Pirate swords and weapons

kronckew · 25th December 2007, 06:21 AM

as mentioned by jim in post no. 1 there is more than just the caribbean,
the indonesian/malayan/phillipines were (and still are) famous for their
piratical endeavours.

the sea dyaks (iban) were amoungst those feared eastern pirates, and their parangs were ideal for close encounters of the maritime kind, they were especially fond of making sure their clients stayed with them for a long time, but tended to make them a bit more portable by just taking the heads back as guests. limited the conversation a bit.

my sea dyak parang of Langgai Tinggang type (looks late 20c)

19" blade, 1/4" at grip, distal tapered to point, 2 brass 'dot' blade inserts near tip and 1 in the krowit. crudely carved wood grip & scabbard with fancy rattanwork...

i suspect my klewang with the fur covered (90% of fur is gone) leather scabbard & brass guard & grip (leather wound) was also of piratical origin.

19.5" blade, 3/8" at grip (1/4" at 1" from grip) distal taper to 1/8" at tip, concaved blade spine to halfway, then spine is grooved either side to the tip, single fuller runs the full length. blade tip appears to have been shortened.

25th December 2007, 06:21 AM	#23
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,216	as mentioned by jim in post no. 1 there is more than just the caribbean, the indonesian/malayan/phillipines were (and still are) famous for their piratical endeavours. the sea dyaks (iban) were amoungst those feared eastern pirates, and their parangs were ideal for close encounters of the maritime kind, they were especially fond of making sure their clients stayed with them for a long time, but tended to make them a bit more portable by just taking the heads back as guests. limited the conversation a bit. my sea dyak parang of Langgai Tinggang type (looks late 20c) 19" blade, 1/4" at grip, distal tapered to point, 2 brass 'dot' blade inserts near tip and 1 in the krowit. crudely carved wood grip & scabbard with fancy rattanwork... i suspect my klewang with the fur covered (90% of fur is gone) leather scabbard & brass guard & grip (leather wound) was also of piratical origin. 19.5" blade, 3/8" at grip (1/4" at 1" from grip) distal taper to 1/8" at tip, concaved blade spine to halfway, then spine is grooved either side to the tip, single fuller runs the full length. blade tip appears to have been shortened. Last edited by kronckew; 25th December 2007 at 06:46 AM.