Borneo headhunting revival ww2 and on?

[Amuk Murugul]

Hullo everybody!

Originally Posted by mandaukudi

......... and what a sword can do in wrong hands.

In this case, you must be kidding..... a mandaoe/parang in the hands of a Dajak who still has the ability to 'smell out'/track his game (in this case a Madura in his hiding place) and can use his implement devastatingly with ease and with minimum effort? What would you call 'the right hands'? A collector a long distance away who may never have even been in contact with a Dajak, but can only talk and fantasise? It is precarious to play 'armchair pontiff'.

Anyway, if you're talking about 'violence/horror', you should look closer to home... try Raymond 'Turk' Westerling. He possibly would've been tried for 'crimes against humanity' had he not avoided it by dying.

Best,

[Rick]

We are going political here guys .. warning .

[asomotif]

going political

Yep, lets not go there.

The dayak/madurese conflict proofs that old habits don't disappear that easily.
And as much as I would rather not see such violent conflicts, regardless the time and place, one can not overlook the devastating effects of the heads being taken.
As in old times people where struck with fear and awe and it must have been a huge psychological weapon used by the dayaks.
(and than please excuse me for generalising the inhabitants of Kalimantan/Borneo under the name dayaks.)

I must say that the WW 2 headhunting raids appear more heroic in my humble western armchair point of view. (IMHWAPOV, that's a nice one )

[Mytribalworld]

What would you call 'the right hands'?

never the intension to go political here, there are several things you can do with a sword as we have seen, I am glad that we collectors found a peacefull solution just to hang them on the wall and enjoy/discuss them,than they are IMHWAPOV in the rigth hands and has finally found the best place to stay.

[Tim Simmons]

I have not found the book I wanted to show pictures from. It was about the conflict in the early 1960s, one picture of what was described as Iban, a fellow {tracker} with all the tribal earrings, tattoos and what have you sitting amongst a couple of Brit soldiers.

I have found these pictures of Borneo 1945 from " World Within a Borneo story, Tom Harrison, London; The Cresset Press; 1959" and one picture from the 1960s. The one with the helicopter is from " The Undeclared War, Harold james & Denis Sheil-Small.

The first book is all about ww2 action in Borneo by Brit, Aus and Dutch fighters with many locals. The pictures show more than I can type. One thing for sure the idea that late mandau are all just about parties and dancing is collector talk, blowing wind.

The writing here is just about incidents under the British officers noses. How many head were taken off the beaten track? the same in the 1960s no doubt?