Borneo Parangs

[Dinggat]

Hello,
this is my first thread here, but I've been reading this forum for a while now and think, this is the place where I can be helped.
At first, I am from Germany, so please excuse my english will probably not be that good.
My "problem" is, that I have got several Bornean Dayak-weapons and would be happy if someone would help me in identifiying them more closer, that is saying from which tribe and area they come from, how they are specifically called (AFAIK is "Parang" simply an generalization like "sword"), what was their specific use (working tool, weapon, ritual thing or whatever) and maybe how old they might be. I have got them from my parents, from which my mother comes from Malaysia/Borneo herself and is member of the Iban-Tribe. That's why she had all these weapons which she has given to me now. On the whole there are 6 Parangs, 2 spears and 1 Blowpipe. And also one Piso Podang, which I was being helped to identify in another forum, here.

I only have photos of 4 of the parangs by now, photos of the other 2 and the spears and blowpipe might follow if i get my hands on a digicam. These pics are quite big (1000x750) I think that makes the details better visible.

Here is Parang #1, this is the smallest one and the one with the fewest details:
Complete view of sword and scabbard
Hilt in detail
Frontside of Scabbard
Backside of Scabbard [/URL]

Parang #2
Complete view
Hilt in Detail 1
Hilt in Detail 2
Hilt in Detail 3
Blade in Detail 1 <-- I think this is the "krowit" referring to this page
Blade in Detail 2
Scabbard in Detail 1
Scabbard in Detail 2
Scabbard in Detail 3

The two horizontal lines on the blade are inlayed with some yellowish metal, maybe brass or s.th. like that

The other two swords will follow immediatly.

[Dinggat]

Parang #3, quite similar to #2 I think
Complete view
Blade in Detail 1
Blade in Detail 2
Hilt in Detail 1
Hilt in Detail 2
Scabbardfront in Detail 1
Scabbardfront in Detail 2
Scabbardback

Parang # 4, which looks very much like the Parang Ilang/Mandau here
Complete
Blade 1
Blade 2
Blade 3
Hilt 1
Hilt 2
Scabbardfront 1
Scabbardfront 2
Scabbardback 1
Scabbardback 2
Small knife belonging to the sword

[VANDOO]

CONGRADULATIONS ON INHERITING A VERY INTERESTING AND VARIED COLLECTION OF SWORDS. YOUR INFORMATION IS AS GOOD OR BETTER THAN MY OWN SO I CAN'T BE OF MUCH HELP. I THINK YOUR ITEM #1 IS A GOOD OLD QUALITY WORK MANDAU AS IS PROBABLY STILL IN USE TODAY.
I WOULD CLASSIFY YOUR #4 AS A MANDAU USED AT CEREMONYS AND WEDDINGS FOR DANCING. THEIR DANCES USUALLY TELL STORYS OF THE EXPLOITS OF THE DANCER AND PERHAPS OF HIS ANCESTORS AND TRIBE. THEY STILL MAKE THIS KIND OF SWORD AND MANY ARE VERY FANCY WITH CARVED BONE PANNELS ON THE SCABBARD AND CARVED ANTLER HANDLES. THEY ARE OFTEN PRESENTED TO IMPORTANT FORIGN VISITORS OR USED IN TOURIST SHOWS TODAY. I CAN'T GUESS AT THE AGE OF YOUR EXAMPLES BUT THEY APPEAR TO BE MADE FOR LOCAL CEREMONIAL USE NOT AS TOURIST ITEMS. I THINK YOUR MOTHER CAN GIVE YOU THE BEST INFORMATION ON WHERE AND WHEN THEY WERE MADE OR AQUIRED. THANKS FOR SHAREING AND GOOD LUCK ON FINDING MORE INFORMATION.

I JUST TOOK A LOOK AT THE PISO PODANG ON THE OTHER FORUM IT IS A ABOVE AVERAGE EXAMPLE. THERE ARE QUITE A LOT OF THEM IN BORNEO, WE DISCUSSED IT ON A OLDER POST HERE ON THE FORUM. THE ONLY THING I CAN ADD WHICH MAY NOT BE TRUE , IS THAT THE POMMEL IS HOLLOW ON THESE SWORDS AND IS SUPPOSED TO REPRESENT A CHALACE THAT MOHAMAD USED TO DRINK FROM BEFORE GOING INTO BATTLE. PERHAPS SOMEONE CAN CONFIRM THIS OR PERHAPS IT IS JUST A LEGEND I HEARD SOMEWHERE?

[Dinggat]

Asking my mother...
If it would be so simple I wouldn't take the effort to google through half of the internet to find informations

No, the problem is, that she simply doesn't remember. She lives here since three decades and although she still has a strong bond to Malaysia, she can't remind about the swords.
And next to that, I don't think, that these Parangs come from "my" longhouse. The swords they have there have another style than the ones I have, but I also have to say that I only know the working parangs and not the ritual ones (if they exist at all).
It's also possible that my father has bought these Parangs or got them as a gift. He is a doctor and back in the 70's he was a "Flying Doctor" in Malaysia who was flewn from longhouse to longhouse by helicopter and helped the people who were to far away from "civilisation". It's possible that some of the longhouse-inhabitants have given him one of their parangs out of thankfulness. He also can't remember exactly
And his job as a Flying Doctor was not limited to Iban-longhouses, so these Parangs can come from nearly every tribe living in Sarawak.

[VANDOO]

THAT DOES COMPLICATE THINGS. THE ONLY THING I CAN SUGGEST THAT MIGHT GIVE YOU SOME LEADS AS TO WHERE YOUR DAD WENT WOULD BE TO LOOK AT HIS OLD FLIGHT RECORDS IF THEY ARE STILL AROUND. THERE MAY BE SOME INFORMATION THERE, LOOK FOR RECORDS FROM THE YEARS HE WAS MAKEING TRIPS TO LONGHOUSES AND VILLAGES IN DAYAK TERRITORY.THAT WILL GIVE YOU SOME IDEA AS TO LOCATIONS AND TRIBES WHO MIGHT HAVE MADE THEM. THAT WILL ALSO HELP PIN DOWN THE AGE TO NO MORE RECENT THAN THAT PERIOD AND PERHAPS OLDER. MOST WEAPONS USED FOR PRESENTATION ARE TOP QUALITY NEWER ONES THAT HAVEN'T BEEN USED OR OWNED.BUT OF COURSE THAT ISN'T ALWAYS TRUE AND HE MAY HAVE TAKEN SOME AS PARTIAL PAYMENT OR TRADE WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN A OLDER USED WEAPON CONSIDERED VALUABLE ENOUGH TO PAY BACK A DEBT OWED. IF YOUR FATHER CONSIDERED THEM AS A COLLECTION HE MAY HAVE WRITTEN SOMETHING DOWN SOMEWHERE ABOUT THEM BUT IF THEY WERE JUST GIFTS OR PAYMENT THERE PROBABLY IS NO RECORD.
I WOULD GUESS THAT WHEN HEADHUNTING WAS THE CUSTOM YOU USED YOUR MANDAU FOR WORK,WAR AND CEREMONY. SINCE THEN I SUSPECT THAT THEY WOULD USE A MORE ORNATE ONE FOR CEREMONYS AND A PLAIN ONE FOR CHOPPING PLANTS ECT. JUST AS THEY WEAR A FANCY COSTUME FOR IMPORTANT CEREMONYS AND REGULAR CLOTHES FOR WORK.GOOD LUCK