FROM WHAT I COULD LEARN FROM DEALERS ON MY TRIP TO BORNEO THEY SOMETIMES MAKE TRIPS UP THE RIVERS TO THE DAYAK COMUNITYS AND TRADE OR BUY ARTEFACTS DIRECTLY FROM THE LOCALS. THEY ALSO BUY FROM TRADERS WHO REGULARLY MAKE TRIPS THRU MALYSIAN AND INDONESIAN BORNEO. I AM SURE THERE ARE SOME LOCALLY MADE BY ARTISTS IN THE CITYS AND THERE MAY BE SOME ITEMS IMPORTED FROM OTHER AREAS OF MALAYSIA AND INDONESIA. THERE WERE LOTS OF SHOPS IN KUCHING AND QUITE A VARIETY AND RANGE OF SWORDS, MASKS, SHIELDS AND SPEARS.
FROM WHAT I SAW IN THE SHOPS THERE ARE SEVERAL CLASSIFICATIONS OF SWORDS.
1. THE GOOD OLD ONES OVER 100 YEARS OLD WHICH ARE OFTEN IN THE SHOP OWNERS PRIVATE COLLECTIONS, NOT MANY FOR SALE.
2. THOSE WHICH ARE 100 YEARS OR LESS OLD THAT ARE MADE IN A TRADITIONAL MANNER AND ARE GOOD ENOUGH TO ACTUALLY USE AS INTENDED . (TO CHOP BRUSH AND AS A TOOL THESE DAYS)
3. THOSE 100 YEARS OR LESS THAT HAVE TRADITIONAL DESIGNS BUT BLADES TOO POOR TO BE VERY GOOD JUNGLE KNIVES. (SOME OF THESE ARE FOR CEREMONYS OR PRESENTATION ON SPECIAL OCCASIONS OR TO PEOPLE WHO PREFORM A GOOD SERVICE TO THE TRIBE OR INDIVIDUAL.)
4. THOSE 50 YEARS OR LESS THAT HAVE NON TRADITIONAL DESIGNS SOME WITH FUNCTIONAL BLADES AND SOME DECORATIVE ONLY. ( SOME NON TRADITIONAL DESIGNS I HAVE SEEN ARE MERMAIDS OR CHINESE DRAGONS)
5. THOSE MADE WITH VERY POOR BLADES, POOR CARVINGS PAINTED AND HUNG WITH BEADS,HAIR, SHELLS, BONES AND TEETH I THINK THEY MAY COME FROM KALIMANTAN. I HAVE ALSO SEEN SMALL SHIELDS, KERIS AND SPEARS WITH PARMOR BLADES WITH THIS SAME TYPE OF DESIGN. THESE ARE VERY BARBARIC LOOKING BUT I DON'T THINK THEY WERE EVER THE TRADITIONAL STYLE OF ANY DAYAK GROUP, BUT I COULD BE WRONG
6. WITHIN THESE GROUPS THERE ARE THOSE THAT HAVE SEEN USE AND HAVE BEEN PERSONALIZED BY THE OWNER. SOME OF THESE ARE FANCY AND SOME QUITE PLAIN. SOME HAVE BEEN PAINTED WITH MODERN PAINTS SOME WITH NATURAL DYES OR MORE PRIMATIVE NATURAL PAINTS. SOME HAVE HAD HUNTING TROPHYS ATTACHED OR TAILSMEN ATTACHED.
7. THOSE WITH A OLDER BLADE , NEWER HANDLE AND SCABBARD THOSE WITH NEWER BLADES AND OLDER HANDLES ATTACHED TAILSMEN ECT. DONE AT A SHOP RATHER THAN BY AN INDIVIDUAL.
8 THOSE THAT WERE NOT MADE IN AND HAVE NEVER BEEN TO BORNEO. ( OF THIS I HAVE NO PROOF BUT CONSIDERING TODAYS PRICES AND THE ARTISTIC ABILITY AND BUSINESS SENSE OF SEVERAL OTHER AREAS I CONSIDER IT LIKELY.)
KUCHING (SARAWAK) HAD THE MOST OF THESE TYPES OF ARTEFACTS FOR SALE, THERE WERE SOME SHOPS IN SABAH BUT NOT AS MANY AS IN KUCHING. I DID NOT GET TO KALIMANTAN BUT AM SURE THERE IS PROBABLY A CITY THERE LIKE KUCHING WHICH HAS LOTS OF SHOPS AND ITEMS ALSO.
I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH BUYING A MORE RECENT ITEM IF IT IS SOLD AS RECENT, THE WORKMANSHIP IS GOOD, TRADITIONAL DESIGNS AND MATERIALS ARE USED AND IT IS MADE BY THE PROPER SOCIETY. FOR INSTANCE I WOULD PREFER TO BUY A CHEYENNE WAR CLUB MADE BY A CHEYENNE NOT BY AN IRISHMAN BECAUSE NO MATTER HOW MUCH IT LOOKED LIKE A CHEYENNE CLUB I WOULD KNOW THE ONE MADE BY THE IRISHMAN HAD TO BE A SHILLELAGH
