Mandau with twist core
 

This weekend I found a mandau with twist core together with two keris.
Do you think it's a reshaped captured blade or is it a one of a kind?

Michael

What a great attractive mandau!
Congratulations on this one Michael.
Never have seen something like it.
English North Borneo area?

I have the feeling the blade had been restyled and got narrower to get it fix in the handle a long, long time ago....(red oval).
I also believe to see some old sanding/polishing marks in the lowest twistcore row at that area of the "restyled" shoulder.(yellow oval).

But just a guess!
I really like it!

Kind Regards,
Maurice

wow! don't know much about mandau, but dam, that's a find!

Michael,

Where do you find those amazing blades you surprise us with every time? I can hardly imagine you find these magnificent stuff in some swedish shed with a sign loppis.
Just love it and is probably one of a kind.

Yes one of a kind trade blade. Great piece - thanks for sharing. :)

Very beautiful sword. Interesting pattern, as if the twisted stars were on the outer layer of the blade. Very nice.

Thanks all,

Maurice, I also would place it in ex- British North Borneo.
This means that there were contacts with Tausugs (= twist core).
Henk, in this case it wasn't at any "loppis" (= flea market) :p

Who can tell me more if it's a reshaped non-dayak blade and other indications?

Michael

Perhaps it is a made up piece?

Hello Michael, how is the weight and thickness of the blade? I do not have a clue if Mandau people ever etch there blades, but as I was browsing thru the photos that you posted, #5, does the twist pattern part of the blade it self? because it appears that the pattern is fairly untouched based on the age or its like those koftgari, inlay on the outer layer of the blade. I am completely new to this and I am amized of the pattern. many thanks, chris

Well somebody probably made it ;)
Could you please develop this idea and the indications for it?

Michael

This is no made up piece imo.

The more I look at it the more I intend to believe the blade could be made for this mandau (by a Tausug smith what seem to be most likely) :)
I still need to see a (moro) blade with such twistcore this broad as on Michaels piece which could be a good candidate to turn it in the blade on Michael's.

I've seen several kampilans with twistcore blades, but the twistcore seem to be narrower as it's the case here!

Maybe it could be made for this mandau afterall???
Very interesting and I hope a forummember could post an image of a moroblade which "could be" turned into Michael's blade.

Maurice

Here is my twist core kampilan. I haven't seen that many???
The reason why I don't think it's just a reshaped kampilan blade is that it's much thinner than a mandau blade.

And here is a parang pedang with twist core. That's the only one I have seen.
So if it's reshaped it most probably have been made out of a sulu kris.

Michael

With "I've seen several" I meant on images (your kampilan with twistcore included).
PS your parang pedang I've handled a while ago and is breathtaking!

Is a Sulu kris long enough to transform it to your mandaublade? (You might measure them next to your mandaublade, see if they would be long enough to reshape them?)


Maurice

Hello Michael,

Odd one. I have never seen any mandau blade with a deliberately forged pattern. I can only think this is a trade blade reshaped into a mandaublade.

Measurements and a picture of the spine would be helpfull to the forumites.

Nice handle on this mandau BTW :)

Best regards,
Willem

here's a picture of a mandau (bottom row) among other moro weapons in a guardhouse. not common, but mandaus were used in sulu

Ron, that would also be an option......
Cool picture!

another Mandau that was presented to an american officer from Datu Pantog (?) of Tawi-Tawi...

The blade is 62 cm/24 1/2" long so it seems too long to be an ex-kris.
The spine is 0,5 cm, see pict, so it's slightly thinner than average (0,7 - 0,8 cm?). So maybe a rare twist core kampilan if it's reshaped?
It doesn't surprise me that you find mandaus in the Sulu archipelago based on how both Tausug and Iban traveled together. Maybe a nice souvenir?
It's always more exciting with foreign stuff than domestic. It's the same with the South Borneo Beladah Belabang found as a court sword in the Sulu archipelago.

Michael

Wow, great piece! I really don't have anything of value to add to this conversation aside from being green with envy :D