Quote:
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Originally Posted by Royston
It puts a whole different perspective on the use of a mandau, does it not ?
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This is written in the book of Nieuwenhuis very clearly (In Centraal Borneo
Reis van Pontianak naar Samarinda.)
Maybe a bit of topic, cause this thread is about the sumpitan.
But I guess some additional info could be in place sometimes.
I tried to make a translation good enough to show what it is saying:
"The malat wasn't only used for war, but also in daily live of the Bahau's.
The little knife (Njoe), which is the sideknife in the little sideknifepocket at the backside of the mandauscabbard, is always carried with them along.
Every work in daily life which is that heavy that it can't be done with the Njoe, to finish with an ax, the Kayan does it with their malat, which never leaves him because of this.
As field work they use the malat to clear branches and brushwood, and for this they took their simple swords (made for this work) with them.
At distant trips through the forest, the Malat is protecting the kayan against enemies, but they use the same malat to chop and slash boards and firewood.
Every kayan thus has 1 malat with him on his trip, which serves for both: warfare and tool.
Because of this, at the Kapoeas and the upper Mahakam, they prefered to take with them simple, but solid tooled blades.
The more special ones, with copper and silver inlay, where used to show off.
Only a few warlike headmans (like the headman of the Pnihings), alerted Nieuwenhuis to their beautifull inlaid blades taken for warfare, but also with these swords, once in a while a little tree will be chopped with when necessary."