I'd Like to Learn More About this Interesting Badek/Badik

[CharlesS]

This badek was an Ebay purchase from a large collection of SE Asian edged weapons. You can see the immediate attraction...the unusual blade!

The hilt is carved horn and quite plain, as is the hardwood scabbard.

The the blade, though, is heavy, thick pamor steel, but smooth like a Balinese keris, and is chiseled with a panel of interlocking swastikas covered in silver on both sides. There is a floral pattern at the forte like you might expect to see on a kard, karud, or pesh kabz dagger, and the spine is inlaid with a silver floral motif. You can see the the top of the fuller(side of the spine on the side) was once inlaid in silver as well, with most of it now lost.

You can see other losses to the silver work as well.

The patina to the hilt and scabbard, paired with the loss of some of the original silver seem to indicate some good age on this piece; I would suggest at least 100 years or more.

An awful lot of work went into chiseling the side panels of this dagger and I am wondering if anyone is familiar with the swastika reference in Indonesian religion. I have to think it is linked to Hinduism, where it is associated with good fortune and the universal nature(four faces of Brahman).

I am anxious for any input that may apply these motifs more directly to Indonesia.

Comments welcomed.

Dimensions:

Overall length: 17.25in.
Blade length: 12.33in.
Widest point of the blade: 1.75in.

[russel]

Similar swastika-like designs are found on some Tiuk Pengentas. Perhaps your knife is a variation of these ceremonial knives?

[CharlesS]

Thanks Russel. I agree that this is certainly a ceremonial piece even if all the fittings seem very "dressed down". The weight and balance of the blade are not really like other badeks and it's poorly balanced. The blade almost seems too heavy for the hilt. Also, it is not particularly sharp.

[Sajen]

Hello Charles,

one of the best badik I've seen. I have followed the auction and when I remember correct I bid also and still keep the auction pictures.
While the Bugis are mostly Muslims, and I think that it is a Bugis badik, are the Balinese until today Hindu, they coming at the end of Mataram time from Central Java to Bali. The Mataram Kingdom, 8th -10th century was temporary a Hindu Kingdom, you still can visit on Java many Hindu temple, the most known is Prambanam (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prambanan) so is the swastika an old known symbol in the Malay world. It's maybe a relict from this time? I've noticed this symbol already by Balinese blades but it was the first time that I see it on a Muslim blade. I want to start already a thread after the auction was closed since I was astonished as well to see such a symbol on a badik blade. But forget it and I am now happy to see you as new owner of this piece with the same question.
Like said, a beautiful badik with some questions. I hope that others can add more to this interesting piece.

Regards,
Detlef

[Sajen]

I just read a little bit more about Hinduism in Indonesia, here a statement I found in this german wiki link:https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulawesi
"Sulawesi wurde seit dem 15. Jahrhundert islamisiert, als der Islam in Indonesien Fuß fasste. Zuvor waren Buddhismus und Hinduismus vorherrschend, die aber stark von lokalen Traditionen durchdrungen waren. Der Islam vermischte sich ebenfalls mit traditionellen Glaubensvorstellungen."
Free translation: Sulawesi become islamicized in the 15th century when Islam become to grow in Indonesia. Before Buddhism and Hinduism have been predominant but both were steeped from local beliefs. The Islam get mixed as well with traditional beliefs.
Maybe a further explanation how a swastika found it's way on a Muslim blade.

Regards,
Detlef

[asomotif]

Nice Badik Charles.

Never a regular piece in your collection :-)

Maybe you can check this thread with a sword combining islam inscription with swastika's.

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ht=banjarmasin

Also I would like to refer to blunderbusses with swastika motifs being used in Atjeh.


Best regards,
Willem

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by asomotif

Nice Badik Charles.

Never a regular piece in your collection :-)

Maybe you can check this thread with a sword combining islam inscription with swastika's.

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ht=banjarmasin

Also I would like to refer to blunderbusses with swastika motifs being used in Atjeh.


Best regards,
Willem

Hello Willem,

thank you for remembering me that I have seen the swastika symbol before on Muslim blades!

Regards,
Detlef

[CharlesS]

Detlef,

Thanks for your input. It is certainly most interesting and a bit of s head-scatcher that these swastikas are on clearly Muslim blades. That said, Indonesian Islam may be the most liberal in the world in terms of incorporating pre-Islamic ideas into the religion.

Willem,

Thanks for reposting that thread. Isn't it interesting that the design is almsot identical in detail to the one on my badek?

Thanks for all the input.

[A. G. Maisey]

In the Indonesian context, and especially where we find the continuous, lattice-like, svastika motif, the correct name of the motif is 'banji'. It is a widespread and very common fill motif throughout all of the Indonesian Archipelago.

It is an extremely old motif and was present in many cultures spread across the world --- Scandinavia, Peru, China, India. In S.E. Asia it was first present in the Dongson culture, but was not very frequently used.

In Hindu culture it is the monogram of Wisnu and Siwa, in China it has a number of Buddhist associations. The crampons can turn either to the right or to the left, where they turn to the left it is called a sauvastika and is supposedly the first of 65 auspicious signs found in the footprint of The Buddha. There seems to be an association between the svastika and the Mystic Knot.

Iconographically it is associated with fire and the creation of fire, and also with the sun, and from this association, with Aryan and Vedic fire worship, the fire of course being tied to the sun. In the Zoroastrian system of belief it is representative of the sun. Some scholars claim the existence of this symbol dates from neolithic times.

You could write a book --- or maybe a whole library of books --- on the iconographic, cultural and social manifestations of this symbol.

It seems unlikely that it entered later Javanese/Balinese societies from Dongson origins, because of the time gap. It was certainly present in Hindu-Buddhist Jawa, but may have entered Jawa from China. Jawa is the key to its spread throughout the rest of the Archipelago, as Javanese culture was the dominant culture in Maritime S.E. Asia from around 1000CE.

[CharlesS]

Thanks so much for that input A.J. Maisey. It was through the Indonesian culture that I wanted to learn more about the context of this system of interlocking 'swastikas', knowing that it predated Islamic influences. You have done that beautifully. Thanks again.

[Sajen]

Hello Alan,

it was my hope that you join in and was sure that you will be able to tell us much more about the swastika symbol special in context to the Indonesian Archipelago. Useful information and I see again that I still have to read a lot. Thank you for the sign-posting.

Regards,
Detlef

[asomotif]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

.......
It seems unlikely that it entered later Javanese/Balinese societies from Dongson origins, because of the time gap. It was certainly present in Hindu-Buddhist Jawa, but may have entered Jawa from China. Jawa is the key to its spread throughout the rest of the Archipelago, as Javanese culture was the dominant culture in Maritime S.E. Asia from around 1000CE.

Thanks Alan for the compact and yet broad oriented information.

Reading the China / Java link I thought of a rattan suitcase I have.
Early to mid 20th century and used by a dutch soldier, maybe for shipping his stuff back home. Not extremely relevant, but one of the many examples using this symbol for decoration.

Ps. note how the motifs are mirrored. one with arms pointing left, the other pointing right.

Best regards,
Willem

[A. G. Maisey]

This suitcase looks like Chinese work.

I feel that we can be pretty certain that the use of the swastika motif here is purely for commercial ornamentation, but it does demonstrate how common the use of this particular motif is.