What's going on here (Batak)?

[JeffS]

Thank you for the discussion. Funny, I'm the owner of that lopah petwaran now... Minor point, but still curious - the metal streaks at the base of the blade are not the same material as the braising. It has distinct copper or suasa appearance. I've blown up the photos.

Even earlier (before colonial contact), fighting and hunting with blades was already considered anachronistic and largely superseded by firearms.

I'm having troubles rectifying this with the prevalence of all-business colonial period Batak swords. If the market is an indication, kalasan were in wide use during this period and these have thick spines, sharp, and are very stabby.

Also the woodcarving for the scabbard seems to be correct; was the timber stained though?

Not sure, almost looks like a thin resin coat. Some of the silverwork was also had resin like residue on it. The areas at sides of the bands is nearly black. The wood has extremely straight grain.