Borneo Parang Ihlang

[Jim McDougall]

Going through items which I have had for many years, but apparently never really researched, I wanted to bring this in here for comments, observations from the guys here who really know this stuff.

I use the term parang ihlang to avoid using the more commonly known term and traditional associations in hopes of not awakening sensitivities in todays fragile climate. I understand that these are more used as machetes and in utility use in tribal contexts in modern times.

I have no idea if this is modern possibly souvenir item or authentic tribal item.

In trying to research some references on this, I noticed one with the 'fixture' sort of scrolled on the blade, and the term 'langgai thggang' (sic)? and suggesting these blades are recalling the hornbill bird.

Can you guys offer some insights on this as I admit I have very little awareness of these, and thought it an opportunity to learn a bit on them.

Thoughts on regional or tribal peculiarities (if this is indeed authentic).
These dont seem discussed much recently (I confess not using search yet).

[kai]

Hello Jim,

Thanks for showing a nice Borneo piece! There could be more of these shown here, indeed...

Please also the other side of the blade and more close-ups including all parts of the blade! No scabbard?

It certainly isn't a langgai tinggang. Sharpened in saber grind (both sides symmetrical)?

Regards,
Kai

[JoeCanada42]

I am also quite interested in these, I actually watched 2 auctions end today within my modest price range and I really wanted one, I will come back with the photos as I am curious to find out if they were old. I think one of these will be my next acquisition.. when I can afford it..

I am quite interested in a symbol I have seen on the scabbard and on the blades that I think looks like a closed eye.

[Jim McDougall]

Thank you very much guys,
Kai, here are more pics. I do not have the sword at hand, and it unfortunately does not have the scabbard.

I am really curious on that odd fixture off the blade.

The inscribing is also curious, it seems deeply applied but not like usual style, more carved.

There are spots in the hilt where something round is missing...what would have been there?

[werecow]

Albert van Zonneveld's "Traditional Weapons of Borneo: The Attire of the Headhunters Part III: Swords & Knives" has a lot of information about mandau swords. Might be a good reference to check out (and I know he posts on this forum sometimes).

[JoeCanada42]

I would like to preface this by saying I know very little about the subject
This photo I put together is based on my first impressions.
looking into the Borneo clamp ant, it can jump at prey, fling itself backwards with jaws, and decapitate, aswell as lock down... some ants in Borneo even explode...

[kai]

Hello Joe,

Yes, ants are really fascinating critters as long as they are not biting and/or stinging us. Some feel downright nasty if one is on the receiving end of their weapons...

The clamp ant profile really resembles this krowit motif, indeed. Often the prongs turn inwards though which would fit less. BTW, it is also utilized to close wounds if I recall correctly!


Dayak symbolism is a really vast subject (considering the many ethnic groups and their culture & histories): Some motifs are straightforward (heads) or pretty obvious (aso, leeches). Others, however, can be highly stylized and really tough to identify, especially among a background of confluent motifs; there is a considerable body of published work (of widely differing qualities & scopes) with probably still way more gaps than corroborated knowledge.

We had requests regarding such topics about a year ago and I'd suggest to start separate threads for discussing specific motifs.


Maybe this also helps to bring in more of the specialized Borneo crowd.

Regards,
Kai

[kai]

Albert van Zonneveld's "Traditional Weapons of Borneo: The Attire of the Headhunters Part III: Swords & Knives" has a lot of information about mandau swords. Might be a good reference to check out

Yes, definitely.

Just to warn the international audience: The book is written in Dutch; an automatic English translation is available on request though.

Regards,
Kai

[kai]

Thanks, Jim!

I'd lean towards identifying it as a tilan(g) kamarau from the Iban. These often have more slender blades but also other blade shapes are known. The engraving does seem to be Iban; also hilts with unusual carvings are not rare with this not very homogenous group (with widely distributed sub-groups).

In Albert's book referenced above, there is a piece with somewhat similar blade shown on page 84. It is identified as jimpul; I believe it fits better with the tilan(g) kamarau though. Iban swords can be pretty varied and often present a mix of features; some may be historical intermediates. However, in most cases I'd assume these to be just variants that defy simple classification. Let's just celebrate the creativity and diversity without spending too much time on pigeon-holing!

There is another group of swords with symmetrically sharpened edge from northern Borneo. You can find examples by searching for gayang on this forum; it's not relevant for your piece IMHO.

I am really curious on that odd fixture off the blade.

That's a pretty typical krowit as also often seen on mandau and other Borneo blades.

