Jimpul --- Comments?
 

Would like your comments --- Thanks, Bill

Beautiful sword.Of the few I have seen this is most likely the nicest.Congrats!

Beautiful example all round. Bill, what would you estimate for the age of this one? The blade strikes me as being quite old, although obviously polished back to its bright state. I find these hard to date.

Ian.

Gorgeous sword form top to bottom! I especially like the silver hilt fittings...obviously this bad boy belonged to someone of status, and was probably influenced by other Indonesian...maybe Sumatran??...silver work and style.

As for age, I got a great lesson on not assuming too much while watching the video series "Circle of Fire". In one episode Borneo and a particular group of Dyaks are being explored and recorded in the late 1970s. I drooled in amazement as several warriors put on a dance with gorgeous mandaus and jimpuls, but apparently not such old ones. I also noticed that they were poorly maintained and dirty and slightly rusty....this is a continuing source of frustration for me about Indo-Malay weapons. OUTSIDE of the keris, there seems to be little or no interest in the maintainence and upkeep of blades.

A rare Jimpul and very very beautiful. I admire your taste and acumen Bill.

Is there any possibility that there are two different types (as in men's vs women's, not the jimpul and the traditionally shaped mandau) of these among some of the Dayaks?
I've seen several photos with women using what appears to be a mandau for cutting and splitting palm leaves, rather than the small knife and found it curious.
Likewise, in some articles a few years back about about a rather large uprising that resulted in many beheadings and mass evacuations of remote villages they kept making reference to old mandaus being "removed from the longhouse walls", with the whole situation sounding very much like some of the old Apache uprisings that resulted out of enforced reservation life.
Considering the Indonesian government's attitides about tribal peoples and enforced settlements, plus whispered rumors about genocide, it sounds very likely that a parallel situation is or has evolved, which might likewise explain the lack of value placed on old warrior weapons.
The piece that started this thread, by the way, is superb!
Mike

This has been further explained as

"Nice carving, silver ferrule and brass inserts on blade.

"I suspect this Gayang is from Minokok people, The last headhunter warrior in North Borneo. Further research and specimens needed."

Yes, lots we know now that we didn’t know then...most importantly that this is a gayang, and not a jimpul.

Thanks, Charles. Good to reconnect with you after all these years!