Old Taiwanese Aboriginal Sword

KuKulzA28 · 5th June 2013, 06:21 AM

It does look to be Paiwanese
though... I hate to admit it, but I still sometimes get Rukai and Paiwan blades mixed up.

I'm not sure why the snake had appendages, not sure if it was intentional for symbolic reasons or easier carving, or what. The snake is the baibushe, hundred pacer (Deinagkistrodon), ancestor of the Paiwan. Puyuma and Rukai have similar themes... they are similar cultures.

I don't see too many examples with the metal face still on it - so good for you!
Most examples I've seen use staples/bent wire to hold in the blade. You can still go to Pingdong and find old makers who make Paiwan blades and traditional sheaths... but increasingly the colors are a gaudier red, the blades are sometimes of lesser quality, the sheaths are roughly made, etc. esp for tourists...

Yes they did normally have inserted edges - usually though rough, they were of quality construction... whether aboriginal or Han settler made.

That sort of blade is traditional, a sort of chisel grind almost, but kind of concave on the "flat" side. Sort of like the dayak blades, but maybe not so pronounced. Some are sometimes literally flat with a bevel on one side, and some are so but the flat side is slanted so it actually forms an edge that is perpendicular to the spine. Today, double beveled takit are common as well.

oh, by the way, they are called takit, or tjakit... the t is kind of like Atjeh/Aceh, or Rentjong, or cojang.

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than I can comment. I only know so much, and though I'm Taiwanese - I don't live there, don't have a library of references, and don't have connections in aboriginal communities.

Philip · 5th June 2013, 06:44 AM

The single-bevel "chisel" grind plus the slight concavity on the flat side does have parallels in Dayak mandau blades. (years ago I wrote an intro article on these swords jointly with the late Sherrod V. Anderson MD who had researched them extensively, and he noted that there are strong linguistic and mythological similarities between tribal groups on Taiwan, Luzon, Borneo, and the mountainous parts of mainland SE Asia). Also interesting that the blade's contours resemble that of the typical Tibetan or Bhutanese backsword (or the archaic and early medieval zhibeidao/chokuto blades of China, Korea, and Japan). The inserted edge plate of high-carbon steel is a construction found throughout East Asia.

yuanzhumin · 5th June 2013, 02:17 PM

Hi Rick,

Well, I do not know about the two other swords you found as I don't see them in your post.

But concerning the one shown here, I congratulate you for owning your first authentic and old Paiwan sword/knife

And be careful, because if the 2 other ones are as good as this one, you may be tempted starting a new collection... what could be very costly and frustrating for you in the sense that there are so few of these knives and they are not cheap.

What you have here is a perfect sample of a traditional Paiwan sword. I could say there are 3 types of them: the working one, the formal one and the ceremonial one. All of the men of the tribe had two or three.

This one is not a working one... nor a chief one. But it is very nice!

The classical handle in the shape of an ancestor, the good traditional blade hollowed on one side and chiseled on the other, the usual snake body and head (the tip of the scabbard!), open scabbard on one side stitched or covered with a copper plate enriched with tribal motives, mostly heads.

These heads can be interpreted as heads symbolizing protecting ancestors or heads brought back from a head hunting party - but the result is the same as once the enemy head was brought back home, the enemy was not an enemy anymore as he was becoming a protecting spirit and his soul/force was appropriated by the one that brought it back.

Please, show us the other knives! i would be happy to see 2 other good old knives.

And as Philip said (by the way, all my best greetings to you, Philip), it's worthwhile to go back to this excellent article he co-wrote with Mr Anderson. One of the only existing paper dedicated only to this subject!

I would only add it has been since proven scientifically that - further the strong linguistic and mythological similarities between tribal groups on Taiwan, Luzon, Borneo, and the mountainous parts of mainland SE Asia Philip mentioned - the Taiwan aborigines are at the origin, are the craddle of the Austronesian culture that covers most of the Pacific rim. Close to 500 millions people are speaking today Austronesian languages (Malay, Indonesian, Polynesian languages...) that are all belonging to the Formosan language family that originated in Taiwan. What the linguists have proven has also been established by DNA analysis now: most of the population of this huge area are linked ethnically (are descending from) to the ancestors of the Taiwanese aborigines.

Congratulations, Rick!

