A Unique, Quality Sadop(???) from Borneo
 

I have happened upon this very interesting example of a sadop, a famous Dayak knife/dagger from Borneo.

This one seems made for a person of status and it has several unique features:

1. The hilt is from hippo ivory...meaning it was brought to Borneo via trade, as hippos are a sub-Saharan African species.

2. The blade appears to be from a quality Chinese jian. There is no secret of the trade between China and the Indonesian archipelago.

3. Note the unusual slight slant to the base of the hilt and a matching scabbard mouth to accomodate it. I can think of no particular reason for this, but it does allow the hilt to accommodate the hand better when the longer edge of the hilt is held up(top) and the shorter edge(bottom) of an in hand grip.

Being a lover of "cross cultural" blades, especially from al-Islam and SE Asia, this was an exciting find for me.

Charles


Nice one very elegant love the hilt. :)



Lew

I am not 100% that this is an "orthodox" Sadop but it's a fantastic multi-cultural dagger!!!
Maybe it's Sino-Malay instead of Dayak?

Michael

Very possible, VVV. I agree it is not an "orthodox" example.

Does the scabbard work strike you as more Malay??

Any ideas about the "tilted" hilt base??

Where is Ben ?
 

Nice dagger, but I am amazed that Ben did not react yet. :p

I can hardly call this piece dayak.

Well (very well) made but difficult to put an age on this one. :shrug:

ASOMotif and VVV,

What specifically takes away from its identity as "Dayak"?....the scabbard designs?? ivory hilt???...etc.

The hilt form seems identical to one in Z's minus the girth. BUT... a similar form is also seen with a beladau (Sumatra, Mentawai, Riau). The silverwork does not strike me as Sumatran.

Charles,

I am on a remote island at the moment and away from van Z and other books.
A silver scabbard, like yours, is not anything I would expect to see on a dayak dagger.
I would classify it as a high class Malay Lading Terus, instead of a Sadop.
On the tilted hilt I have no clue.

Michael

Thanks VVV,

When you get back home could you post some other examples of similar type?

Hi Charles this looks more like an malay/chinese knife than an sadap the silverwork never seen on an sadap .

The Hilt looks like the same as an parang that Michael has .



Ben

Ben, do you mean the jenawi :confused:

Charles, I found this extract, with pictures of lading terus as a reference, from Gardner's book on my computer.
My lading terus is not that typical with the hilt as yours.

Michael

Most helpful Michael. Thanks.

I don't remember these pics being in the research from last summer...was it??

Yes the jenawi that is the one .

And don't forget the dohun was brought to Borneo by the javanese .


Ben

Can't quite read the text, but the piece pictured by Michael looks like a Javanese tombok set like a dagger.