RARE BORNEO SWORD IS IT AN PARANG NIABOR ???

[VVV]

It's also interesting with the rectangular kundieng as well as the multi-influence from other swords and tribes.
Like the Pakayun resembling brass ferrule (Murut) as well as the more Pandat resembling brass work at the back of the blade (Land Dayak).
Could you please add some more pictures of the motifs on the scabbard as well as the carvings on the hilt?

Michael

[Dajak]

Hi Michael when I am back from my vacation I will post them


Ben

[Mytribalworld]

Hi Ben,

according to what I found it should be a " Ajananpka" parang permaaki made by the grand-grand father from Singkoem. The iron he used he took it from the former Demang from Semitau ( or Semitan) (the handwriting isnt very clear). According to the old dayak are many heads captured with this piece.When it came in to the museum ( and that handwriting is already very old) its was already 100 years old according to the writer.
Its not quite clear who the writer is but we think that its one of the fathers from the former mission museum in Tilburg.
strange enough this is almost the only sword in their collection with such a detailed description.

If the place name is indeed Semitau ( sometimes shortened up with "Smitau")
Its somewhere in the area of the Kapoeas river about 40 kilometers south from the Sarawak border in Dutch Borneo ( de westerafdeeling)
Its very close near the Kantoek and Batang Loepar tribes.

Arjan.

[Dajak]

Hi Arjan I was looking for facts not story s off this sword .
That I did already know.


Ben

[Mytribalworld]

Originally Posted by Dajak

Hi Arjan I was looking for facts not story s off this sword .
That I did already know.


Ben

dear Ben,

thanks for your kind answer but this is a forum so I thought it may be interesting info for other readers also..............

Arjan.

[asomotif]

Ben,

Are you making any progress with your time travel machine

I am living in the year 2007. If the mandau is from before 1800's all we will have are stories or assumptions.

Even if another collector would have an almost identical sword of approximate age his information on that sword would either be stories or assumptions.

[VVV]

Thanks Arjan for sharing this info and thanks Ben for sharing the pictures of this rare parang.
For me there is a big difference of "stories" and notes from when and where it was collected and brought to the museum.
It's a pity that so many interesting collections are hidden in the museum depots and that they don't at least invest in picture databases when they don't have room to exhibit their collections.

Michael

[Dajak]

Originally Posted by mandaukudi

dear Ben,

thanks for your kind answer but this is a forum so I thought it may be interesting info for other readers also..............

Arjan.

Speculations and story s that not can be proven are always difficult because some one gets an wrong idee about something .

You forgot to tell that this is from an weapon collector that give s his collection to the museum not the missionares did collect this weapon.
all marked with this label is from his collection .
this is an important note .

Ben

[Mytribalworld]

Originally Posted by Dajak

Speculations and story s that not can be proven are always difficult because some one gets an wrong idee about something .

You forgot to tell that this is from an weapon collector that give s his collection to the museum not the missionares did collect this weapon.
all marked with this label is from his collection .
this is an important note .

Ben

You made a mistake, the sword is not from the collection of Beijens.
Its indeed collected by the missionares ,also the curator assured me and the tag proves that it comes from the collection of Tilburg.see also the pic of the tag.
The collection of Nijmegen is mainly built up by two large collections 1: the collection of Beiijens 2: the collection of the missionaries of Tilburg.In Tilburg there was a missionmuseum that donated their collection to Nijmegen after closing.
I was suprised finding in the museumcollection so many north Borneo swords
like nyabor and pandat etc. but after a short study I found out that they had a mission post in a village near Smitau.They where quite active just south near the border of Sarawak. Also they made travels to Batang Lupar village

I don't want to speculate , the reader may decide what to believe but sometimes stories also are important and belongs to the facts of a certain object.