Hello Sid,
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This sword also has some notches on the back of the spine near the tip. I have not seen this on other examples.
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Some parapat blades do have engravings on the back of the blade filled with brass (cp. the attached example with brass dots formerly in Ben's collection).
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Would be good to know the significance snd origin of the hair. I read Dayak adorned their shields with the hair of their victims. Could the same apply here?
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Quite likely as already mentioned in post #4. BTW, human hair has been (or was) widely utilized in Borneo swords including mandau. However, there are many old ethnic groups in inland Borneo and their respective reasons may vary!
Also note that parapat got utilized by several ethnic groups in northern Borneo, some more closely related than others. Thus, even here there may be cultural differences.
Regards,
Kai