The inscribing is also curious, it seems deeply applied but not like usual style, more carved.

Iban engraving looks a bit different from what you might recall from Kayan or Modang blades.

There are spots in the hilt where something round is missing...what would have been there?

It's likely that these held more hair. Any remnants of resin left?

Regards,
Kai

[kai]

Forgot to mention, Jim: IMHO an authentic, old piece made for use in the culture. Only the light rattan braiding seems to be a later fix for a now missing resin "ferrule" as usually seen in mandau/etc.

[JoeCanada42]

I hope you don't mind that I share it here, but I had another thought..
I have seen ants go to war, and I have seen them build mega cities, I have seen them take down much bigger predators like lizards, snakes, tarantula etc..
but there is one animal that eats 20,000 ants a day, and is pretty invulnerable..

[JoeCanada42]

sorry cant help it made another...

[JoeCanada42]

...

[kai]

I hope you don't mind that I share it here, but I had another thought

No worries, Joe - keep going!

Pangolins rate high in local lore, indeed.

Not easy to ascertain whether any putative associations vibe with traditional understanding as found in the originating culture.

Regards,
Kai

[Jim McDougall]

Kai, thank you so much for all this detailed information and the encouraging comment on its being authentic. I have had this for so long I had forgotten about it, years ago when I was trying to get an understanding of the forms on these regions. I ended up in other fields, and had forgotten how fascinating these areas are.

One of the most confusing matters seems to be the terminology, which is understandable as there are so many languages and dialects involved. I am presuming the Iban (Sea Dayaks)were situated in North/West Borneo and into Malaysia.

I think your suggestion for separate threads for some of these specifics makes sense, as the complexity of each is enough to warrant singular attention.

I have never followed the difference...mandau....parang ihlang??
Now tilang kamarau?

Thank you again Kai, your knowledge is remarkable and your comments very much appreciated.
Best regards,
Jim

[JoeCanada42]

I don't have it in me to start a whole thread, it was this sword that inspired me...
under the direction to keep going.. I think I did have just one more photo to share

[kai]

Joe, I'm afraid that I don't see what you're getting at with the last pic.

[kai]

Hello Jim,

You're welcome! I'm one of the smaller fishes in the huge Borneo lake...

One has to realise that the early indigenous groups on Borneo are just lumped under the Dayak catch-all name. Many of the lineages are likely to be pretty old; thus, we see a lot of diversity - much more than among the late comers, especially the Malay/Moro/Bugis along the coasts. Aside from long-standing contacts with neighbouring groups (trade/raiding), there also have been small & large scale migrations into "new" territories to evade pressure by more aggressive neighbours as well as famine or epidemics (small pox, cholera, etc.) continuing into modern times.

One of the most confusing matters seems to be the terminology, which is understandable as there are so many languages and dialects involved. I am presuming the Iban (Sea Dayaks)were situated in North/West Borneo and into Malaysia.

The Iban dominated pretty much the lowlands along the whole coast of Sarawak while other groups inhabited the northern/central headwaters (some coastal areas have been inhabited by other groups, especially in what is now Brunei). In addition, there are Iban groups extending well into Sabah, into the middle Mahakam river basin (Kalimantan Timur), and, especially, into Kalimantan Barat (mainly Kapuas tributaries). Sarawak and Sabah belong to Malaysia while Brunei is ruled by an independent Malay Sultanate. The 5 provinces of Kalimantan belong to Indonesia.

I have never followed the difference...mandau....parang ihlang??
Now tilang kamarau?

Mandau, Malat, Parang Ilang are just the most well known/published names for the most common and widespread Borneo blade. The defining feature is a blade with a kinda spoon-shaped cross-section: For a right-hander, the right side would be convex (curved to the outside) and the left side (flat to) concave (a shallow hollow grind, rarely a fuller, or an almost flat surface. There also are left-handed examples. Thus, pretty much shaped like wings of an airplane/bird. One of the theories, that are tough to disprove, is that this shape may facilitate head-taking with the sword being less likely to dig into the body of the victim...

Obviously, this lumps swords from pretty much all over Borneo with significant local differences. Thus, it might be highly preferable to assign local names rather than extending usage of mandau as an East Borneo name for blades from all other ethnic groups. There is also another variant, called Bayu, which has a double-edged blade with a flat side and a "convex" side (and, thus, similar functional cross-section).

All other Borneo swords - exhibiting much greater diversity (shape, function, etc.) - feature flat, symmetric sides and usually saber-grind bevels (slightly convex on both sides along the edge). These are by no means rare - however extant numbers of genuine antiques for some types may be pretty low.

