Old Taiwanese Aboriginal Sword

KuKulzA28 · 5th June 2013, 06:21 AM

It does look to be Paiwanese
though... I hate to admit it, but I still sometimes get Rukai and Paiwan blades mixed up.

I'm not sure why the snake had appendages, not sure if it was intentional for symbolic reasons or easier carving, or what. The snake is the baibushe, hundred pacer (Deinagkistrodon), ancestor of the Paiwan. Puyuma and Rukai have similar themes... they are similar cultures.

I don't see too many examples with the metal face still on it - so good for you!
Most examples I've seen use staples/bent wire to hold in the blade. You can still go to Pingdong and find old makers who make Paiwan blades and traditional sheaths... but increasingly the colors are a gaudier red, the blades are sometimes of lesser quality, the sheaths are roughly made, etc. esp for tourists...

Yes they did normally have inserted edges - usually though rough, they were of quality construction... whether aboriginal or Han settler made.

That sort of blade is traditional, a sort of chisel grind almost, but kind of concave on the "flat" side. Sort of like the dayak blades, but maybe not so pronounced. Some are sometimes literally flat with a bevel on one side, and some are so but the flat side is slanted so it actually forms an edge that is perpendicular to the spine. Today, double beveled takit are common as well.

oh, by the way, they are called takit, or tjakit... the t is kind of like Atjeh/Aceh, or Rentjong, or cojang.

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than I can comment. I only know so much, and though I'm Taiwanese - I don't live there, don't have a library of references, and don't have connections in aboriginal communities.

5th June 2013, 06:21 AM	#6
KuKulzA28 Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: between work and sleep Posts: 731	It does look to be Paiwanese though... I hate to admit it, but I still sometimes get Rukai and Paiwan blades mixed up. I'm not sure why the snake had appendages, not sure if it was intentional for symbolic reasons or easier carving, or what. The snake is the baibushe, hundred pacer (Deinagkistrodon), ancestor of the Paiwan. Puyuma and Rukai have similar themes... they are similar cultures. I don't see too many examples with the metal face still on it - so good for you! Most examples I've seen use staples/bent wire to hold in the blade. You can still go to Pingdong and find old makers who make Paiwan blades and traditional sheaths... but increasingly the colors are a gaudier red, the blades are sometimes of lesser quality, the sheaths are roughly made, etc. esp for tourists... Yes they did normally have inserted edges - usually though rough, they were of quality construction... whether aboriginal or Han settler made. That sort of blade is traditional, a sort of chisel grind almost, but kind of concave on the "flat" side. Sort of like the dayak blades, but maybe not so pronounced. Some are sometimes literally flat with a bevel on one side, and some are so but the flat side is slanted so it actually forms an edge that is perpendicular to the spine. Today, double beveled takit are common as well. oh, by the way, they are called takit, or tjakit... the t is kind of like Atjeh/Aceh, or Rentjong, or cojang. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than I can comment. I only know so much, and though I'm Taiwanese - I don't live there, don't have a library of references, and don't have connections in aboriginal communities.