long parang nabur for comments

[asomotif]

Originally Posted by T. Koch

It looks like the crevices on your knuckle- and thumb-guard are also filled with dirt or crud of some sort? Mine has that too! Is yours also hard as cement - I mean hard as in really bloody hard and impossible to remove?

Any idea as to what this gunk is and why it was put in the guard?


Cheers, - Thor

I think that these brass guards where casted in earth, so the cavities are probably filled with burned earth, hence the hardness like cement.

I would not remove it if it was still there.

Best regards,
Willem

[T. Koch]

Really!?? I had no idea. Willem, yet again you blow my sword-loving mind! -thanks mate!

Then maybe you - or somebody else - can also answer me this too, now that we're talking BB's/PN's: Howcome we only see these attributed to the Malays of South Kalimantan/Banjar area? Why wasn't it adopted by Malays in other areas? I mean the culture as such, was pretty expansive, right?

Also, what did it originate from? I've often heard that the design is inspired by the Dutch naval cutlass of the period. Pardon me, but I don't think they are all that similar. Is this connection proven somewhere?

Also, I haven't anywhere - in online museum collections or elsewhere - been able to find period photos of Malays carrying these? I would simply love to see some!

Hope somebody can help.


Best wishes, - Thor

[Maurice]

Originally Posted by T. Koch

Also, what did it originate from? I've often heard that the design is inspired by the Dutch naval cutlass of the period. Pardon me, but I don't think they are all that similar. Is this connection proven somewhere?

IT will be hard to prove I guess, as there were a lot of cultures congregates in that area.
The Dutch established a VOC tradingpost in 1606 for the pepper trade....
I think the Beladah Belabang is a wonderfull weapon, where different cultures meet which can be shown in the sword (the "european"like knuckleguard in combination with the indigenous appearance).......
As most of these weapons were made halfway the 19th century because of the Banjarmasinwar, I think it's most likely to say that they took Dutch swords for example....

Originally Posted by T. Koch

, I haven't anywhere - in online museum collections or elsewhere - been able to find period photos of Malays carrying these? I would simply love to see some!

I've got one image of a chieftain (not dayak so, maybe a converted one or Malayan?) carrying a beladah belabang.
I hope somebody has another one, as this is the only one I know about!

Best,
Maurice

[Maurice]

Here's one of my favorite with a very nice "floral" decorated hilt.

Also a combo, where you can clearly see where different cultures meets into the sword.... ;-)

PS. Both are in the Wereldmuseum collection of Rotterdam.

[asomotif]

Originally Posted by Maurice

Here's one of my favorite with a very nice "floral" decorated hilt.

Also a combo, where you can clearly see where different cultures meets into the sword.... ;-)

PS. Both are in the Wereldmuseum collection of Rotterdam.

I hope they will show up on display one day. Musea are full of hidden treasures.
Fortunately a lot of them can be found on-line nowadays, and even more fortunate Maurice finds them and posts them here

[T. Koch]

Originally Posted by asomotif

Fortunately a lot of them can be found on-line nowadays, and even more fortunate Maurice finds them and posts them here

Indeed - you said it bro!

[T. Koch]

I guess what also puzzles me about the limited geographical occurence, currently attributed to the BB, is that it is simply an excellent sword, that you would think exportable, simply for its sheer functionality.

I can only speak for my own as pictured below, but even though the blade is thick at the spine, rather heavy and has a relatively wide flare towards the tip, it handles really really well: It's heavy enough to deliver a serious stroke, but at the same time - I think due to the rather extensive fullering and the long yelman at the tip - it is incredibly fast in hand. A 10 year old girl would be able to wield this one to effect! It's curved enough for a good slashing stroke, but at the same time not so curved that you wouldn't be able to stab with it.

Weapons27 - if you are still with us in this thread of yours - how does your longer variety handle?


Regarding this one of mine, I see similarities to the bronze handled BB above, although the lines at the ricasso and of the azimat as well as the hand guard, clearly has been done in a simpler, more hurried style. As Wilhelm kindly pointed out, it looks somehow more industrially produced. As you can see, it is currently missing it's pommel-wingnut, so I guess I'm in the market for one of those?


Picture courtesy of Runjeet Singh:



Cheers, - Thor

[Gustav]

Originally Posted by T. Koch

Then maybe you - or somebody else - can also answer me this too, now that we're talking BB's/PN's: Howcome we only see these attributed to the Malays of South Kalimantan/Banjar area?

There are some early articles regarding this very interesting thema:

Hendriks, A.

"Iets over de wapenfabricatie op Borneo" in "Verhandelingen van het Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen 18", 1842: 1-30.

David van Duuren's summary of it is as follows:

"Report on the Sultanate of Banjermasin, Borneo, an important centre of weapon production in the first half of the 19th century. Circa two hundred armourers were active non-stop in various villages; seventy of them based in Negara, where an impressive range of guns, pistols, lances, sabres, klewangs and krisses could be ordered at fixed prices. Hendriks' article is not specifically about the kris, but is nonethless of great interest here, since it is among the earliest contributions to have focussed extensively on pamor forging, which was apparently applied on firearms as well as bladed weapons. He takes a detailed look at the interiors of the smiths' workshops, their tools and methods of working. The iron is extracted and melted locally; the pamor metal on the other hand is brought from elsewhere by the Chinese and the Buginese, for instance the Buginese regions in Celebes and the island of Timor. He includes a summary report on how from two slices of iron and two slices of pamor iron a sabre blade is forged, which upon completion is polished with stones, oil and a fragment of shark skin."

Then there is a reprint of this article with additional introduction by Geisweit van der Netten, C.A., in "Militaire Spectator 14", 1845: 24-35.

And finally an article by Grabowsky, F., "Negara, ein Industrie-Centrum in Südost-Borneo" in "Globus 55", 1889: 90-92.

There is also an article mentioned by Maurice in the post 43 here:

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...9&page=2&pp=30

These swords have elements like hand-guards that clearly are mass produced.

I have some suspicions, some, if not most of the twistcore Sulu krisses were also produced there.