Dayak parang
 

I stumbled across this at an antique mall in Cincinnati, of all places. :) Not exactly known for it's ethnographic weaponry. Sorry for the bad photos. Shot it very quickly in the fading light last evening.
Can anyone put a better ID on this one. Sorry, i forgot to measure it, but it has a fairly short blade. I'll add the measurements when i get home tonight. I hesitate to call it a mandau because the size and shape seems a bit different. Seems like a well made old blade though and i love the hilt carving, which is also a bit different than ones i have seen.

Here's a couple of more pics. :)
Sorry, no scabbard with this one. :(

Fabulous!
This is the classic example of a beheading sword used by the feared Headhunters of Blue Ash! :D :D :D

I love the carving. Congratulations! Reminds me of something Iban.

LOL!!! Hey, what do you know about Blue Ash? :D

Yes Jose, i thought it might be Iban, but frankly i don't know all that much about this stuff. I only have one mandau in my collection and a whole lotta keris as you know. :)
Hopefully i can get some opinions from Ben, Willem, Michael and Dave who seem to know a great deal more about these weapons. :)

Hello David,

Hmm, the blade and the hilt do show some skill. However, I'm fairly sure the hilt isn't carved in any traditional style - looks 20th century to me, possibly for someone travelling for pleasure... :shrug:

Regards,
Kai

Ohio? :shrug:

LOL and ROTFLMAO!!!!! Wish EAA had Rammy smilies! :D

I LIKE IT :D IT LOOKS LIKE DAYAK WORK TO ME BASICLY TRADITIONAL DESIGN WITH A FEW THINGS ADDED THAT LOOK MORE LIKE BATAK, THE SNAKE FOR INSTANCE. I WOULD ESTIMATE IT IS NO NEWER THAN 50 YEARS OLD AND PERHAPS UP TO 100 ,CAN'T TELL FROM THE PICTURES EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE VERY GOOD. I WOULD CERTIANLY LIKE TO ADD IT TO MY COLLECTION IF IT WAS IN MY PRICE RANGE. TOO BAD IT IS MISSING ITS SCABBARD, I SUSPECT THE MANDAU EXPERTS WILL BE ABLE TO TELL YOU MUCH MORE. WISH I COULD RUN ACROSS SOMETHING LIKE THAT IN AN ANTIQUE SHOP AROUND HERE.

hmmm, well the blade is rather weighty and well made and shows considerable wear and patina, as does the hilt. The pictures don't do justice as i suggested earily. If this is 20thC it is certainly very early on in that century. I suppose the hilt could have been a latter addition, but it doesn't look or feel that way. Everything about this piece gives me the impression that it saw a good deal of use. Maybe "someone travelling for pleasure" cut through a few jungles with it on their journeys. :rolleyes: :D
Its overall length is just shy of 20 in. with the blade alone only 14.5 in.
Rather compact, still very sharp and definitely dangerous, even for its size. :)

Yeah Barry, it was a shocker for me to see it in this antique mall that i visit regularly sitting in a display case filled with old wood planes and other tools. :eek:
I just had to buy it. :rolleyes: :) Not too many others in this town would really appreciate it . :)

CONGRADULATIONS I WOULD SAY THAT IT WAS DEFINITELY YOUR LUCKY DAY AS MOST OF THESE KIND OF THINGS END UP ON EBAY WHERE YOU HAVE TO BID AGAINST THE DEALERS AND COLLECTORS OF THE ENTIRE WORLD.

OFTEN THE OPINION ON MANY ETHINOGRAPHIC WEAPONS IS THAT ANYTHING AFTER A CERTAN DATE IS TOURIST STUFF AND NOT REAL TRIBAL ARTEFACT. IN MY OPINION THIS IS NOT TRUE! , FOR INSTANCE WHEN HEADHUNTING ENDED SWORDS WERE STILL CARRIED AND USED FOR WORK AS JUNGLE KNIVES AND TOOLS. THEY ALSO SERVE THE PURPOSE OF SELF DEFENSE,STATUS AND ARE USED FOR CEREMONYS EVEN TO THE PRESENT TIME IN MANY AREAS.

