PARMOR SPEAR BLADE FROM CERAM IS.
 

HERE IS A OLD PARMOR SPEAR BLADE I BOUGHT ON AMBON ISLAND IN THE MOLUCCAS (SPICE ISLANDS) IN 1993. IT WAS SAID TO HAVE BELONGED TO A RAJAH (CHIEF) ON CERAM (SERAM) ISLAND OF THE NAULU PEOPLE.
IT IS A PARMOR BLADE 21.5 INCHES LONG AND HAS A ROUGH FINISH IT LOOKS MORE LIKE A POLE ARM THAN A SPEAR AND IS HEAVY AND WELL MADE AND APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN CLEANED BUT NOT ETCHED SO THE PATTERN DOESN'T SHOW UP.
I DID NOT HAVE MUCH LUCK FINDING GOOD OLD EDGED WEAPONS IN THOSE ISLANDS BUT DID SEE 3 OF THE OLD ALL PARMOR STEEL KERIS FOR SALE I SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT THEM, BUT RAN OUT OF TIME AND DIDN'T GET BACK TO THEM. I VISITED CERAM AND A NAULU VILLAGE THERE AND SAW SOME OF THE RECENT PARANGS, SPEARS, SHIELDS AND BOWS AND ARROWS CURRENTLY IN USE. I ALSO VISITED SAPARUA ISLAND AND DID SOME HIKEING THERE.

Hi Barry. Not trying to be a wise guy, but do you mean "pamor" or is "parmor" something different. :shrug:

IT WAS MUCH SIMPLER IN THE OLD DAYS WE JUST CALLED IT A METEOR IRON BLADE. :D IT IS MADE LIKE AN OLD KERIS BLADE AND HAS THE ROUGH TEXTURE AND PATTERNS LIKE KERIS BLADES, THAT IS WHAT I MENT BY PARMOR.
THE MORE SIMPLE FOLDED PATTERNS IN BLADES THAT ARE SMOOTH ON THE SURFACE USED TO BE REFERED TO AS WATERED STEEL BLADES. THE WATERED STEEL BLADES WERE COMMON ON OLD PHILIPPINE SWORDS AS WELL AS SOME FROM MALAYSIA AND INDONESIA. THESE DAYS THEY ARE REFERRED TO AS PATTERNED STEEL, DAMASCAS AND WOOTZ AMONG OTHER THINGS, I STILL PERFER WATERED STEEL. TO ME TRUE WOOTZ IS MOSTLY FOUND ONLY ON INDO- PERSIAN AND ARABIC WEAPONS BUT I AM OLD FASHONED AND NOT AN EXPERT IN MUCH JUST A JACK OF ALL TRADES. :rolleyes:

Yep, that would be "pamor" then. ;) :)
Of course, when we called these "meteor iron" we were dead wrong 99.9% of the time and only perpetuating a myth, so i am not so sorry to see that fall by the wayside. :)
All that aside this is a very interest spearhead. Would love to see what it looks like cleaned up and re-stained.

Very interesting item!
Detlef

I HAVE STILL BEEN LOOKING FOR ITEMS SIMULAR TO THIS , SO FAR ON PAGE 89 OF (TRADITIONAL WEAPONS OF THE INDONESIAN ARCHIPELAGO) THERE IS AN ITEM CALLED A MUNDO WHICH HAS SOME SIMULARITYS. IT IS FROM SUMATRA NOT THE MOLUCCAS AND IS A KNIFE OR SWORD :confused: NO WAY TO TELL AS THE SIZE IS NOT GIVEN. I THINK MY EXAMPLE IS MOST LIKELY A POLE ARM OR SPEAR POINT BECAUSE OF THE BLOSTER AND THE LONG TANG. I WILL KEEP LOOKING THRU WHAT REFRENCES I HAVE AND WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF ANYONE ELSE HAS THE TIME AND REFRENCES TO SEE WHAT THEY CAN FIND. THANKS IN ADVANCE. :)

In shape/geometry, it resembles a Chinese "Guan Dao".
Here is a picture for those who don't know what I am talking about.

Therefore it may be a clue as to it's use? From it's design, it seems best for heavy hacking like a Guan Dao or a Naginata - polearm.