Sulawesi bangkung

[RobT]

Hi All,

I picked up this knife a number of years ago. It doesn't have a hilt but does have a notch at the base of the blade. The designs on the sheath appear to have been made with pen and ink. There are designs on both sides of the sheath and the designs on one side differ from the designs on the other. Based on the designs, I had always suspected that the piece was peninsular Thai but after seeing this thread, I wonder if if it isn't a Sulawesi bankung. After all, the Bugis folks did get around. Blade (including tang) is 12" (30.5 cm) long.

Sincerely,
RobT

[kai]

Hello Rob,

I picked up this knife a number of years ago. It doesn't have a hilt but does have a notch at the base of the blade. The designs on the sheath appear to have been made with pen and ink. There are designs on both sides of the sheath and the designs on one side differ from the designs on the other. Based on the designs, I had always suspected that the piece was peninsular Thai but after seeing this thread, I wonder if if it isn't a Sulawesi bankung. After all, the Bugis folks did get around. Blade (including tang) is 12" (30.5 cm) long.

Thanks for posting this nice example! I've seen these from knife size to shortsword length with variable blade configurations.

This type is certainly Sumatran: I was going to post similar examples in a separate thread. The inked motifs on the scabbard of yours are of additional interest: This suggests a fairly northern origin! Could you please post close-ups to allow comparison with Aceh style motifs?

Regards,
Kai

[Sajen]

Agree with all Kai has said. And yes, please provide close-ups from the ink carvings.

Regards,
Detlef