IN TODAYS WORLD THE SWORDS USED FOR CEREMONY OR TO DENOTE STATUS OR WEALTH WOULD BE MORE ORNATE THAN THOSE USED AS TOOLS OR JUNGLE KNIVES. I SUSPECT THAT MAY HAVE BEEN TRUE TO A CERTAN EXTENT IN THE PAST , AS QUITE A BIT OF A WARRIORS WEALTH WOULD BE TIED UP IN A GOOD SWORD. SO PERHAPS THEY MIGHT HAVE HAD MORE THAN ONE IF THEY COULD AFFORD IT OR WOULD HAVE DONE THEIR OWN CARVEING AND DECORATION TO A MORE PLAIN SWORD UNTIL THEY COULD AFFORD BETTER.
I WOULD SAY THE CARVING ON YOUR EXAMPLE WAS DONE BY A MASTER CARVER DUE TO ITS QUALITY AND THE SIZE OF THE DEER ANTLER USED.

David: Congratulations on a great find. Of all the mandaus we own, we definitely have not seen a better example of handle carving. While i'm not sure if it's Iban, i think it's probably no later than 1930 or 40 at the latest. I seem to recall that one book i read from a man who traveled through Borneo in 1879, that he stated that each man owned three or four mandaus, possibly depending on his status. I can't seem to find this book right now, i'll have to look for it later. Nevertheless, you have the best mandau handle that we have ever seen...................Dave.

Hi David it is 100% sure no Iban can you make some close up pics off the Handle also where the brass is connected to the Handle and below the handle and blade.
The blade looks old .



Ben

Thanks Dave, Ben and Barry for your responses.
Ben, i will try to do some more pics tomorrow evening, but i won't be able to get any more shots up for a couple of days.
BTW, the brass isn't very well connected to the hilt at all. I did a quick re-wrap before i photographed it and frankly i do not know whether the brass ring belongs at the top or bottom of the wire wrap. It seemed to make most amount of sense at the top. When i have time i would like to do a better restoration job on the wrappping. :)

Dear David,

This is a strange combination.
The general form of the handle looks like examples that can be found on the finest of jimpuls.
But the blade is not a Jimpul, and the handle shows all kind of motifs, but nothing that one would expect.
Also the small metal pins that are in the handle is something I have never seen before.

But than again, personally I think that people from Borneo are open to influences from outside borneo and maybe this carver was inspired by foreign motifs. It must have been a skillful carver for sure.

But the odd motifs make it difficult to give it a place and date.

Never the less, good choice to take this home from the antique mall :D

Yes, i have never seen metal pins in one of these hilts either. I was hoping that might be a clue to its origin. Thanks for commenting.
Given the size and shape of the blade does anyone care to put a more definitive name to this form, or are we best off just referring to it as a parang.

Dear David,

The blade is a mandau. (is assume the blade is concave/convex ie. hollow grind on the other side of the blade)

Simple blades with the rather blunt point often are pretty old.
pre 1900 is possible. (see enclosed pic of my koetei mandau)

So who knows what other forumites may come up with on the hilt. :rolleyes:

Mandau it is then. It is a concave/convex form. The blade definitely gives me the feeling it may be 19th C. :)

This is not an type off handle you can find on an Iban mandau or Jimpul


Ben

The double S shape reminds me of the throat-tattoo that is so often seen amongst the Iban :p ;)

It reminds me in size of this Kayan parang described in a book from 1880.
Like Ben I don't think the motifs of the handle is Iban but I don't know from which tribe it is.
At the moment I am not at home with my reference library but maybe somebody else have some ideas on the snake motif tribewise?

Michael

Take a look at the aso motif on the handle it looks Kayan or Kenya to me
the brass wire looks old and the ferrule but I need close up pics .

Lets see what Michael finds out



Ben

Hi David,
The piece is indeed from the 19th.
When I did recearch in the collection of Leiden I found a mandau with a similar carving.They have more of this type in the collection.see enclosed pics.
The blades of these mandaus are mostly small and undecorated.
Scabbards have a curious boatstyle endpiece.
Mandaus like this are found in the south of Borneo, on one of these the tag says " Banjarmassin" .Most mandaus of this style are from before 1900.
It should fit in my study course I think these mandaus had there influence on the mandau's in the Kutai area,or probably old Kutai mandaus did also have this shape? Whats quite typical is the " non dayak" style in the carvings of the hilts.Its too early for me to say anything about that,but in the area of Banjar were living a mix of different groups malay,dayak,chinese etc.
possibly they have influenced eachother and that could also be seen on this mandau.

friendly regards,

Arjan.

