Quote:
Originally Posted by Gavin Nugent
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Just to document Maurice's comment about his
"gliwang" (aka
klewang, kelewang) which is pertinent to Jeff's question.
Quote:
Gliwang from Aceh, around 1870.
It is remarkable that a gliwang never had been worn with a scabbard.
It was always carried in hand and not in the belt. Sometimes the blade had been covered in palmleaf or goatskin. It was carried by the chiefs staff, and when traveling.
After the pacification of Aceh, it was prohibited to carry these swords, and many gliwang had been transformed to agricultural tools, while others kept in use for butchering sacrificial animals.
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This suggests a ceremonial/display role for the
co jang. The same use was made of the
kampilan among the Moro groups of Mindanao.