Thanks so much for your reply Kai! I had no idea that was a kind of pamor, and I appreciate the information a lot. As for the two holes at the base of the scabbard, one of them goes straight through, perpendicular to the plane of the scabbard, but the lower one is a bit angled, and has parallel grooves coming from it. Given Robert's suggestion about the tiger bell hanging from it, the lower hole does look li a cable was to go through it and then was tracked into the grove, so it wouldn't slip. As for the upper hole, could be another bell, could be for hanging.

Its great to hear that the West Sumba sword is older than I thought it was. I'm curious, not to get off track of the West Sumba swords, but how new do you think the others are?

Thanks a lot again, and I can't wait to see what else Utami comes up with!

--Radleigh