Semarang, the parang from Halmahera

[Sajen]

Hello Gentlemen,
my wife is from Halmahera, Indonesia. 2003 have been the first time that you can visit this island again after a conflict between christian and muslim population with many died people. So we went there to visit the family and I used this visit also to collect some parang from there. This parang called semarang. This parang are still proced and I have been able to visit a man who craft this parang and also spears and shields, salawaku.
In this thread I want to show you my collected semarang and pictures from my visit by the artist who still produce this parang.
Here at first the pictures from an old and typic semarang, the handle inlaid with MOP. The semarang is 66 cm long.

[Sajen]

The second semarang is a atypical one. The handle from deer horn and the shape and size is very different from the normal semarang. I get it from an old man on a small island where we visit an uncle of my wife.
This semarang is 90 cm long and have a simple sheat from bamboo with great dark patination.

[Sajen]

The third one is from the sixties last century and like the semarang they still produce. It has a sheat with two holes in up where you can attach a belt for carrying. Handle and sheat painted with modern dye. The semarang is 78 cm inside the sheat.

[Sajen]

Here are the pictures from my visit in the "weapon factory"!

[Sajen]

And some moore.

[Sajen]

And a display of my nicest old Salawaku's.

[Sajen]

And at last a parang from Ceram, where an uncle of my wife living. He provide it for me. Also a very large example. 89 cm long.

[Flavio]

Hi Sajen, could you show us some pics of the scabbarb of the second one, the older? Thank you :)

[Sajen]

Hello Flavio, here two pictures from my wall display, like you see I have to dedusting again!! :D

[Sajen]

Sorry, here the pics!

[VVV]

Thanks for sharing both your collection and the background of these parang!
I have also collected several choppers from this region, mostly versions of the heavier Pade. According to my current understanding the reason for why they are spread all over the Maluku, as well as parts of North Sulawesi, is that they are ethnic, not "geographical" swords. Very much like the Llanun kampilan.
Here is a tricky one that based on the examples in van Zonneveld maybe comes from Tanimbar?
But somehow I have also suspected that it could be from Halmahera, based on the hilt?
I am curious on yours, and your wife's opinion on this parang?

Michael

[Rick]

And at last a parang from Ceram, where an uncle of my wife living. He provide it for me. Also a very large example. 89 cm long.

WoW ! :cool:

[Flavio]

Thank you Sajen, I really like the blade shape of the second one :)

[carlos]

The handle of parang from Ceram remember me the handle of a panabas.
regards
carlos

[Sajen]

Hello Michael,
when I look to your parang, special the handle it seems to be from Halmahera, it's the typical handle from there. It's shaped like a crocodile head. I get onetime a small book from Benny about ethnic works from Halmahera, there two examples from parang inside. I look for and take a picture from.
Regards,
Detlef

[Sajen]

Hello Michael, here the pictures from the book. Hope it's not against the rules to show this pictures.
The blade from your parang is atypical but the handle speak that it come from Halmahera.
Regards,
Detlef

[carlos]

I have one similar, those are the picture, I won it in ebay some time ago.
thanks
carlos

[Sajen]

Hi Carlos, yes this one is also from Halmahera, I sell it to you! :) ;)
It's a very nice and old one!
Regards,
Detlef

[VVV]

Thanks for the comment, Detlef.
I have seen this book extract but I was unsure if the, more Tanimbar-like, blade of my parang disqualified it as from Halmahera.

Michael

[carlos]

Hi Carlos, yes this one is also from Halmahera, I sell it to you! :) ;)
It's a very nice and old one!
Regards,
Detlef



Hi Detlef!!
When I have seen the rattan wall I thought it so.
Thanks
carlos

[Sajen]

Hello Michael,
when I look to your parang I see a hole in the handle similar to the first parang I show in my thread. There I think so have been attached also a pice of red fabric. This red fabric also seen by the parang from Ceram and the example from Carlos is a sign for christian. You can found it also on some Salawaku. I get from a friend in Indonesia (he is from Alor) his parang (heirloom from his father) which one also have a piece red fabric at the handle. It seems that this is all over in Indonesia a sign for christian.

[Sajen]

Here two Salawaku with attached red fabric and the parang from Alor.

