Small "Blingy" Knife, But From Where and What Was its Purpose???

[Bob A]

The opening in the scabbard seems most useful for weapons that need to be withdrawn in a hurry.

Aside from "somewhere in the Malay Archepelago" that's all Ive got.

[Sajen]

Hello Charles,

Most beautiful knife! Never seen such a knife before but it remember me a little bit to my lopah petawaran.

Regards,
Detlef

[Battara]

The similarities to the lopah are why I mentioned Aceh.

Perhaps I misspoke on the blade - maybe it is Sumatra I was thinking that make a wide ended blade like this.

Did not think of betel nut. Must have belonged to someone of some status.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Battara

The similarities to the lopah are why I mentioned Aceh.

But a LP is Batak instead of Aceh!

Regards,
Detlef

[CharlesS]

Originally Posted by Sajen

Hello Charles,

Most beautiful knife! Never seen such a knife before but it remember me a little bit to my lopah petawaran.

Regards,
Detlef

I thought exactly the same, Detlef. But then there's the weird blade.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by CharlesS

I thought exactly the same, Detlef. But then there's the weird blade.

Like said, I never before I have seen a similar knife. I only want to point to a possible origin.

Regards,
Detlef

[Gavin Nugent]

My gut feel is minangkabau Betel nut knife.

[Ian]

Hi Gavin,

What are you seeing that persuades you this is from the Minangkabau people? That's an uncommon attribution with respect to blades.

Ian

P.S. Just to amplify a little on my earler post, attached are pics of klewang from v. Zonneveld's book Traditional Weapons of the Indonesian Archipelago, p. 70. Note no. 265 (from S. Sumatra) and 267 (from Sumatra) in relation to the shape of the blade on the small knife shown by Charles.
.

[Gavin Nugent]

Originally Posted by Ian

Hi Gavin,

What are you seeing that persuades you this is from the Minangkabau people? That's an uncommon attribution with respect to blades.

Ian

P.S. Just to amplify a little on my earler post, attached are pics of klewang from v. Zonneveld's book Traditional Weapons of the Indonesian Archipelago, p. 70. Note no. 265 (from S. Sumatra) and 267 (from Sumatra) in relation to the shape of the blade on the small knife shown by Charles.
.

Ian,

With respect to the blades, and it has not been quantified by Charles, but at face value looking at the scabbard, the blade is not on the inner curved edge but the outer edge

The examples you point to are blades with a cutting edge on the inner forward curving edge.

If Zonneveld is to be referred to, one could also point out page 126, figure 511 shows a sheath typical to the region of Minangkabau, akin to this example Charles presents.

Gavin