[VVV]

Ben,

Could you please also show us a close up of the blade?
At first glance the hilt and blade looks very Aceh-region, but sometimes it's also found in Jambi as well as in South Borneo.
In Borneo usually the bud is at a 90 degrees angle instead.
Also the lower part of the handle usually is round in Aceh, not octagonal, as well as in Aceh it often has more carvings.
The blade, from a distance, doesn't look like the ones found in Borneo among the Malays at the coast.
But neither does it look like the regular blade combo with this kind of hilt in Aceh (Peudeung).
But the braiding, as Charles noticed, looks very Borneo.

Another alternative is Jambi.
I noticed that this kind of hilt sometimes is found there, less carved and combined with other kind of blades than in Aceh (the Peudeung shape).
But I only have a few reference pictures of this.

Tricky piece.

Michael