Please help me to identify this mandau

[colin henshaw]

Not my area... but I like the piece and it does seem to have some age at least to it. Interested in the comments of others who specialise in these.

[David]

Though i do have a mandau and used to have another, this also is not really my area. The dress here definitely seems to have age and is authentic, but i don't know what to say about this blade. If it is an old original blade someone certainly did a number on it and destroyed it for all intents and purposes. It does show signs of having been altered after production. I also note that this does not have the familiar concave/convex blade construction that is an important part of mandau blade design. I'm not sure it can actually be called a mandau without that particular construction.

[NgajuPride]

Originally Posted by colin henshaw

Not my area... but I like the piece and it does seem to have some age at least to it. Interested in the comments of others who specialise in these.

Hey, thanks Colin for your comment. I also wait for others who specialise in dayak's mandau but unfortunately most of them are inactive.

Originally Posted by David

Though i do have a mandau and used to have another, this also is not really my area. The dress here definitely seems to have age and is authentic, but i don't know what to say about this blade. If it is an old original blade someone certainly did a number on it and destroyed it for all intents and purposes. It does show signs of having been altered after production. I also note that this does not have the familiar concave/convex blade construction that is an important part of mandau blade design. I'm not sure it can actually be called a mandau without that particular construction.

Dear David,
Almost the same thought as mine. I think this mandau is a gift by request in the past. Some of my muslim friends told me, there is arabic text on this blade (since i'm a christian i know nothing about arabic, lol). I'm pretty sure it was not made for headhunting, but maybe just for display (old tourist version) or for talismanic weapon. That's why it's very intriquing for me, since i also own a few old mandaus with proper blades.

Thanks for commenting david, appreciate it.

[kai]

Hello Jef,

Some of my muslim friends told me, there is arabic text on this blade

It's most likely just gibberish supposed to be looking remotely similar to Arabic scripture.

Unfortunately, this kind of "embellishment" was quite common practise of unscrupulous dealers during the 20th century, especially with low-quality pieces that were expected to not sell well.

I don't think the blade of your example ever deserved such a treatment!

Regards,
Kai

[kai]

Hello David,

The dress here definitely seems to have age and is authentic,

I believe the whole piece is genuine with only the hornbill feather (and orange slip) being added later.

but i don't know what to say about this blade. If it is an old original blade someone certainly did a number on it and destroyed it for all intents and purposes. It does show signs of having been altered after production. I also note that this does not have the familiar concave/convex blade construction that is an important part of mandau blade design.

We need a pic of the right side of the blade to verify. However, the blade seems to me being of concave/convex construction.

I'd be inclined to believe that this blade originally came with the hilt. It just got mutilated in modern times by a heavy acid etch, some additional cuts into the back and tip, and another round of acid to remove signs of manipulation and staining the blade.

Not much that can be done at this point except than replacing the mutilated blade with a well-fitting antique blade; not easy to obtain any mandau blade of suitable style and with correct dimensions though. As long as you manage keeping it in the scabbard, the current blade may do, indeed.

Regards,
Kai

[David]

Originally Posted by kai

We need a pic of the right side of the blade to verify. However, the blade seems to me being of concave/convex construction.

While i agree that more photos would confirm or deny my suspicion, i'm not sure what photo you are looking at that could lead you to believe there is a concave/convex construction here.

[kai]

Well, the side shown doesn't show any sign of a bevel and the etched surface may still be slightly concave from what I seem to fathom. While this is not final proof, I'm pretty convinced that the other side will exhibit a convex surface with pronounced bevel.

Jef, could you please post a pic of the other side of this blade?

Regards,
Kai