A Piso Podang With An Unusual Blade

[VVV]

Interesting mix of styles (as usual when you show swords).
Based on the hilt I think this isn´t a Batak PP but a NW Borneo Pedang.
The "paisley-motif" on the blade also look like the NW Borneo coast.

Michael

[CharlesS]

Thanks Michael....good to hear from you!

I was thinking Borneo too...but because of the blade, especially the fullering.

Maybe you could do a post on comparative hilt styles and origins??

[Maurice]

What a beautiful sword!
I just received this link from a friend of mine.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyMNw...eature=related
FREEZE it at 30 seconds.

Maurice

[CharlesS]

Thanks Maurice!

That is a very interesting video.....I only wish that piso podang would have found its way out of the scabbard!!!

Thanks for sharing that.

[Sajen]

Very nice and outstanding sword!

[Aleksey G.]

Guys, I was wondering if anybody knows what is the meaning or significance of the gold/brass sections on the spine of the blades? I see'em on blades from quite a few cultures? Thank you.

[VVV]

Nice film Maurice!
Aleksey, on the brass/gold some say decoration only, some say metaphysical reasons...
Charles, make a forum search on Iban Pedang for more examples and comments on the Borneo variation.
It´s not that easy with the hilts but here are some hints, not "laws", that mostly seems to work for ID:
- Usually the one with motifs like yours are Borneo.
- The open cup-pommels usually are Batak.
- The closed cup-pommels could be both but seems to be most often Borneo.
- The ones with "crusader-like" cross-pieces are probably Batak.

But some of the ones that fit the Borneo description above could also be Peninsular Malay.
Like everything else it´s a safer guess when you find several hints on the same sword.

Michael

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Aleksey G.

Guys, I was wondering if anybody knows what is the meaning or significance of the gold/brass sections on the spine of the blades? I see'em on blades from quite a few cultures? Thank you.

Aleksey has asked a very interesting question here, and I'm surprised nobody has answered with all the expertise here in this field.
While way outside my usual fields of study, it seems that these transverse lines in numerics of three usually ? do occur on various SE Asian swords. I've see them on dha, and some others, but usually scribed lines, not brass filled.

In Borneo there are often pierced holes in many parang ihlang, which are sometimes filled with brass but as if some are filled while some arent. Some have suggested these as tally numbers, but I dont think that has been generally accepted.

Best regards,
Jim