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Originally Posted by Jim McDougall
In Borneo there are often pierced holes in many parang ihlang, which are sometimes filled with brass but as if some are filled while some arent. Some have suggested these as tally numbers, but I dont think that has been generally accepted.
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Hello Jim,
I don't know exactly what you mean by tally number (my english is a bit limited, sorry for that), but I think that you mean that every pierced hole filled, is standing for every head that was taken by the sword.
This is not likely, because of the following reasons:
1. Some swords have so many filled holes, that it is impossible to represent the number of heads.
2. Mr. Tromp wrote in his article around 1887 about Kutai mandaus, that it was denied, when he asked if it could be that the holes representing the taken heads.
3. Also it is not likely that the dayaks did want to heat up a by blood "loaded" sword after taking a head, to put a little hole in it.
Kind Regards,
Maurice