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Old 22nd February 2005, 11:38 PM   #6
Conogre
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Clearwater, Florida
Posts: 371
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Is there any possibility that there are two different types (as in men's vs women's, not the jimpul and the traditionally shaped mandau) of these among some of the Dayaks?
I've seen several photos with women using what appears to be a mandau for cutting and splitting palm leaves, rather than the small knife and found it curious.
Likewise, in some articles a few years back about about a rather large uprising that resulted in many beheadings and mass evacuations of remote villages they kept making reference to old mandaus being "removed from the longhouse walls", with the whole situation sounding very much like some of the old Apache uprisings that resulted out of enforced reservation life.
Considering the Indonesian government's attitides about tribal peoples and enforced settlements, plus whispered rumors about genocide, it sounds very likely that a parallel situation is or has evolved, which might likewise explain the lack of value placed on old warrior weapons.
The piece that started this thread, by the way, is superb!
Mike
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