5th June 2013, 06:44 AM	#2
Philip Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: California Posts: 1,036	blade x-section and profile The single-bevel "chisel" grind plus the slight concavity on the flat side does have parallels in Dayak mandau blades. (years ago I wrote an intro article on these swords jointly with the late Sherrod V. Anderson MD who had researched them extensively, and he noted that there are strong linguistic and mythological similarities between tribal groups on Taiwan, Luzon, Borneo, and the mountainous parts of mainland SE Asia). Also interesting that the blade's contours resemble that of the typical Tibetan or Bhutanese backsword (or the archaic and early medieval zhibeidao/chokuto blades of China, Korea, and Japan). The inserted edge plate of high-carbon steel is a construction found throughout East Asia.

5th June 2013, 06:21 AM	#1
KuKulzA28 Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: between work and sleep Posts: 731	It does look to be Paiwanese though... I hate to admit it, but I still sometimes get Rukai and Paiwan blades mixed up. I'm not sure why the snake had appendages, not sure if it was intentional for symbolic reasons or easier carving, or what. The snake is the baibushe, hundred pacer (Deinagkistrodon), ancestor of the Paiwan. Puyuma and Rukai have similar themes... they are similar cultures. I don't see too many examples with the metal face still on it - so good for you! Most examples I've seen use staples/bent wire to hold in the blade. You can still go to Pingdong and find old makers who make Paiwan blades and traditional sheaths... but increasingly the colors are a gaudier red, the blades are sometimes of lesser quality, the sheaths are roughly made, etc. esp for tourists... Yes they did normally have inserted edges - usually though rough, they were of quality construction... whether aboriginal or Han settler made. That sort of blade is traditional, a sort of chisel grind almost, but kind of concave on the "flat" side. Sort of like the dayak blades, but maybe not so pronounced. Some are sometimes literally flat with a bevel on one side, and some are so but the flat side is slanted so it actually forms an edge that is perpendicular to the spine. Today, double beveled takit are common as well. oh, by the way, they are called takit, or tjakit... the t is kind of like Atjeh/Aceh, or Rentjong, or cojang. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than I can comment. I only know so much, and though I'm Taiwanese - I don't live there, don't have a library of references, and don't have connections in aboriginal communities.

5th June 2013, 02:17 PM	#3
yuanzhumin Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Ex-Taipei, Taiwan, now in Shanghai, China Posts: 180	Hi Rick, Well, I do not know about the two other swords you found as I don't see them in your post. But concerning the one shown here, I congratulate you for owning your first authentic and old Paiwan sword/knife And be careful, because if the 2 other ones are as good as this one, you may be tempted starting a new collection... what could be very costly and frustrating for you in the sense that there are so few of these knives and they are not cheap. What you have here is a perfect sample of a traditional Paiwan sword. I could say there are 3 types of them: the working one, the formal one and the ceremonial one. All of the men of the tribe had two or three. This one is not a working one... nor a chief one. But it is very nice! The classical handle in the shape of an ancestor, the good traditional blade hollowed on one side and chiseled on the other, the usual snake body and head (the tip of the scabbard!), open scabbard on one side stitched or covered with a copper plate enriched with tribal motives, mostly heads. These heads can be interpreted as heads symbolizing protecting ancestors or heads brought back from a head hunting party - but the result is the same as once the enemy head was brought back home, the enemy was not an enemy anymore as he was becoming a protecting spirit and his soul/force was appropriated by the one that brought it back. Please, show us the other knives! i would be happy to see 2 other good old knives. And as Philip said (by the way, all my best greetings to you, Philip), it's worthwhile to go back to this excellent article he co-wrote with Mr Anderson. One of the only existing paper dedicated only to this subject! I would only add it has been since proven scientifically that - further the strong linguistic and mythological similarities between tribal groups on Taiwan, Luzon, Borneo, and the mountainous parts of mainland SE Asia Philip mentioned - the Taiwan aborigines are at the origin, are the craddle of the Austronesian culture that covers most of the Pacific rim. Close to 500 millions people are speaking today Austronesian languages (Malay, Indonesian, Polynesian languages...) that are all belonging to the Formosan language family that originated in Taiwan. What the linguists have proven has also been established by DNA analysis now: most of the population of this huge area are linked ethnically (are descending from) to the ancestors of the Taiwanese aborigines. Congratulations, Rick!