Blades from Sarawak, Malaysia

[Dinggat]

Oh, I'm not purist in any kind of way. I just want to find out as much as possible about this particular weapon. It's not like I would throw it away if I found out it was not "the real thing".

As an amatuer linguist who learns a few Austronesian languages I'm very aware of the local differences (Podang, Pedang etc.). Apart from actual dialectic differences such different spellings can often be traced back to the Europeans who where the first one's to put a native language to paper. What sounded like "Pedang" to a British colonialist might have sounded like a "Podang" to his Dutch colleague, even though they basically heard the same word.

[Amuk Murugul]

Hullo Dinggat,

I just found some old notes on Kalimantan. Apparently, at some stage, I found that the Batak type sword was common in northern and western Kalimantan. I'll get back to you when I find some more info (or perhaps you'll already have it before then).

Best,

[Maurice]

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ighlight=batak

[Amuk Murugul]

Hullo everybody,

Originally Posted by Maurice

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ighlight=batak

Thanks for the link Maurice mvg

Dinggat,

To iterate, the Indian/Batak style sword was quite common among the native population of the northern and western parts of the island.
This was the area where the Iban were the predominant people, having expanded to West Kalimantan and Sabah from their ancestral homeland in the Batang Lupar River area (particularly in the last half of the 19th century). So it comes as no surprise that your family owns one.

Best,

[Dinggat]

Thank you all very much. So trade distributed the Piso Podangs to Borneo into the hands of the Iban (and I suppose other ethnic groups as well). I hope I wont forget to take the photos next time I'm home.

[asomotif]

you should buy yourself the book "iban art" from Heppell

Here is the front cover of this book with a nice podang in a faily recent picture.

[VVV]

Nice sword collection A.M.

Next to your (probably not Borneo made but in this case) Batak Podang is a rare Malay sword called Chenangkas.
And next to it a Parang Negara from the South.
Could you please upload some more pictures of the Chenangkas?

If there is a face on the nice Kutei/Modang mandau far right maybe you could upload it on the face thread?

Michael

[Dinggat]

Originally Posted by asomotif

Here is the front cover of this book with a nice podang in a faily recent picture.

Is it the normal mode of decoration to put the hairy tufts into the hollow pommel? All other Piso Podang I've seen so far had no such stuff in that pommel.

I'll try to get my hands on a copy of that book.