Sword from the lesser Sunda islands (Timor?)

[kai]

Hello Udo,

welcome to the non-lurking members guild of the forum!

Thanks for sharing the 2nd example of what may well be another pattern of these swords and all the effort you put into posting it!

Despite their vibrant tribal appeal, I believe the swords from Nusa Tenggara Timur are undercollected. It's great to have another enthusiast studying these!

I am lucky to have got this big sword into my hands (Alor 1) and another one with some similarities, but no carvings at the scabbard mouth (Alor 2).

Could you please also post close-ups of the back of the scabbard foot and mouth as well as close-ups of the hilt? TIA!

So it looks for me, that there could be a subtype of this Alor sword with a variation of the foot.

I hope we'll come across a third example to confirm this really is another traditional pattern. Surik (II) from Timor can have a round scabbard foot and there also is another type of scabbard with almost symmetrical albeit kinda rectangular foot (AvZ Figs. 580+581; somewhat alluding to styles seen on Sulawesi). Thus, esthetics in the region seem to be compatible with a round or symmetrical finial, too.

BTW, any provenance or other details known for example #2?

The blades of the swords within the region are made by Muslims; two of the 4 Raja families in Alor are Muslims as well. So perhaps this ornament could be a Muslim motive, the symbol of the Paradise Rivers flowing into the four cardinal directions. It appears often in the Muslim world on objects of utility, for example [lit. 8, page 178-85].

Is there anybody within the community who could give some advice on this subject?

I need to hit the books first.

I'd expect Muslim influence to concentrate on the coastal regions whereas Karel posits that this is an traditional Alor motif suggesting an origin from the center of the island. This doesn't preclude it having outside roots though.

He names that Alor sword rugi-glawang and within his book is a nice sketch of an Alor warrior [lit. 9, page 93].

Yes, Rugi seems to be an old name, too. Obviously, glawang is an alternative transliteration of the generic (pan-Indo/Malay) term klewang.


Thanks again for your posting and keep it coming! BTW, I notified Karel of your contribution and hope he'll chime in again, too.

Regards,
Kai

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by kai

BTW, any provenance or other details known for example #2?

Hello Kai,

this one coming primarily some years ago from an Austrian seller who living on Bali and was in the collection of a man from Berlin and was lately offered to me.

Regards,
Detlef