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Originally Posted by Green
1) Can one determine where a mandou comes from based on decoration and shape of the hilts eg, Serawak orang Ulu? Iban? etc? Kalimantan ?
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This mandau is from the upper Mahakam area, Central Borneo, kayan tribes.
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Originally Posted by Green
2) Can one determine if a mandau is made for ceremonial dancing or mainly utilised for head hunting (in case of old antique mandaus)
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If this mandau was an old one, it would have been used for everyday tasks of which an axe would be too rough and a knife would be too small.
When dayaks went for travel, they used their average mandau, which was used for cutting branches, and also for headhunting when the opportunity arose. Dayaks had several mandaus, but always took one with them on expeditions.
The mandaus with beautifull inlaid blades, often were used as "show off" weapons, but also with these it can not be ruled out that branches had been cut with these to get through the jungle, and ofcourse also with these mandaus heads had been taken....
Other mandaus had been used for other occasions, like dancing, ceremonies, offerings, weddinggifts, graves and other rituals.
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Originally Posted by Green
3) It has been explained that mandaus that have been used for headhunting in the old days (19th century /older) are marked with 'notches' at the base near the hilt? can anyone show examples of this.
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These notches at the base, where the edge begins, had been made by the smith right away. And not later when it had been used for headhunting.
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Originally Posted by Green
I have here a mandau (not a particulary good one) which has a typical concave and convex blade sides , a scabbard that looks quite old with varnish peeled off and showed some patina but I guess was made in mid 20th century based on the plastic ropes with green tassels attached. (may have been later addition though). The hilt is carved with elephant trunk motif. Can anyone identify where is this likely made?
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Looking at all aspects of your mandau, I think it even could be more recent as mid 20th century. The hilt, though in good porportions, had been carved very "clumsy" in my opinion. Also the blade is different as the old blades I have seen of this type.
Also I agree with Ian and Jim. The inlay of the blades had been done during the whole forging proces of the blade, and not afterwards.
But besides of that, sometimes there could be other traces, put on later as a "decoration" to show heads have been taken with the blade. These "headhunting" marks are divergent and much less in quantity as the many brass dots we sometimes see on mandaublades.
The beautifull Longglat blades, with beautifull portrusions and many inlaid motifs and dots of silver, brass, suassa or even gold, where well known and also traded with dayaks from other tribes.
It would be not likely to trade heavily decorated inlaid blades when they took heads with it. This because dayaks would never dare to possess a blade which would be too powerfull for them, because they took many heads with it. And secondly it isn't likely that a dayak which has a "loaded" mandau because he took a head with it, would ever sell his blade to other dayaks for trading....