Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - Comments on Nias sword

VANDOO · 7th February 2005, 05:36 PM

YOUR EXAMPLE HAS BOARS TUSKS SO THAT IS WHAT I WOULD USE TO COMPLETE YOUR EXAMPLE, THEY ARE EASIER TO OBTAIN ALSO. I HAVE SEEN A FEW NIAS SWORDS SOLD OVER THE YEARS WITH TIGER TEETH AND CROCODILE TEETH BUT THEY ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN AND EXPENSIVE.
I SUSPECT THAT THE FETISH INSIDE THE BALL IS FOR PROTECTION, SUCESS IN BATTLE AND POWER SO EACH ONE WOULD BE MADE FOR THAT WARRIOR. I DOUBT THAT THEY WERE OPENED AND CLOSED AFTER EVERY BATTLE TO ADD EARS IF SUCESSFUL, BUT IT MAKES A GOOD STORY

IN MOST CULTURES AS FAR AS I KNOW IF A FETISH GETS YOU THRU A BATTLE AND YOU ARE SUCESSFUL AGAINST THE ENEMY IT IS CONSIDERED POWERFUL AND THE MORE SUCESSFUL THE WARRIOR IS AND THE MORE BATTLES SURVIVED THE MORE POWERFUL THE TAILSMAN. THAT BEING THE CASE I DOUBT IT WOULD BE MESSED WITH EXCEPT TO REPAIR IT OR DURING SOME SPECIAL CEREMONY.

THEY STILL MAKE THESE SWORDS IN NIAS AND I DOUBT THAT YOUR EXAMPLE IS OLD ENOUGH TO HAVE SEEN USE, BUT IS A BETTER EXAMPLE THAN THOSE THAT ONLY HAVE TEETH CARVED OUT OF WOOD. MY EXAMPLE IS OF THAT SORT IT HAS WOODEN CROCODILE TEETH, AND I DOUBT THAT A PROPER TAILSMAN WAS PUT INTO THE FETISH BALL ON SUCH SWORDS. I WOULD SAY THAT THESE SWORDS ARE ETHINOGRAPHIC IN THAT THEY ARE MADE BY THE TRIBE, USING OLD DESIGNS BUT NEWER TOOLS AND MATERIALS. THEY MAY BE USED IN CEREMONYS, TOURIST SHOWS AND SOLD AS SOUVINEERS. DOES ANYONE HAVE A GOOD OLD EXAMPLE WITH A WATERED STEEL BLADE? IF SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOME PICTURES.

UNFORTUNATELY I NEVER GOT TO VISIT NIAS AND THEY WERE ONE OF THE ISLANDS HARD HIT BY THE EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI. I HOPE THEY ARE GETTING HELP TO GET BACK ON THEIR FEET AS THEY HAVE A VERY INTERESTING CULTURE AND HISTORY.

7th February 2005, 05:36 PM	#5
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	YOUR EXAMPLE HAS BOARS TUSKS SO THAT IS WHAT I WOULD USE TO COMPLETE YOUR EXAMPLE, THEY ARE EASIER TO OBTAIN ALSO. I HAVE SEEN A FEW NIAS SWORDS SOLD OVER THE YEARS WITH TIGER TEETH AND CROCODILE TEETH BUT THEY ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN AND EXPENSIVE. I SUSPECT THAT THE FETISH INSIDE THE BALL IS FOR PROTECTION, SUCESS IN BATTLE AND POWER SO EACH ONE WOULD BE MADE FOR THAT WARRIOR. I DOUBT THAT THEY WERE OPENED AND CLOSED AFTER EVERY BATTLE TO ADD EARS IF SUCESSFUL, BUT IT MAKES A GOOD STORY IN MOST CULTURES AS FAR AS I KNOW IF A FETISH GETS YOU THRU A BATTLE AND YOU ARE SUCESSFUL AGAINST THE ENEMY IT IS CONSIDERED POWERFUL AND THE MORE SUCESSFUL THE WARRIOR IS AND THE MORE BATTLES SURVIVED THE MORE POWERFUL THE TAILSMAN. THAT BEING THE CASE I DOUBT IT WOULD BE MESSED WITH EXCEPT TO REPAIR IT OR DURING SOME SPECIAL CEREMONY. THEY STILL MAKE THESE SWORDS IN NIAS AND I DOUBT THAT YOUR EXAMPLE IS OLD ENOUGH TO HAVE SEEN USE, BUT IS A BETTER EXAMPLE THAN THOSE THAT ONLY HAVE TEETH CARVED OUT OF WOOD. MY EXAMPLE IS OF THAT SORT IT HAS WOODEN CROCODILE TEETH, AND I DOUBT THAT A PROPER TAILSMAN WAS PUT INTO THE FETISH BALL ON SUCH SWORDS. I WOULD SAY THAT THESE SWORDS ARE ETHINOGRAPHIC IN THAT THEY ARE MADE BY THE TRIBE, USING OLD DESIGNS BUT NEWER TOOLS AND MATERIALS. THEY MAY BE USED IN CEREMONYS, TOURIST SHOWS AND SOLD AS SOUVINEERS. DOES ANYONE HAVE A GOOD OLD EXAMPLE WITH A WATERED STEEL BLADE? IF SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOME PICTURES. UNFORTUNATELY I NEVER GOT TO VISIT NIAS AND THEY WERE ONE OF THE ISLANDS HARD HIT BY THE EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI. I HOPE THEY ARE GETTING HELP TO GET BACK ON THEIR FEET AS THEY HAVE A VERY INTERESTING CULTURE AND HISTORY.