When is a Parang Latok not a Parang Latok?......
 

....well, technically, according to Zonneveld(Traditional Weapons of the Indonesian Archipelago), when it's a SADAP.

The sadap is identical to a parang lotok except that its elbow is octagonal, or eight-sided. The example below has become one of my favorite pieces. It is of superb quality throughtout, most especially the heavy blade.

Go on rub our noses in it!! :D .

Wow!

Dimensions of this piece? The wrapping on the hilt is as thin as it can get.

....all along I thought I had a Parang Latok....
Thanks for clearing it up.

Chuckmeister, you have a good piece there. I love the chiseling. :D

Woooow, both pieces are just magnificent. Congrats on such pieces. Not a parang latok, but still.......

Hi all,

Except for the octagonal elbow, as Charles pointed out, usually the sadap has more flowery carvings at the hilt than the Latok.
The reason is that the sadap is Melanau (Malay Muslims) and the Latok is Land Dayak so they belong to different tribes.
My Sadap is also almost 1,5 times bigger overall than my Latoks.
The Latoks also differ between Dayak tribes from more simple wooden hilts to the carved antler horn hilt (enclosed Latok hilt examples below).

Michael

Gorgeous example Michael, and my guess is that one is certainly for someone of status as it is magnificently mounted.

The Malay distinction is interesting; I am surprised Zonneveld did not mention it except in one discreet notation, but afterall, his book is not about Malay weapons!

Tha Latok sadap is not a malay weapon

Tha Latok sadap is not a malay weapon

Is is one off the swords off the Sarawak tribes By the time it was not in malay hands

In the Milano sadap a variety of latok the schoulder is octagonal in section.

This means 8 flat sides

This can be read in the Provisional classification of the Swords of the Sarawak Tribes from R shelford.

Hi Bennie,

I have read my Shelford which is the best source, so far, for classifying the different Latok versions.
I am travelling at the moment so I don't have it with me.
But maybe you could fill in which of the Latok that belongs to which tribe?
The Melanau (modern spelling of Milano) are often Muslim and seems to
be more Malay in their customs than the Dayak tribes.

Michael

PS By the way - isn't it time for you to settle some other matters?

Where do I get this book?

BTW, beautiful scabbards. Are all the blades pattern welded? Did they ever have Pamur blades?

Folks, I am quite impressed by the silver work on the hilts and on the scabbards. Now I want one too. :p

Shelford, R. W. C. (1901): A provisional classification of the swords of the Sarawak tribes. Journal of the Anthropological Institute, 31: 219-228.

Kino,

I don't know if it's "true pamor" but some blades looks very much like this one in Artzi's Gallery (which I also suspect is Melanau):

http://www.oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=76




Michael

Hi there in my opinion a laminated blade does not have to be a pamor blade
Let me know how the people from the weapon forum think about this.


Another ting is; the Malay people must have come not later than the early part off the 15th century to Borneo.

Probably the malays came directly from the Malay Peninsula, but they must have mixed largely with the Kadayans, Melanaus and other costal people.

So this means before the malay people mixed with them the melanaus already exist . and means they are not pure malay people in my opinion.

(this can be read in Headhunters Alfred C. Haddon page 161 (the little book ) leaving Kuching in 1899 published in 1901 Headhunters : Black White, and Brown )