Correctly Identifying a Borneo Sword

[Maurice]

Originally Posted by CharlesS

Maurice,

Here are some additional pics of the carving. Let us know what you learn from them.

Thank you Charles for the close ups.

I have the feeling the handle and scabbard are from the same age.
There are a lot of similarities to be found, and they look like they belong together.
As the leeches and other motifs (circles etc.) are not uncommon on handles and scabbards of that area, the combination of some of them on the handle and on the scabbard are a good match.
For instance the little "impellers" (marked with a red square in image 1) on the handle we can also see in the scabbard.
And there are other marks which I also marked with different colours.
I hope you're not color-blind

Maurice

[Albert]

Interesting: this leech(?) looks very much like a korambi!!
Actually, I think it is a korambi.
I don't recall, I have ever seen it before on a Borneo swordhilt.

[CharlesS]

Albert you have great eyes....that surely does look like a korambi!

[VVV]

Quite unusual, indeed.
However, if it is a korambi then it is an additional indicator of a later date of the hilt.

Michael

[Maurice]

Yes Albert,

looks like a korambi indeed.
However I think it's a coincedence that it's looking like a korambi, as there are more like these leeches (kind of curls with this little hole) made as decoration for the handle.
And which you're pointing out is the only one that happens to look like a korambi...

Maurice

[Battara]

I have seen these with leeches - what is the significance behind the usage of leeches?

[Maurice]

Originally Posted by Battara

I have seen these with leeches - what is the significance behind the usage of leeches?

Very hard to say.
Sometimes we can see one ore more faces in a handle, of which the "leeches" representatives the limbs. (Though the limbs more often are represented with "bow's").
Between these "clear" figures the carver used other motifs to "fill the gaps" with no specific representation.
I have the feeling most of the leeches have no significant meaning in general.
Often the representation of the figures, mouth's, eyes, ears, limbs (etc.) are carved so stylistical, that's hard to find out what representatives what (in between other "no representative filled out gaps carvings"), an also these stylistical limbs could be looking like "leeches".

In Charles handle I can't tell what the "leeches" representatives unfortunately because of it's stylistic representation.

Maurice