Michael,
It is no conclusion but a guess.
It looks like the tang is square but it is hard to see on the pics. Also the position of the tang is not like the Piso swords you're showing.
But I was looking arround in some books and found in the book by Van Zonneveld the description of the Kalasan.
Looking a bit further Van Zonneveld shows some drawings of javanese sabres with pamor. So it might be such a javanese sabre. These blades could also be brought from Java to Sumatra, something that was not uncommon.
Being a javanese sabre it would explain the mendak like ring. In my opinion it isn't a keris mendak. The shape of the hilt? I dont know.
The weapon is a bring back item from the dutch colonial period. Maybe javanese or an assembled piece from Sumatra and not a Batak weapon at all. But your guess isn't so odd either.
Quote:
I haven't either, so far, seen any Batak swords with Arabic texts on them.
But some of the tribes have converted to Islam and my experience is with the older variations of Batak weaponry so...
|
Maybe someone else can give his opinion?