Hi Arjan,
Reading your comment I realized that maybe we have the same view?
19th C and earlier the non-face hilts were quite rare to find among Koetei/Kutei mandaus, maybe an older or more exclusive version (like the Nieuwenhuis Mandau)?
In 20th C they became more popular again.
One reason could be that headhunting stopped as you suggest.
Another reason could be that Christianity entered the scene among the Dayaks and the face handles were connected to the old beliefs?
Michael
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