Thanks for that info Arjan. I see the same mirrorred "S" motif on thios example. Great research! :)

Mandau from kutai area have different Handle s and the blade off this one is not small but wide
There are also kutai mandau with inlay .


Ben

Thanks for addition info about Kutai mandau, but i don't think Arjan has said he thought mine was from there.
I wish there were some different angles on the photos of your example Arjan, but i can now see on the top the same style of opened mouth creature that is on mine so now that is 2 motifs in common between these hilts. There definitely seem to be from the same area to me. I wonder if the museum you found it in has any more information of were it was collected?

He is talking about influence and I don t see the influence


Ben

The Hilt of Davids mandau clearly has similarities with the exmaple that Arjan is showing in this thread
Now compare the example from Arjan with my mandau that clearly has a Koetei handle.

Simple short blade, broadening scabbard , rattan stick on the scabbard.

I can see the transition / influence .

I think Arjan is talking more about influence on the blade and sheath style than on the hilts. I do see similarities between his and Asomotif's examples.
Thank you all for this continuing research. What certainly seems to have been established is that the motif styles of my hilt are not some carvers freeminded improv but seem to have some basis in traditional indigenous designs. :)

tribe found
 

Hi David,

Especially the sheath,I think Kutei blades had more their influence from the Kajan.The boatprow upbending scabbard-end however seems to have his influence in Kutei but later the more common shape of the Kajan scabbard became in use.

The mirrored S on the hilt is also found as chest tattoo by men of the Bukit tribe , the Bukit tribe live indeed around the area of Banjarmassin.
So I think its very good possible that this is a Bukit mandau.

Thanks for showing it David,it helped me further with the study!

Here some more pics.

Thanks again Arjan. I will consider this piece as probably from the Bukit tribe until more info comes my way? :)
One more stylistic motif in common with these two hilts would be that "joint" in the carving that looks somewhat like a nut & bolt viewed from the top. I have never seen this on mandau hilts before either. All very interesting stuff for me. Now, if we can only figure out what these different motifs actually represent. ;) :)

I think indeed we can cassify this as " possible Bukit mandau"....
is it possible to show the "neck"?

I owe you all better pics and promise i will get to it soon. I am a new home owner :) and between the move and home repairs (spent 10 hrs. re-tiling the kitchen floor yesterday :eek: ) i just haven't had time to re-photograph this piece. Hopefully this week i can find the time.
By "neck" do you mean the base of the blade where it enters the hilt or the "neck" of the hilt itself?

The back of the hilt, mostly there's a motif on it.But don't hurry,the kitchen is an important piece of the house! :p

Hi I don t think it is an mandau from the buket .


I have here an bamboo design from the Bahau people from the above Mahakam erea this was collected between 1898 and 1899 bij W. O. J . Nieuwenhuis.


Thes can be read in the magazine Nederlandsch-Indie oud en nieuw
1925 10 e jaargang afl 3 juli .


So I think it is from the Mahakam erea .


Ben

Ben, i see the mirrorred "S" on your example, but it doesn't explaain to me why you don't think my mandau is Buket. It merely shows that another region also used the same motif. I see more motifs in common with Arjan's examples. I am not fully convinced of either origin, but as the examples fall up to now i would still be more inclined towards the Buket origins. I would love to hear why you think this is not possible.

At the moment they found these pieces in that area did not have much contact with the other people

the pic from buket area don t look that it is from 1898

In hose and macdonald pagantribes off borneo we can read that a number off tribes have adopted the tatu off the Kayan Batang Kayan from the upper Makaham

I cannot find markings that only used by the buket people .

Maybe the tribe have an other name Schwaner does write also about the boekit people that they are moslim people and wear clothes on the Boegenese Art can be read in Schwaner 1843- 1847


bandjarmassin was famous for the diamonds that was search by the malay s
and the chinese people

That is why I think not Boekit

Ben