Jambiya plastic

[kahnjar1]

Originally Posted by David

Ibrahiim, I believe that there is a big difference between what Omani men do within the acceptance of their own culture and what collectors of antique edged weapons are willing to do in regards to the weapons they collect from other cultures. The collection of antique weapons (well anything antique really) usually involves an interest in the preservation of the history of the piece collected. Therefore the collector isn't looking to create a pristine piece of their own accord (though finding a true antique in pristine condition is something of a "holy grail" for many). This is obviously not the case in regards to an Omani man who still uses the blade in question as part of their traditional garb. For him keeping the blade upgraded and pristine is a matter of pride for a weapon that is still in "service", so to speak.
Something similar can be found in the Indonesian keris BTW. There are many parts to the keris which are often upgraded within the tradition, such as sheaths, sheath parts (pendok), mendaks, hilts and even gonjos at times. Blades can also be traditionally upgraded with the application of gold to the blade (kinatah). In certain areas of Indonesia it is acceptable to reshape worn out edges. To some extent the keris collecting community, even many outside the culture, have embraced the idea of upgrading, though for me some go too far. As an outsider, i would never dream of adding kinatah to a blade, for instance. That is done as a matter of honor and reward within the culture. I will clean and restore sheaths, to a certain extent, replace a lost mendak or pendok and clean and stain a blade that is in need. I would even commission a new sheath for a blade that goes without, but would rather maintain or restore an original sheath if the blade has one already in good repair. What i do see happen at times in the keris community is dress upgrades that far exceed the quality and status of the blade itself. For me this is unacceptable, but it has become a common practice.

Thank you David for this. I think that you have hit the nail on the head, and I hope that others here accept that as collectors, we seek ORIGINALITY and not some recently embelished alteration to an item, which may, in less honest hands become a fraudulent mis-representation.
Regards Stuart

[David]

Originally Posted by kahnjar1

Thank you David for this. I think that you have hit the nail on the head, and I hope that others here accept that as collectors, we seek ORIGINALITY and not some recently embelished alteration to an item, which may, in less honest hands become a fraudulent mis-representation.
Regards Stuart

Thanks Stuart, but i also hope that you can see that this issue cuts (yes, pun intended ) both ways. In the end i believe that it all depends upon the culture in which you operate and what your intentions for the blade will be. If your are operating within a culture where the tradition calls for upgrades and your intention is to use that blade for your own cultural purposes (as part of tradition wear or practice), then it seems perfectly legitimate to me to make appropriate upgrades. If, however, you are upgrading blades in order to create more pristine objects for sale to a collecting community, well, i think that is another story.
I suppose that in the end the old adage, caveat emptor, applies. If a particular blade form is of interest to you it is probably best to learn to recognize as best one can what an upgrade looks like. In the keris world we are often presented with newly dressed blades and it is completely acceptable. We understand that old blades most often out live wooden scabbards and also hilts. We also learn to recognize what a fairly original ensemble looks like. Sometimes we do struggle with knowing just how much the keris may have been upgraded. Have new features been carved? Has gold kinatah been added? Most times you can tell. Sometimes you cannot and simply have to decide if you like the keris enough to not care if it has been upgraded solely for resale purposes.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Salaams David ~ Excellent summary thank you.

The essence of the debate is in the understanding of the living breathing life of an in use ethnographic weapon whereas in some cultures there are many pieces that are dead ( though very collectible they fell from use a long time ago); In this part of the world Oman, Yemen, Saudia and other countries in Arabia they are very much alive, thus, the obvious on going upgrades and embelishments which occur are entirely correct and reasonable. In Oman etc there is, in addition, a demand for absolutely brand new khanjars and they in turn will become respected antiques in the future. The analogy is ~ why sit on an old chair when you can have a new one? Although simple, that is in effect, the mindset of some clients (usually VIP) that insist on the new weapon. It has always been like that. Therein is the reason that workshops today resemble almost exactly workshops of old; using traditional methods and the old tools.

In fact; there is a royal decree protecting the style of Omani Khanjars so that no craftsmen are allowed to add a non original design thus preserving the traditional style. Interestingly only one Khanjar / Omani Jewellery maker ever signed his work (the master of Sulaif). Though at the time he did not realise it ... this was a form of early copyright but now it is to be formalised.

It may come as a surprise that the commission on copyright for Oman has decided that from the not too distant future any item made here must be stamped. Whilst that is a hundred years too late (in many cases) it will in future give an official benchmark datestamp for the classic weapons of Oman.

In respect of the original substance at thread; You will see from my previous post that given the Khanjar in question I would advise retaining the out of area blade but consider a replacement to the handle that appears to be plastic and damaged by fire. My thought would be to add a matching geometric pattern UAE style of belt to enhance the originality of the weapon making it wearable and to give it a general spruce and polish up.

It is similar advice I give many times to clients walking in with damaged Khanjars.. Shukran

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[kahnjar1]

Thanks again David and Ibrahiim.
It was certainly not my intention to disregard the Cultural aspect of what Ibrahiim says. I am well aware that in different cultures, this is paramount, but what I am refering to is the item in respect of the collector, where originality is what is sought in a piece. '
Regards Stuart