Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

VANDOO · 26th March 2007, 03:59 AM

JUST TO THROW IN ANOTHER POSSIBILITY. THEY ARE DOING SOME EXCELLENT WOOD, BONE ,STONE AND ANTLER CARVEINGS IN BALI SO IT IS POSSIBLE THEY MAY BE MAKEING SOME DAYAK STYLE HANDLES THERE FOR SALE. I AM SURE THERE ARE SOME ARTISTS IN BALI WHO COULD DUPLICATE ANY MANDAU HANDLE OR SCABBARD YOU BROUGHT THEM. FORTUNATELY THEY PROBABLY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE THE PATINA AND WEAR LOOK AUTHENTIC OR AT LEAST WOULD NOT MAKE THE EXTRA EFFORT TO DO SO. THE BIG PROBLEM IS IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO TELL FOR SURE WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT BASED ON PICTURES ON THE INTERNET ESPECIALLY PATINA AND WEAR.
THERE ARE ALSO ARTISTS OF VARYING SKILL STILL MAKEING THEM IN BORNEO SOME EXCELLENT AND SOME POOR. THERE ARE SWORDS IN SHOPS THAT HAVE BEEN THERE FOR MANY YEARS AS WELL AS THOSE THAT ARRIVED RECENTLY. IF I LIVED IN BORNEO I WOULD PROBABLY TRY AND FIND THE BEST CARVERS AND COLLECT SOME OF THEIR WORK OR COMISSION SOME THAT WAY YOU WOULD HAVE GOOD PROVENANCE, EXCELLENT EXAMPLES AND IT WOULD BE AUTHENTIC DAYAK ART. UNFORTUNATELY YOU CAN'T TELL HOW GOOD A CARVER IS BASED ON WHAT YOU SEE IN A SHOP AS THEY DON'T DO THEIR BEST WORK ON A GROUP OF LIKE SWORDS BEING SENT TO THE SHOPS FOR SALE TO TOURISTS. PERHAPS THE GOVERNMENT OR MUSEUMS COULD HAVE A CARVING COMPETICIAN AND THE ARTISTS COULD SUBMIT THEIR BEST AND RECEIVE RECOGNITION, FREE PROMOTION AND REWARDS. I WOULD CERTIANLY BE INTERESTED IN SEEING SUCH A CONTEST AND WOULD CERTIANLY BUY FROM THE CARVERS I LIKED BEST IF I COULD AFFORD TO.

AS TO HEADHUNTING SWORDS MOSTLY YOU HAVE TO ASSUME THAT SWORDS MADE IN THE DAYS WHEN IT WAS COMMON PRACTICE PROBABLY TOOK HEADS. EVERYTHING ELSE RIGHT UP TO THE RECENT TIME MAY HAVE OR MAY NOT HAVE BUT MOST LIKELY DID NOT. THERE MAY BE A COMMON MACHETE, PARANG OR MANDAU THAT HAS TAKEN HEADS IN THE RECENT OUTBREAK BUT THAT HAS NO APPEAL TO ME. THE REASON COLLECTORS PREFER THE OLD ONES IS THAT THEY WERE MORE IMPORTANT TO THE TRIBES WHEN TAKEING HEADS WAS THE CUSTOM, SO MORE WORK WAS PUT INTO MAKEING THEM. A WARRIOR OF THOSE TIMES WANTED THE BEST HE COULD AFFORD AND ALL THE PROPER CHARMS AND TAILSMEN CARVED INTO OR ATTACHED TO HIS SWORD TO PROTECT HIM AND TO GIVE HIM HEADS.

26th March 2007, 03:59 AM	#26
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	JUST TO THROW IN ANOTHER POSSIBILITY. THEY ARE DOING SOME EXCELLENT WOOD, BONE ,STONE AND ANTLER CARVEINGS IN BALI SO IT IS POSSIBLE THEY MAY BE MAKEING SOME DAYAK STYLE HANDLES THERE FOR SALE. I AM SURE THERE ARE SOME ARTISTS IN BALI WHO COULD DUPLICATE ANY MANDAU HANDLE OR SCABBARD YOU BROUGHT THEM. FORTUNATELY THEY PROBABLY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE THE PATINA AND WEAR LOOK AUTHENTIC OR AT LEAST WOULD NOT MAKE THE EXTRA EFFORT TO DO SO. THE BIG PROBLEM IS IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO TELL FOR SURE WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT BASED ON PICTURES ON THE INTERNET ESPECIALLY PATINA AND WEAR. THERE ARE ALSO ARTISTS OF VARYING SKILL STILL MAKEING THEM IN BORNEO SOME EXCELLENT AND SOME POOR. THERE ARE SWORDS IN SHOPS THAT HAVE BEEN THERE FOR MANY YEARS AS WELL AS THOSE THAT ARRIVED RECENTLY. IF I LIVED IN BORNEO I WOULD PROBABLY TRY AND FIND THE BEST CARVERS AND COLLECT SOME OF THEIR WORK OR COMISSION SOME THAT WAY YOU WOULD HAVE GOOD PROVENANCE, EXCELLENT EXAMPLES AND IT WOULD BE AUTHENTIC DAYAK ART. UNFORTUNATELY YOU CAN'T TELL HOW GOOD A CARVER IS BASED ON WHAT YOU SEE IN A SHOP AS THEY DON'T DO THEIR BEST WORK ON A GROUP OF LIKE SWORDS BEING SENT TO THE SHOPS FOR SALE TO TOURISTS. PERHAPS THE GOVERNMENT OR MUSEUMS COULD HAVE A CARVING COMPETICIAN AND THE ARTISTS COULD SUBMIT THEIR BEST AND RECEIVE RECOGNITION, FREE PROMOTION AND REWARDS. I WOULD CERTIANLY BE INTERESTED IN SEEING SUCH A CONTEST AND WOULD CERTIANLY BUY FROM THE CARVERS I LIKED BEST IF I COULD AFFORD TO. AS TO HEADHUNTING SWORDS MOSTLY YOU HAVE TO ASSUME THAT SWORDS MADE IN THE DAYS WHEN IT WAS COMMON PRACTICE PROBABLY TOOK HEADS. EVERYTHING ELSE RIGHT UP TO THE RECENT TIME MAY HAVE OR MAY NOT HAVE BUT MOST LIKELY DID NOT. THERE MAY BE A COMMON MACHETE, PARANG OR MANDAU THAT HAS TAKEN HEADS IN THE RECENT OUTBREAK BUT THAT HAS NO APPEAL TO ME. THE REASON COLLECTORS PREFER THE OLD ONES IS THAT THEY WERE MORE IMPORTANT TO THE TRIBES WHEN TAKEING HEADS WAS THE CUSTOM, SO MORE WORK WAS PUT INTO MAKEING THEM. A WARRIOR OF THOSE TIMES WANTED THE BEST HE COULD AFFORD AND ALL THE PROPER CHARMS AND TAILSMEN CARVED INTO OR ATTACHED TO HIS SWORD TO PROTECT HIM AND TO GIVE HIM HEADS.