Golok sword

[BANDOOK]

Hello friends , am back after a year trust all are well , happy to see the familiar names and friends still active
Am posting pictures of my Golok sword , can someone tell me roughly how old is it . It’s quite simple one
Regards,
Bandook

[Sajen]

Hi Bandook,

Welcome back! ;):cool: My estimation is that it's from Borneo, mid. 20th century.

Regards,
Detlef

[David]

I find it interesting that the word "golok" is applied to so many different types of edged weapons. But usually they tend to be shorter an thicker chopping blades (more like a machete). The word itself seems to translate to "machete". This one seem very long and slender to be a golok. Why are blades like this also called golok? Is there some alternative name for this blade as well?

[Rafngard]

Welcome back! ;):cool: My estimation is that it's from Borneo, mid. 20th century.


Something like a parang pedang, or maybe a parang candong I think?

Thanks,
Leif

[Sajen]

I also wouldn't call it a golok. ;) If we can call it as a parang pedang or as something different I can't say for sure but it's a working blade for sure. I have seen similar ones before. I just would call it parang.

[Rafngard]

Here are my three north Borneo Parangs.

I've been calling the bottom 2 "parang pedang" while I've been told that the top one should be called a "parang candong"

But I think "north Borneo Parang" is probably good enough.

Have fun,
Leif

[BANDOOK]

Thanks Detlef , David and Leif for your inputs , very nice examples Leif , so I shall call mine North Borneo Parang as its quiet similar to the top of the 3 you have
Regards

[BANDOOK]

NORTH BORNEO · MID 20TH CENTURY
The Parang
Candong
A warrior's blade from the jungles of Borneo
What you're looking at is a genuine Parang Candong — a traditional sword from North Borneo, carried by the indigenous peoples of what is today Sabah and Sarawak. Aged, authentic, and remarkable.

THE WEAPON
What Makes This Piece Special

The Parang Candong is immediately recognizable by its elegantly curved, single-edged blade with a distinctive upswept tip — a form refined over centuries for both practical use in the dense Bornean jungle and as a prestige weapon among warrior cultures. This example retains all of its original components in remarkable condition.

⚔️
TYPE
Parang Candong
🌏
ORIGIN
North Borneo
Sabah / Sarawak
📅
PERIOD
Mid-20th Century
c. 1940s–1960s
🔨
HANDLE
Tropical Hardwood
Carved, hooked pommel
THE DETAILS
Reading the Blade & Scabbard

The blade is forged iron or steel showing genuine age — surface pitting, oxidation, and a deep patina that only decades of time can produce. The spine is flat, the edge single-bevelled, and that upswept tip is the Candong's signature. No pamor (Damascus) patterning, marking it as a practical working sword rather than a ceremonial keris-type piece.

The scabbard is a masterwork in its own right: two pieces of dense tropical hardwood held together with multiple bands of finely braided rattan. Near the throat, the binding transitions into an older, more ornate braided collar — a hallmark of authentic North Bornean craftsmanship. The rattan is aged and darkened yet structurally intact, consistent with mid-century dating.

The hooked, pistol-grip handle is carved from a single piece of hardwood — its form suggests an abstract animal or spirit figure, rooted in the animist traditions of Borneo's indigenous peoples.