A Unique, Quality Sadop from Borneo

CharlesS · 16th July 2008, 02:04 PM

I have happened upon this very interesting example of a sadop, a famous Dayak knife/dagger from Borneo.

This one seems made for a person of status and it has several unique features:

1. The hilt is from hippo ivory...meaning it was brought to Borneo via trade, as hippos are a sub-Saharan African species.

2. The blade appears to be from a quality Chinese jian. There is no secret of the trade between China and the Indonesian archipelago.

3. Note the unusual slight slant to the base of the hilt and a matching scabbard mouth to accomodate it. I can think of no particular reason for this, but it does allow the hilt to accommodate the hand better when the longer edge of the hilt is held up(top) and the shorter edge(bottom) of an in hand grip.

Being a lover of "cross cultural" blades, especially from al-Islam and SE Asia, this was an exciting find for me.

16th July 2008, 02:04 PM	#1
CharlesS Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Greenville, NC Posts: 1,857	A Unique, Quality Sadop(???) from Borneo I have happened upon this very interesting example of a *sadop, a famous Dayak knife/dagger from Borneo. This one seems made for a person of status and it has several unique features: 1. The hilt is from hippo ivory...meaning it was brought to Borneo via trade, as hippos are a sub-Saharan African species. 2. The blade appears to be from a quality Chinese jian. There is no secret of the trade between China and the Indonesian archipelago. 3. Note the unusual slight slant to the base of the hilt and a matching scabbard mouth to accomodate it. I can think of no particular reason for this, but it does allow the hilt to accommodate the hand better when the longer edge of the hilt is held up(top) and the shorter edge(bottom) of an in hand grip. Being a lover of "cross cultural" blades, especially from al-Islam and SE Asia, this was an exciting find for me. Attached Images Last edited by CharlesS; 16th July 2008 at 09:55 PM.*