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blindside
6th May 2012, 10:00 AM
I picked this up a couple of months ago, it looked Indonesian to me, but since I know precisely zip about Indonesian sword types, I thought I would ask here. So what did I get? The scabbard and hilt look newer than the blade.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7271/7147728559_88f4062810_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/44701292@N00/7147728559/)
unk blade (http://www.flickr.com/photos/44701292@N00/7147728559/) by wyldbio (http://www.flickr.com/people/44701292@N00/), on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8157/7147728663_7e48464298_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/44701292@N00/7147728663/)
unk blade2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/44701292@N00/7147728663/) by wyldbio (http://www.flickr.com/people/44701292@N00/), on Flickr

thank you!
~B

Kipinga50
6th May 2012, 10:08 AM
Hi Blindside,
It look like a Dayak Mandau, but IMO it's tourist souvenir.

Sajen
6th May 2012, 11:43 AM
Yes, it is a mandau and hilt and scabbard look quite recent but the blade seems well made. And in my humple opinion I don't think that it is a tourist souvenir, this ones look very different.
Hope that others with more knowledge about mandaus can tell you more.

Regards,

Detlef

asomotif
6th May 2012, 09:39 PM
Yes, looks like a mandau.
But this example is what the locals on Borneo use in the field.
So maybe we should call it a "parang" rather than a mandau which is supposed to be also weapon for warfare.

Google on "penan parang" and you will find various examples for daily use.
They are simple, cheap and sort of charming.

Best regards,
Willem

blindside
7th May 2012, 09:25 PM
Thank you all for the input, do the reverse "S" and the other engraving symbolize anything or are they simply designs?

thanks!