[Sajen]

By the way,
someone know the exact name of the parang from Alor?
Regards,
Detlef

[VVV]

I think your Alor parang is a Rugi.
Thanks for the info on the red fabric at the handle.
Here is a relative to your Seram klewang; the Ahiolo, more of the head-hunting chopper type.

Michael

[Sajen]

Wow,
very nice example, I know only from old pictures, never seen one before!
Regards,
Detlef

[VVV]

Thanks,

And here is a Pade, a companion to your shields for the Cakalele.

Michael

[Sajen]

Also a very beautiful example, not one I've seen in Halmahera anymoore.
Thank's for sharing.

[Sajen]

Hello Michael and all others,
I have one Salawaku in my collection that is very different to all others. My guess have been that it maybe originate from Ternate and come to Halmahera long time ago. I collect it in a small village nearby Tobelo and the people told me that it is a very old heirloom. The motives indicate it to Moluccas for sure. Someone have seen a shield like this before?
Regards,
Detlef

[VVV]

Interesting shield!
I haven't seen any like that before but I am not collecting shields myself.
Maybe you should ask Arjan or Ben?

Michael

[Sajen]

Hello Michael,
Ben have seen this shield, he like it but also don't know moore about it.
Maybe Arjan look this threat and will give his comment.
Regards,
Detlef

[Mytribalworld]

Hello Michael and all others,
I have one Salawaku in my collection that is very different to all others. My guess have been that it maybe originate from Ternate and come to Halmahera long time ago. I collect it in a small village nearby Tobelo and the people told me that it is a very old heirloom. The motives indicate it to Moluccas for sure. Someone have seen a shield like this before?
Regards,
Detlef

Hi Detlef,

Not that I can remember,But I think your in the good direction with Ternate.
The shields from Ternate are indeed more rectangular and has the flowermotif your shield also have. There are also brass shields from Ternate more or less in this style, here a pic....

Arjan.

[Sajen]

Thank you Arjan for reply,
I've also seen a similar shield in a book but can't remember in which one.
Regards,
Detlef

[Maurice]

Because of the "ridges" in front of the shield from top to bottom (over the length of the shield) I would say it's made in regions were the Salawaku's were made, as they also had these kind of "ridges" sometimes (if that's the good word for it).... but this is my personal oppinion, and I have no proof for it.

But it's hard to determine the origin, as the shield on the image below was collected in 1857 at the "Tomori bay expedition" in Celebes (which looks a lot like the shield Arjan posted, but it isn't the same as it's decorated a bit different....).
According to Juynboll book part XIX, "Celebes" (1927), there still were a few of these shields in Limbotto and in the Minahassa, and were they still used in feastly parades and mirrorfights by the best warriors.


It's a bit like the copper helmets (taoboetaoes), which were found in Celebes, Moluccans and also the Philippines...
Salawaku's were also found in the north part of Celebes, as in the Molucan islands.
And also the pade like parangs were found on Celebes and around the Moluccan islands....

Limbotto

[Battara]

The shield above looks like it is metal covered and repoussed. Is this the case?

[Maurice]

The shield above looks like it is metal covered and repoussed. Is this the case?

Yes it consists of wood and copper according the museumdatabase.
Look at the (bad) picture which gives you an indication of how it looks like in real.

[Battara]

Thank you Maurice. I guess this is a very rare form of this shield, right?

[Maurice]

Thank you Maurice. I guess this is a very rare form of this shield, right?

I've never seen one in real........

[Maurice]

Jose, here's another one (a better picture) in the "Volkenkundig museum Leiden" collection....

[Sajen]

Thank you for posting this picture Maurice. There are indeed some affinities with my shield.

Best regards,

Detlef

[Battara]

Very helpful Maurice, thank you. :)

[Gustav]

I just have found a picture with these shields in "Woodbury & Page. Photographers Java". The text says:

"Militia, trumpeters and flute orchestra of the Sultan of Ternate. The uniforms these men are wearing are early ninetheenth-century European models, except for the men at right. They wear European-style cuirasses and helmets of the sixteenth or seventeenth century. However, their shields are typical of the Moluccas. These men were called ALBAHDIR, which is derived from the Portuguese and Dutch equivalents of the word halberdier."

Picture taken after 1880.

[Maurice]

Thanks Gustav for posting this interesting image with the same shields as discussed before!

As we look around it's amazing how we're able to find old images of people with old artifacts we never have seen before because they're that rare!

Rg,
Maurice