Mystery Old Style Central Sulawesi Penai(?)

VVV · 17th January 2007, 09:23 PM

This was a mystery sword for me, as well as the seller, when I bought it but now I think I feel quite sure that it comes from Sulawesi.
I am not 100% sure because the Sulawesi swords also are found in f.i. Seram and Halmahera in the Moluccas.
But the original style of the sword I think is from Central Sulawesi.
The sword obviously looks old (late 18th or early 19th C?) so maybe that's a reason why it's not often seen?

It's been a fun research project because this old style blade isn't found in the regular reference works like van Zonneveld, Stone etc.

Why Sulawesi?

- Scabbard; the only source where I have found a resembling scabbard is in the attached picture from Grubauer's Unter Kopfjägern in Central Celebes.

- Blade; the blade could be found in several places but mostly in Sulawesi.
The markings on the back of the blade is also found on other Sulawesi blades.

- Hilt; The first clue I got in the old works of Adriani-Kruyt. But most important was the picture I found in my fellow Swede Kaudern's works.
The "crocodile" hilt seems to be the old style of the Penai in Central Sulawesi. Also the pierced carvings are found on older Sulawesi swords.

I have one source I haven't been able to check yet and that's the Humaranga mentioned in Platenkamp (source van Zonneveld). Unfortunately no picture but I have seen more recent versions and they aren't that close to my sword.

Do you think I am on the right track?

Michael

Battara · 17th January 2007, 10:37 PM

Fascinating. Thanks. One can see the similarities between this style and the Moro okir style, say, for example, that of the Maranao and Maguindanao.

kai · 18th January 2007, 09:33 AM

Very nice piece, Michael!

Your hilt seems to be significantly different though - I wonder wether this may come from a different region (or ethnic group) than the Lake Poso area.

Is that leather covering the top of the scabbard?

Regards,
Kai

VVV · 18th January 2007, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kai

Very nice piece, Michael!

Your hilt seems to be significantly different though - I wonder wether this may come from a different region (or ethnic group) than the Lake Poso area.

Is that leather covering the top of the scabbard?

Regards,
Kai

Thanks Kai,

As usual the hilts of the old swords never exactly match the reference examples. So I was more looking for match in motif (crocodile), design features like the pierced protrusion and the overall shape of the handle, blade form, scabbard form (combined with blade) etc.

Central Sulawesi is a bit larger than only the Lake Poso area.
I think it's old and thin leather.

Jose, I can't see the similarity between okir and this style?
Could you please give an example?

Michael

CharlesS · 18th January 2007, 02:58 PM

Very attractive and interesting piece.

Michael, your research is always astounding, very impressive!

kai · 18th January 2007, 09:43 PM

Hello Michael,

Quote:

As usual the hilts of the old swords never exactly match the reference examples. So I was more looking for match in motif (crocodile), design features like the pierced protrusion and the overall shape of the handle, blade form, scabbard form (combined with blade) etc.

I do see the similarities and believe that all these belong to the same lineage.

However, your piece's hilt is unique in the far more widely opened mouth, missing scales, and indistinct ferrule/guard. Also the scabbard has different details than that shown in Grubauer like the tip as well as the opening: the latter is narrowing to meet the hilt (remotely similar to a Mandau scabbard) rather than recessed (like in many Badik).

In the light of these differences, I don't think that your piece is so much older that it's likely to be a direct ancestor of the published examples. However, considering the rugged terrain on Sulawesi, I wouldn't be surprised if yours is from a separate tribe somewhere else in (central?) Sulawesi.

Regards,
Kai

VVV · 18th January 2007, 11:06 PM

Thanks for your comments Kai.

I agree that with just a few references it's hard to narrow down the conclusions to anything else than an indication of probably Central Sulawesi.

The more widely opened mouth isn't found in Kaudern but still it follows the same pattern. However hilt D is also missing scales and B shows resembling end of the handle.

On the scabbard here is another example from Grubauer (11). This time Luwuk further East than Poso but also Central Sulawesi.
Obviously the picture shows a collection of several regalia weapons that doesn't necessarily had to be produced in Luwuk.
It's still not exactly matching but I haven't found any other combinations of this blade and scabbard except from this region.

So the sum of these examples indicates to me that the origin of this sword most probably would be somewhere in Central Sulawesi.
But I am curious on other suggestions?

Michael

17th January 2007, 09:23 PM	#1
VVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Sweden Posts: 1,637	Mystery Old Style Central Sulawesi Penai(?) This was a mystery sword for me, as well as the seller, when I bought it but now I think I feel quite sure that it comes from Sulawesi. I am not 100% sure because the Sulawesi swords also are found in f.i. Seram and Halmahera in the Moluccas. But the original style of the sword I think is from Central Sulawesi. The sword obviously looks old (late 18th or early 19th C?) so maybe that's a reason why it's not often seen? It's been a fun research project because this old style blade isn't found in the regular reference works like van Zonneveld, Stone etc. Why Sulawesi? - Scabbard; the only source where I have found a resembling scabbard is in the attached picture from Grubauer's Unter Kopfjägern in Central Celebes. - Blade; the blade could be found in several places but mostly in Sulawesi. The markings on the back of the blade is also found on other Sulawesi blades. - Hilt; The first clue I got in the old works of Adriani-Kruyt. But most important was the picture I found in my fellow Swede Kaudern's works. The "crocodile" hilt seems to be the old style of the Penai in Central Sulawesi. Also the pierced carvings are found on older Sulawesi swords. I have one source I haven't been able to check yet and that's the Humaranga mentioned in Platenkamp (source van Zonneveld). Unfortunately no picture but I have seen more recent versions and they aren't that close to my sword. Do you think I am on the right track? Michael Attached Images

18th January 2007, 11:06 PM	#7
VVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Sweden Posts: 1,637	Thanks for your comments Kai. I agree that with just a few references it's hard to narrow down the conclusions to anything else than an indication of probably Central Sulawesi. The more widely opened mouth isn't found in Kaudern but still it follows the same pattern. However hilt D is also missing scales and B shows resembling end of the handle. On the scabbard here is another example from Grubauer (11). This time Luwuk further East than Poso but also Central Sulawesi. Obviously the picture shows a collection of several regalia weapons that doesn't necessarily had to be produced in Luwuk. It's still not exactly matching but I haven't found any other combinations of this blade and scabbard except from this region. So the sum of these examples indicates to me that the origin of this sword most probably would be somewhere in Central Sulawesi. But I am curious on other suggestions? Michael Attached Images

17th January 2007, 10:37 PM	#2
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,219	Fascinating. Thanks. One can see the similarities between this style and the Moro okir style, say, for example, that of the Maranao and Maguindanao.

18th January 2007, 09:33 AM	#3
kai Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3,254	Very nice piece, Michael! Your hilt seems to be significantly different though - I wonder wether this may come from a different region (or ethnic group) than the Lake Poso area. Is that leather covering the top of the scabbard? Regards, Kai

18th January 2007, 02:58 PM	#5
CharlesS Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Greenville, NC Posts: 1,857	Very attractive and interesting piece. Michael, your research is always astounding, very impressive!