Enggano spear / Ekajo

[danny1976]

For sharing this Enggano lance ( comments and discussion are appreciated )

Last week I had the luck to bump up against some stuff that belonged to a Dutch family that had lived on Sumatra before the second ww.
My intention with buying the lot was to resale it again , but after handling this spear i decided that I kind of like it so it stays.

You don't see them so often and in my eyes the are very primitive but that is the charm of it.
Need to clean the point from the rust , the point also is a little loose because the binding and the damar did expand ? , the point is still attached but it wiggles ...
Some one a idea how I can get it tight again ?

There is some motive at the bottom of the point and also there is a small piece of tinn ( i ques ) on the shaft.
And a great patin and old dirt on the shaft also.

greetings ,
Danny

[asomotif]

Hello Danny,

Typical enggano lance.
The point is fixed with rope and resin. I would not touch it to much as it is fragile material.
The point wiggles.... Ok, in case you need to go hunting, pick another lance from the wall :-)

cleaning the point. also here, I would suggest to clean it carefully.
A lot of these lances are rusty, you can also decide to just apply some oil for conservation.

Ps. does it have a decoration on the shaft ?

Best regards,
Willem

[danny1976]

Hi Willem,

The point wiggles a lot .. just come over and see than you see what i mean

About cleaning the point , i do not want to over clean it but stabilizing the rust is necessary.

I did look for decoration on the shaft but didn't find it but maybe under the dirt but i leave that like it is.

Ps... check your mail .

greets

[Rick]

The dirt looks like deteriorating varnish or shellac applied by a past owner.

[danny1976]

Hi Rick ,

I have to check what you are saying , but then only the upper part is in the lacquer .
It's only lets say on the 3th of the shaft , the upper part.
Any idea how i can check if it is some kind of finish ? Because when it is not i will regret the cleaning.

[Albert]

On the top right photo an Enggano spear with a similar small metal plate.

(Photo's page 105 of: Traditionele wapens van Enggano. Een verdwenen cultuur van de Indonesische archipel. [Traditional weapons of Enggano. A lost culture of the Indonsian archipelago])

BTW is is a pity that you decided not to sell this item

[Rick]

Originally Posted by danny1976

Hi Rick ,

I have to check what you are saying , but then only the upper part is in the lacquer .
It's only lets say on the 3th of the shaft , the upper part.
Any idea how i can check if it is some kind of finish ? Because when it is not i will regret the cleaning.

Maybe a bit of acetone applied in a small patch with a cotton swab somewhere unobtrusive would tell you something; although I would think a collector would have coated the entire haft with shellac/varnish.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Rick

although I would think a collector would have coated the entire haft with shellac/varnish.

Hi Rick,

it will be "smoke" patina. Weapons of ethnic groups often keep their weapons in the "house"/hut near the open fire. One reason was that insects don't like smoked wood, an other that it's dry near the fire, think about the climate over there, so an iron weapon don't rust fast!

Regards,
Detlef

[kai]

Maybe a bit of acetone applied in a small patch with a cotton swab somewhere unobtrusive would tell you something

Acetone will pretty much dissolve any residue regardless of origin - I won't go that route.

Detlef may be quite right that these are fat and smoke deposits from cooking.

Since this is a kinda "tribal" piece, I'd leave it as is.

Regards,
Kai

[kai]

Hello Danny,

Thanks for sharing this nice find!

It will be tough to stop the spear head from wiggling (anything done should be fully reversible if you want to follow museum standards). You could try to gently squeeze in some durable foam; however, the increased pressure (even if fairly light) on the braiding may result in cracking of the fibers and would be a shame...

BTW, any signs (hole, broken remnants) of small spikes inserted into the braided ferrule? Often at the base of the ferrule (opposite of the plate?) and/or integrated into the braiding.

Regards,
Kai

[danny1976]

Hello Kai ,

I did check for small nails under and in the braided ferule , but no signs of such thing .
Maybe it is there but hided under the resin

Regards,
Danny