JAVANESE SWORD ? for ID
 

Van Zonneveld's does not get more specific than : sword.

OAL in scabbard : 62 cms
Blade : 44 x 3,5 x 0,8 cms
handle :16 cms (buffalohorn)

Is it javanese ?
If so, what is the javanese name ?

Thanks for any help / input !

Hello Willem,
looks to me like a Golok from Sulawesi or Sumbawa. It's my guess and I can be wrong. Nice find!
sajen

Hullo everybody,

Willem

Looking at the above info from a Soenda perspective, it doesn't seem to be a sword (Pedang Abet). I believe it to be a Golok Pandjang Djoeragan (high-end long golok).
The salient points:
Blade type: Wilah Iwoeng
Handle: Perah Tjeker Kidang (generically Ngeloek Djengkol)
Scrolled band: Beoebeoer Rerenggaan Pariaman
This type would be quite frequently encountered from the coastal areas of southern Soematera to western Java (which includes parts of today's Central Java Province). Age, probably 19thC to early 1900s.

BTW, ... in answer to your question: No, it's not Javanese.

Hope it helps.

mvg,

P.S. Good luck on the sale! ;)

Hi Willem,

In my opinion you can call it a javanese golok.
I had a similar one as yours and asked myself the same question.
Here is the linky: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=5211

Best regards,
Maurice

Hullo Maurice,

Your link confirms what I said. I referred to western Java, which traditionally included today's West Java Province and parts of today's Central Java Province (you can thank the colonial Dutch for this artificial geo-political division). Western Java was known as Tatar Soenda, Land of the Soenda, while the eastern part was called Tanah Djawa. So, the Soenda are different to the 'Javanese'. It's a bit like calling a Dutchman a German, as they are both Germanic and are now both part of the EU.

Best,

Thanks gentleman !

Sorry, i don't quite get this. Jawa is an island a body of land just as Europe is a body of land. Whether we are talking about West Jawa or East Jawa it is still Jawa, isn't it. So if this golok is indeed from that island then it is Javanese, isn't it? The Netherlands and Germany are 2 different countries on the same body of land (continent) of Europe. So the Dutchman and the German are both European just as the Tanah Djawa man and the Tater Sunda man are both Javanese. Am i missing something here? :shrug:

I guess it depends if you think "Javanese" refers to a people or an island. The Sundanese from West Java speak a different language, and have many other cultural differences from the Javanese. I think the German/Dutch comparison is very appropriate. They are similar but different peoples with languages descended from a common root. They are within a larger geographical unit now united with many others into a single political entity.
Josh