Mandau

[A. G. Maisey]

I agree that the ivory shown here is most likely elephant ivory.

However, ivory from some other animals does also display schreger lines. An expert in this field of ivory identification can in most cases differentiate the source of an ivory, however, in the case of mammoth ivory it can be somewhere between difficult & impossible to be absolutely certain with any identification.

Fossil ivory has been used in Indonesian artifacts in the past, & is still being used in Indonesian carvings today. In Bali a tour of shops, galleries & workshops that sell ivory carvings will almost always identify the ivory carvings being offered as "mammoth ivory".

[Pertinax]

A.W. Nieuwenhuis in his book "Quer Durch Borneo" describes the Dayaks making mandau handles from deer horn.

The Bornean elephant, or Kalimantan elephant, or Borneo dwarf elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis) is a subspecies of the Asian elephant that lives in the northeast of the island of Kalimantan.

[Marc M.]

I had no idea that ivory is rarely used to make a handle for a mandau. Although the material is available locally, culturally it is apparently not the custom to use it.
Have shown the mandau to a friend who is more familiar with it. He confirmed my suspicion that the scabbards were fairly recent, but the swords seemed older. The quality of the carving is good and the small utility knife has a good patina. He also found that the talismanic figure is of good quality and age.
As in many cultures, the things most exposed to wear and tear are replaced regularly, perhaps with these mandau's the case.
The blade of the mandau with the ivory handle is laminated, not visible in the photo but in the right light and at a certain angle it is slightly visible. I assume the damage to the blade is from use. The flaws present in the steel created during the fabrication process may have been visible but still found good enough to make it a weapon.
Regards
Marc

[Marc M.]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

I agree that the ivory shown here is most likely elephant ivory.

However, ivory from some other animals does also display schreger lines. An expert in this field of ivory identification can in most cases differentiate the source of an ivory, however, in the case of mammoth ivory it can be somewhere between difficult & impossible to be absolutely certain with any identification.

Fossil ivory has been used in Indonesian artifacts in the past, & is still being used in Indonesian carvings today. In Bali a tour of shops, galleries & workshops that sell ivory carvings will almost always identify the ivory carvings being offered as "mammoth ivory".

I suppose a lot of ivory being offered bears the heading ‘mammoth ’ because mammoth ivory is legal to trade. I think it is hard to prove that it is mammoth at the request of customs.
Regards
Marc

[Tim Simmons]

Aussie ans Iban ww2.

[Sajen]

Hi Marc,

The handle is indeed from ivory, the first mandau I've seen with such a handle. The handle also shows a very nice carving and also a face. Laminated mandau blades are also very rare and seldom seen. In short, you have a great mandau there, I hope Maurice sees this thread and will comment, he is, at the moment, the person who knows as best about mandaus. Great score, congrats!

Regards,
Detlef