[yuanzhumin]

I wrote in a post before on the same thread : “ hanging dagger called takkurus, that is a largely symbolic weapon, always carried by men when going outdoors as an ornament and to "fight"/repel the evil spirits. I think I displayed one of mine in a previous thread.:

And I was wrong : I didn’t display any Yami short daggers in detail here before. In previous threads, a drawing was shown (http://www.vikingsword.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000858.html), and some daggers could be seen from far, behind windows, on the pictures of the exhibition dedicated to the Yami at the Shisanhang Museum (http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...highlight=yami ). But never in detail.

Thank you Kukulza for giving me this opportunity to correct myself on this thread, also to add more on this subject and do a follow up with the more recent thread about the current Yami exhibition in Taipei.

So here is a nice example that I acquired recently and that is not yet on my website.
The blade of the dagger shown here is 25,5 cm long and 5 cm wide, and is absolutely exceptional when considering these dimensions. This takkurus blade is nearly twice longer and twice wider than the other traditional hanging daggers. For the rest, it is exactly the same shape as the others. Only the sheath of this one is not carved when, usually, the others are (see also the graphic posted before on this same thread). Nevertheless, the handle is carved with lines symbolizing the waves and the ocean. For more example at usual sizes, you can go to my website : www.formosatribal.com

Here are some explanations (see also the graphic with many Taiwan knives) about the Yami knives coming from ‘Material Culture of the Formosan Aborigines’, a reference book by Chen Chi-Lu,;
‘The Yami of Botel Tobago have two kinds of swords. The long sword is characterized by its slightly upwards turned tip. The blade measures about 30 cm [12 inches] long and 2.5 cm [1 inch] wide. There is no guard on the Yami sword. The handle and the sheath are similar to that of other groups, but normally simple and plain (Figure 54: C). Another kind of sword used by the Yami is the hanging dagger which is called takkurus. The takkurus is a very meagre blade that measures about 15 cm [6 inches] long and 2.5 cm [1 inch] wide. But it is ill matched with a large sheath made of hard wood. The sheath is an axe-blade shape (wide in both ends and narrow in the central portion) with a pointed end. Both surfaces of the sheath are engraved with designs. Besides geometric designs, quite often the figures of magamaog, a legendary culture hero of the tribe, are seen (Figure 52: D). This dagger is not for practical use. It is always carried by men outdoors as an ornament and as a means of exorcising evil spirits."