Wedung from Bali?

tomato77 · 19th May 2024, 12:37 PM

Hello again,

since a lot of you guys are very experienced with indonesian blades, I am certain you can help me identify this knife that I found a few years ago.

As I am more the african weapons guy I don't have much experience with asian blades. The blade form, hilt and - don't know what it's called... the elephant trunk thingy on the blade - reminds me of Bali, but that's all I can guess.

Thank you a lot for your comments.

Best

Thomas

Sajen · 19th May 2024, 04:46 PM

Hello Thomas,

First of all, there are no wedungs from Bali, a wedung is a knife from Java.
I can't name your knife but I strongly guess it's of Sumatran origin.
I would clean the blade from rust, it would benefit a lot when the blade would be clean.

Regards,
Detlef

kai · 19th May 2024, 11:06 PM

Hello Thomas,

Bali also seems less likely to me. What is the maximum blade thickness?

The pommel seems to be one of many variants based on the makara symbolism.

Regards,
Kai

tomato77 · 20th May 2024, 03:52 PM

Hello Kai,

thank you! It measures 6.5mm near the hilt.

Best

Thomas

Athanase · 20th May 2024, 04:00 PM

Hello,
Like Sajen for me is from Sumatra. Interesting blade, I've never seen this before.

kai · 21st May 2024, 01:09 AM

Thanks for posting this interesting knife, Thomas!

Tough to nail down its origin for sure: It probably hails from the Sumatran East coast (including the associated islands); an iron ferrule is not very common/traditional though. A kembang kacang(-like feature) is more widely found and includes the Malay peninsula and, especially, southern Sumatra and western Java (and beyond).

The fairly simple blade with fuller and no apparent pamor might possibly fit with northern regions - just a guess.

Regards,
Kai

Ian · 26th May 2024, 05:18 PM

I can't help but notice that the file work at forte on this one resembles the "elephant trunk" area of a keris. Do kembang kacang usually imitate this feature of the keris? I don't recall seeing such a representation on Sumatran, Malay or Borneo knives other than keris.

The blade seems to have some age (? 19th C). Would you call it a golok?

19th May 2024, 12:37 PM	#1
tomato77 Member Join Date: Dec 2023 Posts: 14	Wedung from Bali? Hello again, since a lot of you guys are very experienced with indonesian blades, I am certain you can help me identify this knife that I found a few years ago. As I am more the african weapons guy I don't have much experience with asian blades. The blade form, hilt and - don't know what it's called... the elephant trunk thingy on the blade - reminds me of Bali, but that's all I can guess. Thank you a lot for your comments. Best Thomas Attached Images

19th May 2024, 04:46 PM	#2
Sajen Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Germany, Dortmund Posts: 8,779	Hello Thomas, First of all, there are no wedungs from Bali, a wedung is a knife from Java. I can't name your knife but I strongly guess it's of Sumatran origin. I would clean the blade from rust, it would benefit a lot when the blade would be clean. Regards, Detlef

19th May 2024, 11:06 PM	#3
kai Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3,254	Hello Thomas, Bali also seems less likely to me. What is the maximum blade thickness? The pommel seems to be one of many variants based on the makara symbolism. Regards, Kai

20th May 2024, 03:52 PM	#4
tomato77 Member Join Date: Dec 2023 Posts: 14	Hello Kai, thank you! It measures 6.5mm near the hilt. Best Thomas

20th May 2024, 04:00 PM	#5
Athanase Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: Paris (France) Posts: 408	Hello, Like Sajen for me is from Sumatra. Interesting blade, I've never seen this before.

21st May 2024, 01:09 AM	#6
kai Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3,254	Thanks for posting this interesting knife, Thomas! Tough to nail down its origin for sure: It probably hails from the Sumatran East coast (including the associated islands); an iron ferrule is not very common/traditional though. A kembang kacang(-like feature) is more widely found and includes the Malay peninsula and, especially, southern Sumatra and western Java (and beyond). The fairly simple blade with fuller and no apparent pamor might possibly fit with northern regions - just a guess. Regards, Kai

26th May 2024, 05:18 PM	#7
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,198	I can't help but notice that the file work at forte on this one resembles the "elephant trunk" area of a keris. Do kembang kacang usually imitate this feature of the keris? I don't recall seeing such a representation on Sumatran, Malay or Borneo knives other than keris. The blade seems to have some age (? 19th C). Would you call it a golok?