PNG / Geelvinkbaai klewang ?

[Maurice]

Hi Willem,

I am not so familiar with PNG things, however I like it very much.
Have you been to the Tropenmuseum with their incredible PNG collection?
There they are showing also a few tools and weapons.
At the commentation on those tools and weapons, I read that they didn't use metal. Only wood and bone.
So if it is a PNG handle, I don't think the blade is.
Maybe on latter period they did use metal blades by import?

Maurice

[Sajen]

Hi Willem,

very interesting sword! Would agree that it is from Gelvinckbay area. Because the close to Moluccas it is possible that it is a traded blade. Also the painted handle remembers the swords from there, look at my thread about the swords from Halmahera. So it is maybe not very old but very interesting.

Greetings,

Detlef

[asomotif]

Thanks Maurice for the info on Tropenmuseum , Amsterdam.
It would be nice to take a look there.

Detlef,
I also think that this is a trade blade. It is a very simple blade.
But the combination with the korwar shaped hilt is completely new to me.
Would like to see other examples with this type of carvings.

[Maurice]

Originally Posted by Maurice

Hi Willem,

At the commentation on those tools and weapons, I read that they didn't use metal. Only wood and bone.
Maurice

A little addition of my statements made before.
I was at the Leiden Museum today. There they said the same, but with that difference that there was a very little area in PNG were blacksmiths students were learning to make metal blades before the year 1900. When they graduated, they had to make a knife's blade.
There was an example displayed at the museum, but it was very poorly made, also with a very poor hilt (not he kind you depicted here).
I tried to remember the area but ??? Was it in the north west? (or was it the north south? )
My memory is not what it was before apparently!

by the way, the temporary exhibition "Sumatera tercinta" is much better than the permanent exhibition. Nice provenanced kerisses with a lot of gold, diamonds, ivory and gemstones, and a wonderfull balato and another nias dagger with ivory hilt. Also nice badeks with gold, gemstones, and so on, and so on....very interesting for the bling-bling lovers amongst us!

[asomotif]

north south

Hi Maurice,
Thanks for checking at Leiden.
North South is a bit difficult. that would be more or less in the middle

North West would be good. Geelvinkbaai is in the Northwest