Hello Godfried,
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I have a question about this Jimpul. The handle and sheath contain stylized shapes of items that I cannot identify.
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Congrats, that's a really exquisite example!
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No-1: Someone who knew a lot about Krissen assumed that because of Arabic influences it might be the word "Allah".
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Not really much of Islamic influences with old Iban pieces that I know of.
I don't see anything coming even close - even given that illiterate artisans often garble up scripture!
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I can't trace no. 2 to a Dayak motif either.
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Which element are you referring to?
BTW, some of the Iban hilts seem to favor more "geometric/stylized" design compared to the more "floral" carvings by other groups.
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nr-3 ; the scabbard seems to me the "Tree of life".
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Sounds like a possible interpretation. I guess we first need to check for other representations in Iban crafts to verify feasibility...
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Is there anyone out there who can make sense of this?
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I'm sure some of the specialised Borneo collectors have started looking into such topics but I'm not aware of any major published works. Certainly a very interesting field of study - go for it!
Regards,
Kai