Regards,
Kai

[JoeCanada42]

I guess I could have photo shopped and flipped around the sword in the last pick.. but I think it makes the small observation well enough.

the pangolin carries its baby just like the sword carries a smaller one

the pangolin claws look like "leeches" ., on the handle of Jim's sword you can see these carvings

the skull has an open jaw like the moro sword, the moro sword also seems to have the tongue from the nose of the figurative head, the same with some parang handles it looks like the hair comes from the nose.

well I find when you look at the skull you could make the interpretation that's where the tongue goes.

[kai]

Thanks for the explanations, Joe!

Seems I'm thick today: I'm still not getting the skull & Moro/Dayak connection?

Regards,
Kai

[JoeCanada42]

if you take the krowit of the ant jaws. and if they twist the opposite direction,
and if you look at only half.
( such as on the top of the Dayak blade with the gold stars- photo with the moro sword)
if you look at only half , it looks almost like a pangolin head and tongue, more so it starts to look like on the moro, especialy if you use the skull as an example, when you look at the skull you notice the toothless jaw.

[kai]

Thanks, Joe, now I get what you're comparing it to!

if you take the krowit of the ant jaws. and if they twist the opposite direction, and if you look at only half.

Actually, these sometimes appear as single rather than as a paired feature, indeed.

if you look at only half , it looks almost like a pangolin head and tongue, more so it starts to look like on the moro, especialy if you use the skull as an example, when you look at the skull you notice the toothless jaw.

Since pangolins are also eaten, we can probably assume that their skulls are known to these peoples, too. However, combining a bare skull with the tongue might be a bit of a stretch...

The indigenous Moro interpretation refers to elephants (the traditional view already in place with the keris as ancestral blade) or eagles. While extant birds have no teeth, also elephants (except for their tusks, if any) appear to be kinda toothless as living animals.

While it can be fun to play with such ideas, I'd suggest to be very cautious with any interpretations that are apparently not shared by the originating culture.

Regards,
Kai

[Jim McDougall]

Joe, you have a remarkably astute eye in examining symbolism and its potential inspirations and representations! While I have been fascinated by these things as long as I can remember, it seems there are always so many possibilities that its really hard to consider which is more viable or likely.

In the cases of the weaponry of these regions, the nature of these representations are not only culturally traditional but deeply religiously oriented. This is probably one of the most daunting aspects in understanding these motifs especially is, like terms and language, variations and interpretation vary, as one noted authority said, 'almost village to village' (of course exaggerated but the point is made).

Probably one of the reasons I have typically been reticent to go into deep study of these weapons is being apprehensive about transgressing into delicate matters in trying to better understand such symbolism, not to mention the deep metaphysical properties inherent.

I like the way you strive to remain objective in speculations, and as Kai importantly suggests, in caution. Absolutely fascinating weapons, well deserving the respect they are afforded.

[David]

Originally Posted by JoeCanada42

if you take the krowit of the ant jaws. and if they twist the opposite direction,
and if you look at only half.
( such as on the top of the Dayak blade with the gold stars- photo with the moro sword)
if you look at only half , it looks almost like a pangolin head and tongue, more so it starts to look like on the moro, especialy if you use the skull as an example, when you look at the skull you notice the toothless jaw.

While i don't really know enough about Dayak cultures and their weapons to form any strong opinions about your pangolin reference in regards to their motifs i can say with some confidence that i don't believe such a reference applies to the Moro kris.

[JoeCanada42]

thanks Jim,
also, I can agree , probably no connection with the pangolin and the Moro keris.
Again I know very little about the cultures involved, I hoped my uneducated perhaps new look at things may be interesting. the Moro similarity I pointed out , perhaps may be just a similar technique of forging or decorating has gotten around. and although they look similar sometimes, probably are meant to represent different subjects.
The swords are vastly different I would like to imagine they pay tribute to different animal inspirations.
The elephant does seem to fit the Moro sword. the stirrup or asang asang (sorry if I called it wrong) does look like elephants tusks. also I think I saw one made with a birds beak which was cool..

[Tim Simmons]

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...headhunter.jpg

[kai]

Hello Tim,

Similarity depends on your point of view. Yes, it is a typical Iban blade.

In the pic, that's a niabor/nyabor (or arguably a langgai tinggang intermediate if a resin "ferrule" is present): Note the edge curving towards the back of the blade.

Regards,
Kai