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Originally Posted by T. Koch
Also, what did it originate from? I've often heard that the design is inspired by the Dutch naval cutlass of the period. Pardon me, but I don't think they are all that similar. Is this connection proven somewhere?
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IT will be hard to prove I guess, as there were a lot of cultures congregates in that area.
The Dutch established a VOC tradingpost in 1606 for the pepper trade....
I think the Beladah Belabang is a wonderfull weapon, where different cultures meet which can be shown in the sword (the "european"like knuckleguard in combination with the indigenous appearance).......
As most of these weapons were made halfway the 19th century because of the Banjarmasinwar, I think it's most likely to say that they took Dutch swords for example....
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Originally Posted by T. Koch
, I haven't anywhere - in online museum collections or elsewhere - been able to find period photos of Malays carrying these? I would simply love to see some!
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I've got one image of a chieftain (not dayak so, maybe a converted one or Malayan?) carrying a beladah belabang.
I hope somebody has another one, as this is the only one I know about!
Best,
Maurice