PAKARANG KALAMANTAN ( BORNEO BLADES ):

[Sajen]

Hello Amuk,

very nice collection, thank you for sharing!

Regards,
Detlef

[mariusgmioc]

Thank you very much for this posting!

It can be used as reference.

[Amuk Murugul]

Hullo everybody!
Some more examples .....

The talwar-style swords became popular with the locals after 1850, when troops of the Indian Army were brought in to northern Kalamantan. Their popularity spread all over the island.
The imported blades were affordable, easier to get/replace as well as being lighter than the locally produced ones.
The brass handles were more robust and also easy to obtain/replace. They were readily available from almost any Chinese stall/shop.

13A.
Desc: Pedang Pandjap (common variant) KALAMANTAN
Tags: mandau , piso podang .
Char:
Blade: LxOALxWxT=63.5x776x3.12X0.35cm.
Handle: Brass ’talwar-style’ w/ engraved vegetal motif.
Wt: 648g.


13B.
Desc: Pedang Pandjap Sanggaoe KALAMANTAN
Tags: mandau , piso podang
Char:
Blade: LxOALxWxT=60.5x74.54.05x0.6cm., straight blade triple-grooved along length on both sides
Handle: Brass ’talwar-style’ w/ embossed scrolls
Wt: 928g.


13C.
Desc: Pedang Pandjap Radjahan KALAMANTAN
Tags: mandau , piso podang
Char:
Blade: LxOALxWxT=47x59x3.31x0.7cm.; twin-fullers on both sides, white-metal inset script on ricasso both sides and back
Handle: Brass ‘talwar-style’ w/ engraved vegetal motif
Wt: 660g.

[Amuk Murugul]

..... another example .....

12. BADI DJAMBIA

Name:
Desc: Badi Djambia KALAMANTAN
Tags: Badik , Djamiah , Janbia , Janbiya , Jambia , Jambiya .
Char:
Blade: LxOALxWxT=19x31x4.71x0.36cm.
Handle: Wood.
Wt: 202g.
Sheath: Wood w/ brass bands and toe.

[Ian]

Thank you Amuk. Very useful reference. Are the primary names you use Dutch or local terms?

Ian

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Ian

Are the primary names you use Dutch or local terms?

So far I know it's Sundanese language!

[Amuk Murugul]

Originally Posted by Ian

Thank you Amuk. Very useful reference. Are the primary names you use Dutch or local terms?

Ian

Hullo Ian,
The primary names are 'local'.
As you can appreciate, as there is such a plethora of languages/dialects etc., two adjacent villages on the same river bank may not understand each other's native speech and also, there may be different terms for the same item even by people of the same ethnic group but of a different location.
I have chosen the terms I am most comfortable with and left any other terms as 'Tags' (probably the most annoying thing is my system of spelling; however, it suits me very well ).
Best

[Amuk Murugul]

Hullo everybody,

I haven’t, as yet, posted about that most iconic/well-recognized of Kalimantan’s bush-knives, now generally referred to as ’mandaw / mandau'.
As there are quite a large number of variations of this blade, I thought a brief explanation and a diagram (which I have reconstructed from one I made many moons ago as a memory/communication aid) may be more useful.

Best,


Doekoeh / dukuh :

As people’s swiddens were often some distance away from the settlement, they sometimes constructed huts on their swiddens, where, during their working day, they could rest, have meals, take shelter and on occasions, stay overnight. These huts were known as ‘doekoeh’. The daily tools they used on the swidden became generally known as ‘doekoeh’, particularly the ‘chopper/bush-knife’, which rarely left their side.
(Variation in spelling: duku’, duku, duko etc.)

Mandaw / mandau :

The word originated in central Kalamantan, from an ancient language formerly spoken by a few groups ( such as the Ngadjoe / Biadjoe) but now confined to a small group of individuals . It defined the dual function of the blade: as a daily tool and as an instrument of war.
Mandaws were usually stored in their (communal) houses and only brought out for war or for defence (of the community). They were regarded as sacred objects whose perceived power increased with the prowess ( spiritual/mystical ) of the owner. In time, these objects were handed down and became sacred heirlooms, thus adding to their aura/mystique.
When a pair of blades were made, one was designated ‘female’ and the other ‘male’, with the female one usually being slightly shorter. Male blades were taken to war, while female ones remained for the protection of family/home and ceremonies/rituals.

Not all people had a mandaw as well as a doekoeh. Indeed, sometimes the mandaw and the doekoeh were one and the same. Thus a doekoeh, under the right circumstances, could become a mandaw.
In the beginning, individuals made their own implements; but as settlements grew in size, this was carried out by a local smith.

Today, ‘mandaw’ is accepted as referring to any iconic blade which represents a group’s identity.