Please help me to identify this mandau

[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