Parang betino

[Loedjoe]

In response to a suggestion by Vandoo in the Keris forum, I show the ceremonial weapon which has the hilt used in my Avatar. I believe it is called a parang betino. The hilt of mine seems to be Palembang work, but whether the whole thing is Palembang, or Javanese with a Palembang hilt, I don't know. Michael Backman had a wonderful example for sale a while ago, which appeared to be Palembang.
P. Holstein, Contribution à l'étude des armes Orientales. Inde et Archipel Malais, vol. II, pl. 50, item 149 (described, p. 164, as a Batak golok) has a blade of similar shape, without openwork decoration; a similar weapon is illustrated in Stone, Glossary, p. 365, fig. 14 (under 'Miscellaneous knives'). Rita Wassing-Visser, Royal gifts from Indonesia (1995), p. 175 (pl. 167) includes a photograph of one almost identical in shape and mounts, with larger openings in the blade (and engraved rather than inlaid silver lines), described as a ceremonial West Javanese parang betino (in the Royal collection before 1884). See Museum Volkenkunde, Leiden, under Sumatera Selatan, item 360-5322, for a similar item.