumpitan and a nice spear! :) I don't think that it's a real stopper, the shaft is only carved on top like this. I don't think that the spear tips are poinsioned but they could be darkened.

Regards,
Detlef

Thank you Detlef ! 🙏

You're welcome! :cool:

I totally agree with Detlef with these!

And Thank you Maurice !! 🙂😁

:)

Found these: 🙂

Dayak warrior/ chief.with shield.and sumpitan

And the legend about Ipoh / Upas tree:

In painting, this legend inspired a painting by Francis Danby painted around 1820: The Upas, or Poison-Tree, in the Island of Java, kept at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Zuropean Romantism-orientalism period