Borneo parang naibur--a mix of old and new

Ian · 27th February 2018, 12:58 PM

Thank you Ben and Kai. I appreciate your comments.

The points I'm taking from your input are that this an Iban parang (without a more specific name), perhaps mid-20th C or a little earlier in manufacture, with some recent additions of animal products.

While not questioning your assessment in any way, I was a little surprised by your dating this one closer to mid-20th C than earlier. Based on my experience with pieces from mainland SE Asia and the Philippines, I would have thought this one was closer to 1900 +/-. Of course appearances depend on how the sword was used and stored, and are not necessarily the best indicators of age. As Kai noted, materials and style are important indicators also.

I do have a couple of questions about maintenance of these swords and on how you assess quality of blades. As I mentioned above, the blade on this sword has quite a lot of oxidation from age and use. I'm not sure that I want to polish it back to bright metal unless that is how it would have been kept in its original culture. Would the blade be seen as "better quality" if I polished it?

Also, with regard to quality, this blade is rather plain but, as I mentioned above, it has characteristics of being well made by an experienced craftsman. In assessing quality, is the amount of file work an important consideration for these swords? It seems to me that those decorative elements are nice for show but do not necessarily reflect a better made or more functional blade. In referencing "quality" are you equating this with "prestige?"

Ian.

27th February 2018, 12:58 PM	#17
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,363	Thank you Ben and Kai. I appreciate your comments. The points I'm taking from your input are that this an Iban parang (without a more specific name), perhaps mid-20th C or a little earlier in manufacture, with some recent additions of animal products. While not questioning your assessment in any way, I was a little surprised by your dating this one closer to mid-20th C than earlier. Based on my experience with pieces from mainland SE Asia and the Philippines, I would have thought this one was closer to 1900 +/-. Of course appearances depend on how the sword was used and stored, and are not necessarily the best indicators of age. As Kai noted, materials and style are important indicators also. I do have a couple of questions about maintenance of these swords and on how you assess quality of blades. As I mentioned above, the blade on this sword has quite a lot of oxidation from age and use. I'm not sure that I want to polish it back to bright metal unless that is how it would have been kept in its original culture. Would the blade be seen as "better quality" if I polished it? Also, with regard to quality, this blade is rather plain but, as I mentioned above, it has characteristics of being well made by an experienced craftsman. In assessing quality, is the amount of file work an important consideration for these swords? It seems to me that those decorative elements are nice for show but do not necessarily reflect a better made or more functional blade. In referencing "quality" are you equating this with "prestige?" Ian.