MANDAU HANDLE

[VANDOO]

JUST TO THROW IN ANOTHER POSSIBILITY. THEY ARE DOING SOME EXCELLENT WOOD, BONE ,STONE AND ANTLER CARVEINGS IN BALI SO IT IS POSSIBLE THEY MAY BE MAKEING SOME DAYAK STYLE HANDLES THERE FOR SALE. I AM SURE THERE ARE SOME ARTISTS IN BALI WHO COULD DUPLICATE ANY MANDAU HANDLE OR SCABBARD YOU BROUGHT THEM. FORTUNATELY THEY PROBABLY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE THE PATINA AND WEAR LOOK AUTHENTIC OR AT LEAST WOULD NOT MAKE THE EXTRA EFFORT TO DO SO. THE BIG PROBLEM IS IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO TELL FOR SURE WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT BASED ON PICTURES ON THE INTERNET ESPECIALLY PATINA AND WEAR.
THERE ARE ALSO ARTISTS OF VARYING SKILL STILL MAKEING THEM IN BORNEO SOME EXCELLENT AND SOME POOR. THERE ARE SWORDS IN SHOPS THAT HAVE BEEN THERE FOR MANY YEARS AS WELL AS THOSE THAT ARRIVED RECENTLY. IF I LIVED IN BORNEO I WOULD PROBABLY TRY AND FIND THE BEST CARVERS AND COLLECT SOME OF THEIR WORK OR COMISSION SOME THAT WAY YOU WOULD HAVE GOOD PROVENANCE, EXCELLENT EXAMPLES AND IT WOULD BE AUTHENTIC DAYAK ART. UNFORTUNATELY YOU CAN'T TELL HOW GOOD A CARVER IS BASED ON WHAT YOU SEE IN A SHOP AS THEY DON'T DO THEIR BEST WORK ON A GROUP OF LIKE SWORDS BEING SENT TO THE SHOPS FOR SALE TO TOURISTS. PERHAPS THE GOVERNMENT OR MUSEUMS COULD HAVE A CARVING COMPETICIAN AND THE ARTISTS COULD SUBMIT THEIR BEST AND RECEIVE RECOGNITION, FREE PROMOTION AND REWARDS. I WOULD CERTIANLY BE INTERESTED IN SEEING SUCH A CONTEST AND WOULD CERTIANLY BUY FROM THE CARVERS I LIKED BEST IF I COULD AFFORD TO.

AS TO HEADHUNTING SWORDS MOSTLY YOU HAVE TO ASSUME THAT SWORDS MADE IN THE DAYS WHEN IT WAS COMMON PRACTICE PROBABLY TOOK HEADS. EVERYTHING ELSE RIGHT UP TO THE RECENT TIME MAY HAVE OR MAY NOT HAVE BUT MOST LIKELY DID NOT. THERE MAY BE A COMMON MACHETE, PARANG OR MANDAU THAT HAS TAKEN HEADS IN THE RECENT OUTBREAK BUT THAT HAS NO APPEAL TO ME. THE REASON COLLECTORS PREFER THE OLD ONES IS THAT THEY WERE MORE IMPORTANT TO THE TRIBES WHEN TAKEING HEADS WAS THE CUSTOM, SO MORE WORK WAS PUT INTO MAKEING THEM. A WARRIOR OF THOSE TIMES WANTED THE BEST HE COULD AFFORD AND ALL THE PROPER CHARMS AND TAILSMEN CARVED INTO OR ATTACHED TO HIS SWORD TO PROTECT HIM AND TO GIVE HIM HEADS.

[josh stout]

I am new to this forum, but there are some easy ways to tell that the first handle shown is a reproduction. As people mentioned, the patina is faked, but the carving is also quite crude. The lines are not deeply incised, and there are no pierced areas. The biggest telltale is that the antler chosen for the carving was too thin, which forced the carver to follow the curve of the antler rather than making something more ergonomic. The second handle posted shows much better carving, with several pierced sections, evidence of wear, and the look of a functional handle. All of the curved carvings look continuous and organic without sharp angles from power tools and shoddy workmanship. I would love to hear about the third handle shown. I have mixed feelings on it.

How long is the first mandau? Most tourist ones are on the short side.
Josh

[Dajak]

The size don t have anything to do with it is tourist or not.


David the one you have is is nice carved can you show also the blade and scabbard the type off handle don t look that old to me that it is before ww2 but I could be wrong .

Ben

[David]

Ben, you may well be right about the age. I don't know very much about these blade so dating them isn't easy for me. There is wear and patina to the handle and the blade's edge shows some use with nicks here and there. I know some folks put a good deal of importance on whether or not these swords have taken heads, but for me that is of little importance. I am mostly interested in them because of the extraordinary style of dayak art, which to my eyes seems very advanced. I posted this once before when i was still posting as Nechesh, but didn't get much feedback:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ghlight=Mandau
Any information you might have would be helpful.

[Dajak]

An good book is from A.R. Hein Malerei un technische künste bei den Dayaks.

or Indonesische schwertgriffe . also from Hein



Ben

[David]

Originally Posted by Dajak

An good book is from A.R. Hein Malerei un technische künste bei den Dayaks.
or Indonesische schwertgriffe . also from Hein
Ben

Any you would recommend in English?

[Dajak]

The pagan tribes off Borneo Hose and mcdougall

The natives of Sarawak and british north Borneo henry ling Roth





Ben

[asomotif]

For the sake of conversation enclosed pictures of a very large hilt

Old or New ? Tourist or not tourist ?

[David]

Well i couldn't tell you the age of this hilt, though it does appear that the point on the antler has been intentionally darkened. For me whether it is old or new is not nearly as important as whether it is authenic and beautiful and it does appear (to my novice eyes) to be a true and well executed expression of a Dayak artform and well worth collecting. Still, it is important for us as collectors to understand exactly what we are collecting. If it is new and presented for sale as an old piece that is a problem. I am sure there are many collectors who are quite willing to add newly crafted pieces to their collections, especially if it means keeping what would otherwise be a dying artform alive. We deal with the same issues in the keris world, perhaps on an even larger scale. There are absolutely exquisite modern works of the keris artform being produced today, though many dealers seem to feel that they must present them as old pieces in order to sell them (or get more money for them). But there is a market for well made new keris and some collectors make it their specialty.

[paolo]

I'm proud of my mandau !!!
http://www.oriental-arms.com/photos.php?id=361
Paolo

[ariel]

Hey, guys, if you like my mandau so much, you know who to contact if you have an unwanted Caucasian, Turkish, Arabian or Central Asian sword