ID help for a greenhand. Mandau? Irianjaya "mandaus"?

IbanSpear · 11th January 2010, 12:29 AM

Looking for help identifying this dramatic piece. I have zero experience with weapons of any sort.
I was given this as a thank you gift for helping with an elderly neighbour's estate sale. The bone and hair is real, the serpentine blade seems like a low quality cast. Her son had it since the 80's, and there is a tag on it that says "Iban Spear".
I would like to get help with the following:

What is it?
How do I mount it on a wall and care for it?

I have searched the threads with all the info I have mustered from the internet (Iban, mandau, dayak, Borneo), so I hope this thread is not in the wrong place.

The only similarity I have found on this site is:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...t=borneo+spear

Thanks in advance. I am feeling a new hobby emerging.
Cheers,
Cody

-After previewing the message, it does not appear that my photos are uploaded. I will try to put them in my profile, or I can email them to everyone who wants them.

Emanuel · 11th January 2010, 07:06 PM

Hello Cody,

Welcome to the forum. You posted this in the right place, but I'm sorry to say I think this is a relatively new piece, intended for sale to tourists, not for local use. The examples you linked to are representative of the new ones, very poorly made in comparison to the the old swords.
It makes for a very nice gift though, and it made you curious to learn about the culture that made it. That's always a good thing. Now you can spend the rest of your life reading the massive amount of information on this forum and the published material cited by its members

.

Regards,
Emanuel

VANDOO · 11th January 2010, 07:17 PM

THE POST YOU LINKED PRETTY MUCH SAYS IT ALL. I HAVE NOT SEEN AS MANY SPEARS AS MANDAU AND THERE ARE A FEW OLD KERIS BLADES THAT HAVE BEEN MOUNTED IN COLORFUL DRESS AS IS TYPICAL FOR THESE. AS FAR AS I KNOW THESE ARE PURELY FOR SALE TO TOURISTS AND DO NOT EVEN HAVE ANY CEREMONIAL USE AND ARE NOT PRESENTED TO IMPORTANT PEOPLE.
THEY DO LOOK BARBARIC AND MAKE A INTERESTING WALL HANGER AND SOME MAY BE OLDER THAN 65 YEARS. SO HANG IT ON THE WALL AND ENJOY IT, MOST WHO SEE IT WILL NEVER KNOW THE DIFERENCE.

asomotif · 11th January 2010, 08:28 PM

Quote:

AS FAR AS I KNOW THESE ARE PURELY FOR SALE TO TOURISTS AND DO NOT EVEN HAVE ANY CEREMONIAL USE AND ARE NOT PRESENTED TO IMPORTANT PEOPLE.
THEY DO LOOK BARBARIC AND MAKE A INTERESTING WALL HANGER

Yep, that is my opinion too.

But welcome to the forum

Best regards,
Willem

IbanSpear · 12th January 2010, 08:58 AM

I guess thats it. Consensus: I need to work for tuition! Hahha.
Any ideas on mounting it on my wall?
Thanks for the input - this forum is like the coolest basement/attic/den/Grandpa's office.

Rick · 12th January 2010, 04:26 PM

Take some solace in knowing that the point is probably older than the rest of the spear .

Mytribalworld · 12th January 2010, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick

Take some solace in knowing that the point is probably older than the rest of the spear .

those pieces are from the 50-60's , I have even seen them in museum depots.
Curator told me that they keep them becausse sometimes they have good blades!

Fun is that these ugly dressed up pieces are also used for the famous Sandokan movies!

Ooh I realize not everyone is over 40 so here a link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p118S...eature=related

Henk · 12th January 2010, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IbanSpear

I am feeling a new hobby emerging.

Ooops, bitten by the bug

Welcome to the forum. Many collectors started with these things. Sometimes lucky with a real good blade. As Mandaukudi mentioned, interesting enough to store in a museum.

One advice: invest first some time in reading and looking on this forum, then invest some money in books and read. And then if you wish to buy, study the object carefully and if possible ask fellow collectors for advice.
Happy hunting

asomotif · 12th January 2010, 11:45 PM

Quote:

famous Sandokan movies!

Go Sandokan !
Take a look at the LANTAKA at 5 min/10 sec.

11th January 2010, 12:29 AM	#1
IbanSpear Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 2	ID help for a greenhand. Mandau? Irianjaya "mandaus"? Looking for help identifying this dramatic piece. I have zero experience with weapons of any sort. I was given this as a thank you gift for helping with an elderly neighbour's estate sale. The bone and hair is real, the serpentine blade seems like a low quality cast. Her son had it since the 80's, and there is a tag on it that says "Iban Spear". I would like to get help with the following: What is it? How do I mount it on a wall and care for it? I have searched the threads with all the info I have mustered from the internet (Iban, mandau, dayak, Borneo), so I hope this thread is not in the wrong place. The only similarity I have found on this site is: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...t=borneo+spear Thanks in advance. I am feeling a new hobby emerging. Cheers, Cody -After previewing the message, it does not appear that my photos are uploaded. I will try to put them in my profile, or I can email them to everyone who wants them. Attached Images

11th January 2010, 07:06 PM	#2
Emanuel Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 1,242	Hello Cody, Welcome to the forum. You posted this in the right place, but I'm sorry to say I think this is a relatively new piece, intended for sale to tourists, not for local use. The examples you linked to are representative of the new ones, very poorly made in comparison to the the old swords. It makes for a very nice gift though, and it made you curious to learn about the culture that made it. That's always a good thing. Now you can spend the rest of your life reading the massive amount of information on this forum and the published material cited by its members . Regards, Emanuel

11th January 2010, 07:17 PM	#3
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	THE POST YOU LINKED PRETTY MUCH SAYS IT ALL. I HAVE NOT SEEN AS MANY SPEARS AS MANDAU AND THERE ARE A FEW OLD KERIS BLADES THAT HAVE BEEN MOUNTED IN COLORFUL DRESS AS IS TYPICAL FOR THESE. AS FAR AS I KNOW THESE ARE PURELY FOR SALE TO TOURISTS AND DO NOT EVEN HAVE ANY CEREMONIAL USE AND ARE NOT PRESENTED TO IMPORTANT PEOPLE. THEY DO LOOK BARBARIC AND MAKE A INTERESTING WALL HANGER AND SOME MAY BE OLDER THAN 65 YEARS. SO HANG IT ON THE WALL AND ENJOY IT, MOST WHO SEE IT WILL NEVER KNOW THE DIFERENCE.

12th January 2010, 08:58 AM	#5
IbanSpear Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 2	I guess thats it. Consensus: I need to work for tuition! Hahha. Any ideas on mounting it on my wall? Thanks for the input - this forum is like the coolest basement/attic/den/Grandpa's office.

12th January 2010, 04:26 PM	#6
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,294	Take some solace in knowing that the point is probably older than the rest of the spear .