Mandau for identification

naturalist · 9th April 2024, 01:48 AM

There is a place in East Kalimantan, in around Samarinda where many people are working to make "mandau" for tourists.
Many are from Java. They are not really follow the each tribes identity that is reflected in the carving on the hilt and sheath. They just do what look likes Dayak's carving style.

I am no expert but i have been wandering around in Borneo in the last 20 years, been in the remote areas from West to East Kalimantan for ecological-anthropological research and environmental programs. For me the second mandau bit off, it seems the carving on the hilt is different origin from the carving on the sheath.

9th April 2024, 01:48 AM	#13
naturalist Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 64	There is a place in East Kalimantan, in around Samarinda where many people are working to make "mandau" for tourists. Many are from Java. They are not really follow the each tribes identity that is reflected in the carving on the hilt and sheath. They just do what look likes Dayak's carving style. I am no expert but i have been wandering around in Borneo in the last 20 years, been in the remote areas from West to East Kalimantan for ecological-anthropological research and environmental programs. For me the second mandau bit off, it seems the carving on the hilt is different origin from the carving on the sheath.