MANDAU HANDLE

Dajak · 24th March 2007, 12:42 PM

Hi Carlos sorry but this is an tourist one .

I was on bali in june/july and all I saw there was fake .

Only one or two store s had some real things with price s starting at $1500.00
till 15,000.00 for a nice mandau
And some handle s starting at $800.00 to expensive.

Regards , Ben

carlos · 24th March 2007, 01:14 PM

OH!!!

WHY DO YOU THINK IS A TOURIST HANDLE? I´M SURE IS BONE.
THANKS
CARLOS

David · 24th March 2007, 02:54 PM

I don't know enough about these to make any informed comment, but it does appear that your hilt has been "smoked" to apply a look of age to it. It still is an interesting carving.

What do you you think of this example Ben? What is the criteria that you follow in determining real from tourist?

Bill M · 24th March 2007, 03:34 PM

Ben,

How about this one?

Bill M · 24th March 2007, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carlos

OH!!!

WHY DO YOU THINK IS A TOURIST HANDLE? I´M SURE IS BONE.
THANKS
CARLOS

Carlos,

Ben really knows these pieces. Trust his oipinion and judgement. I do.

Most mandau handles were antler.

Buy Books
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Search the Forum
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email people who have pieces you like
Learn.
Buy from established dealers.

PERSEVERE!!

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carlos · 24th March 2007, 04:46 PM

YES, YES, I ONLY WANT TO KNOW HOW I COULD TRY BETWEEN TOURIST OR REAL WEAPONS, ALWAYS READ THE FORUM AND THANKS BEN FOR HIS OPINION, TO ME BEN IS MY TEACHER!!

THANKS EVERYBODY
CARLOS

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Marsh

Carlos,

Ben really knows these pieces. Trust his oipinion and judgement. I do.

Most mandau handles were antler.

Buy Books
Read Books
Search the Forum
Lurk
email people who have pieces you like
Learn.
Buy from established dealers.

PERSEVERE!!

The Journey is a lot of fun!

David · 24th March 2007, 04:58 PM

Yes, Ben certainly knows his stuff where Dayak weapons are involved. Hopefully he will be able to supply us with some guidelines for making these determinations.

I don't think these weapons are very well understood in the collector world and a quick look at eBay will show you that the market is currently flooded with touristy mandaus. Many of them are quite obvious. What is a bit harder to dtermine is when we see a later example that may or may not be a practical working piece as opposed to a tourist piece. It is my understanding that heads were known to be taken by the Dayak well into the second half of the 20th century.

Flavio · 24th March 2007, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David

Yes, Ben certainly knows his stuff where Dayak weapons are involved. Hopefully he will be able to supply us with some guidelines for making these determinations.

I don't think these weapons are very well understood in the collector world and a quick look at eBay will show you that the market is currently flooded with touristy mandaus. Many of them are quite obvious. What is a bit harder to dtermine is when we see a later example that may or may not be a practical working piece as opposed to a tourist piece. It is my understanding that heads were known to be taken by the Dayak well into the second half of the 20th century.

What I don't understand is: a mandau is good only when had taken heads? in other words the mandaus were used only to take heads? And more: if one take as comparative examples only the pieces on books and museums maybe we can lost something: in african weapons, that I know just a little more, one can find pieces that are like the ones on books and also other more crude weapons that aren't beautiful enough to stay on a book but for sure old and "ethnographic" as the others.

David · 24th March 2007, 11:43 PM

Flavio, i did not intend to suggest that a mandau "is good only when (it) had taken heads". I was merely trying to establish an authentic ethnographic usage well into the latter half of the 20th century. Often when we deal with edged weapons from other cultures their authentic usage has stopped or has been serverely diminished by this point in time.

24th March 2007, 01:14 PM	#2
carlos Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 755	oh!!!! OH!!! WHY DO YOU THINK IS A TOURIST HANDLE? I´M SURE IS BONE. THANKS CARLOS

24th March 2007, 02:54 PM	#3
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,241	I don't know enough about these to make any informed comment, but it does appear that your hilt has been "smoked" to apply a look of age to it. It still is an interesting carving. What do you you think of this example Ben? What is the criteria that you follow in determining real from tourist? Attached Images

24th March 2007, 03:34 PM	#4
Bill M Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: USA Georgia Posts: 1,599	Ben, How about this one? Attached Images

24th March 2007, 12:42 PM	#1
Dajak Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 951	Hi Carlos sorry but this is an tourist one . I was on bali in june/july and all I saw there was fake . Only one or two store s had some real things with price s starting at $1500.00 till 15,000.00 for a nice mandau And some handle s starting at $800.00 to expensive. Regards , Ben

24th March 2007, 04:58 PM	#7
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,241	Yes, Ben certainly knows his stuff where Dayak weapons are involved. Hopefully he will be able to supply us with some guidelines for making these determinations. I don't think these weapons are very well understood in the collector world and a quick look at eBay will show you that the market is currently flooded with touristy mandaus. Many of them are quite obvious. What is a bit harder to dtermine is when we see a later example that may or may not be a practical working piece as opposed to a tourist piece. It is my understanding that heads were known to be taken by the Dayak well into the second half of the 20th century.

24th March 2007, 11:43 PM	#9
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,241	Flavio, i did not intend to suggest that a mandau "is good only when (it) had taken heads". I was merely trying to establish an authentic ethnographic usage well into the latter half of the 20th century. Often when we deal with edged weapons from other cultures their authentic usage has stopped or has been serverely diminished by this point in time.