Different Borneo sword

[Royston]

Michael, Maurice

That was quick !!

Yes, the blade is flat.

It looks as though it is held in with resin but it is difficult to see. It has been trimmed off close to the blade.

Blade could well be shortened. Not recently though as the edge does not look bright and shiney. I'll try and take a photo.

As you sa a bit unusual, but I like it.

It may be worth mentioning that it came at a price which was way below someone trying to make something out of something else.

Cheers
Roy

[asomotif]

Hello Roy,

Nice unusual mandau. I like it too. (a lot )
All points are already made my Michael and Maurice :-)
Here an example of a hilt with square holes :

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...nese+influence

I am not sure about the blade being shortened.
This could well be original imho.

Best regards,
Willem

[Indianajones]

Hello Roy,
indeed an odd mandau have to say too. Though it all looks perfectly good old n authentic, to be said first. The thing that I have personally also not seen before is the soft type of wood of the handle. The piece is a bit a puzzle to me too;

To my experience the handle has the carvingstyle of the Bahau-tribe on the upper Barito river as they always tend to use those thin vines almost 'framing' all the details of the handle and often ending in a scroll. Though they usually also carve long beaks with teeth (almost looking like horsemouths) but non on this.

The blade on the other hand looks like those from the Murut area who often have those crossbars engraved near the handle and those sections of engravings near the blunt edge. Also those Murutblades do not have the concave shape as most other mandaublades do (especially from Baritoriverregion).

At last your piece looks like a very old example -seen from the type of iron used n thickness- and I have seen more of these very old examples being puzzling to the Borneo-ëxperts. Perhaps its because some of the Dayak tribes (as the Iban) are or were migrating folks?!?

Enjoy it; those puzzling pieces are always so entertaining I think.

Wouter

[VVV]

To keep up the level of terminology it would be preferred if we do not call a parang with a flat blade, as well as when it is coming from NW Borneo, a "mandau".
Why make a blade like this more "puzzling" than it already is by giving it an incorrect (or simplified?) label at a specialized ethnographic forum like this?

Not only the Iban (an externally given name which literary means wanderer/nomad in Kayan language) were migrating, also the blades, hilts and the complete swords migrated all over the region.
When studying the old sources they describe how there was a lot of trading and cross-cultural influences going on between the different tribes in Borneo.

Michael

[Indianajones]

Roy, I happen to stumble upon this piece which has the similar features on the blade and indeed this piece I would also ascribe to the Iban of Sarawak, and than to the North of their region(close to the Murut region). See that this blade also lacks the 'concaveness'.
<<I hope these pics are allowed as my intensions are just of comparative use n it is already sold.>>
Still the style of the gripcarving is quite unlike other grips I've seen n had from this particular area. Although it might explain -as the Kelabit plateau is more elevated- the use of pine?-sort of wood; more growing in higher altitude regions.

Best, Wouter

[VVV]

Indiana,

Now it seems to me like you are making this thread even more puzzling and unnecessary confusing than it was before you entered.
I don't see the purpose of bringing this new parang into the discussion?
The new one is an ilang (concave/convex blade) and not any of the flat blade swords from NW Borneo (like Roy's parang).
Also it does not have any protrusions (like Roy's parang), nor does it have a square tip (like Roy's parang).
The main common denominator is that the blade is of Iban origin, and not Murut like you suggested in your first post.
So how does this parang contribute to the original discussion?

Michael

[asomotif]

Originally Posted by Indianajones

Roy, I happen to stumble upon this piece which has the similar features on the blade and indeed this piece I would also ascribe to the Iban of Sarawak, and than to the North of their region(close to the Murut region). See that this blade also lacks the 'concaveness'.

Best way to note concaveness is seeing both sides of the blade.
But this example from Ashoka arts is clearly concave imho.

[asomotif]

Sorry to bring in yet another blade, but this one from my collection has quite some similarities imho.

Adding a better picture of the blade and blade tip / 2nd april.