Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Bill
I think that one problem you have for this area is that you think of it in post European boundaries instead of a very highly interactive area.
|
No Bill, really i don't, not at all. The problem i am having is that you are consistently presenting this thesis of yours without anything substantial to back it up with.
Of course these cultures all interacted with each other in varying degrees. Still they maintained much of their own cultural identities. The keris is a weapon of great diversity because of it's interpretation by these various cultures. But when i look at the Bugis interpretation of the keris i see nothing like Michael's "archaic" kris. And to my knowledge, though i could be wrong, these "archaic" kris are generally collected in Moro areas, not Bugis.
I have to admit, i have yet to read all of Capt. Woodward's account of his journey's, though i do intent to as it looks very interesting. It is available for an on-line read and download however.
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&...MxY1YP_0-_nspA
I believe i have located his telling of the battle between the Parlow and the Dungally were 200 were on each side and 8 heads were taken, as you have mentioned. (Chapter 8, pg 36-37). There is no mention in that account of blowguns or any edged weapons for that matter (though i am sure they were present). Woodward does mention a musket which the Rajah insisted he carry and a swivel gun as well. It is only mentioned that 8 heads were taken, not how. Perhaps the small curved sword mentioned earlier in his book was the ticket afterall (btw, a
curved sword and a
curvy sword imply two different things to me. Which was it?). I doubt this curved sword was our "archaic kris" though. Since it bares such a strong resemblence to it's smaller keris cousin i would think that if Woodward's "curved sword" was our "archaic" keris was he would more likely have discribed it as just a larger crees.
BTW, i may have misinterpreted, but Woodward also mentions that spears were never thrown, but kept in hand.
"They never suffer their spears to go out of their hands, but strike their objects with great nicety."
So the warriors probably were not in danger of lobbed ones.
Oh, and i never meant to imply that the Bugis ever carried mandau. I was merely trying to point out that a weapon from this region that was really designed for taking off head has a much more logical design for the job than these "archaic" keris.