Dayaks in Kayaks? Parang Nabour

Rick · 22nd March 2005, 01:43 AM

Note the red painted ring right above the ferrule .
Dragon's blood I've been told .

I wonder if these are regional styles .

Conogre · 22nd March 2005, 06:26 AM

Wow!
I love both of yours, Bill and honestly haven't seen that particular combination of clamshell and hilt before, but they seem to have a distincly Malaysian "feel" to them.
Rick's sword is one of the nicest that I've seen, with the hilt seeming to show a Dutch influence while the blade itself is reminiscent of a jimpul.
A similar shape and basic hilt treatment with knuckle guard regularly shows up in the Philippines as well and I just assumed that those, too, were known as parang naburs although in reflection I seem to recall another term for those with knuckle guards from around the turn of the century which honestly escapes me at the moment.
In my humble opinion all three of those that you guys have shown are well worthy of a prime display spot.
Mike

tom hyle · 22nd March 2005, 08:33 AM

Is the thinking that the bathead parang nabur is the ancestral parang nabur? I like the shell guard, and note that the knucklebows come straight off the guard at a sharp angle, much like nimcha/sayf, and this does not seem to me like an Eurpean thing. Just jumping in with this; no-one's repeated the usual idea that this is an European inspired style; not an idea I'm real hot on; the style seems related to dha, for instance; a more obvious, local influence/relative; Occam's razor and all that. Parang nabur is a widespread sword type with many local/temporal varieties, and is a favourite; especially the bathead type, which pretty much always has a thick, overtly native blade; I really like the varient (not seen here though Rick's is on the road) with the fully rounded nonthrusting tip.

Rick · 22nd March 2005, 08:37 PM

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sPageName=WDVW

Fanciest P.N. I have ever seen .

Battara · 23rd March 2005, 06:12 PM

The engraving looked pretty clean. Do you think it was a more recent make?

Rick · 23rd March 2005, 08:11 PM

This puzzles me too Jose .
Either the blade was polished recently or it has been very well cared for .

I wouldn't be surprised if some of these fancier examples were court regalia which would mean that they probably received very good care .

Conogre · 24th March 2005, 04:40 PM

The clamshell hilt may or may not have something to do with European inspiration, and would only be truly important if it was being used as a method of showing age, for example, with the Dutch having a long history in the region, but likewise it IS the Indian Ocean, although the sharp angles aren't a feature commonly seen on older swords with knuckleguards from India that I know of.
In regards to the clamshell itself, a similar feature is seen on the one kris in the museum in Madrid that Marc posted.
Whenever one culture came into contact with another, influences often began to appear in both directions, with even many "civilized" seamen having a flair for the exotic and incorporating it into their own personal weapons as well.
Unless I'm mistaken, the tatoo itself is an idea that originated in the S. Pacific or Indonesia as far as Europeans are concerned.
I wouldn't kick ANY of those swords out of my collection for cutting crackers, even in bed!**grin**
Mike

22nd March 2005, 01:43 AM	#1
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,336	Note the red painted ring right above the ferrule . Dragon's blood I've been told . I wonder if these are regional styles .

22nd March 2005, 06:26 AM	#2
Conogre Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Clearwater, Florida Posts: 371	Wow! I love both of yours, Bill and honestly haven't seen that particular combination of clamshell and hilt before, but they seem to have a distincly Malaysian "feel" to them. Rick's sword is one of the nicest that I've seen, with the hilt seeming to show a Dutch influence while the blade itself is reminiscent of a jimpul. A similar shape and basic hilt treatment with knuckle guard regularly shows up in the Philippines as well and I just assumed that those, too, were known as parang naburs although in reflection I seem to recall another term for those with knuckle guards from around the turn of the century which honestly escapes me at the moment. In my humble opinion all three of those that you guys have shown are well worthy of a prime display spot. Mike

22nd March 2005, 08:33 AM	#3
tom hyle Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston, TX, USA Posts: 1,254	Is the thinking that the bathead parang nabur is the ancestral parang nabur? I like the shell guard, and note that the knucklebows come straight off the guard at a sharp angle, much like nimcha/sayf, and this does not seem to me like an Eurpean thing. Just jumping in with this; no-one's repeated the usual idea that this is an European inspired style; not an idea I'm real hot on; the style seems related to dha, for instance; a more obvious, local influence/relative; Occam's razor and all that. Parang nabur is a widespread sword type with many local/temporal varieties, and is a favourite; especially the bathead type, which pretty much always has a thick, overtly native blade; I really like the varient (not seen here though Rick's is on the road) with the fully rounded nonthrusting tip.

22nd March 2005, 08:37 PM	#4
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,336	http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sPageName=WDVW Fanciest P.N. I have ever seen .

23rd March 2005, 06:12 PM	#5
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,272	The engraving looked pretty clean. Do you think it was a more recent make?

23rd March 2005, 08:11 PM	#6
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,336	This puzzles me too Jose . Either the blade was polished recently or it has been very well cared for . I wouldn't be surprised if some of these fancier examples were court regalia which would mean that they probably received very good care .

24th March 2005, 04:40 PM	#7
Conogre Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Clearwater, Florida Posts: 371	The clamshell hilt may or may not have something to do with European inspiration, and would only be truly important if it was being used as a method of showing age, for example, with the Dutch having a long history in the region, but likewise it IS the Indian Ocean, although the sharp angles aren't a feature commonly seen on older swords with knuckleguards from India that I know of. In regards to the clamshell itself, a similar feature is seen on the one kris in the museum in Madrid that Marc posted. Whenever one culture came into contact with another, influences often began to appear in both directions, with even many "civilized" seamen having a flair for the exotic and incorporating it into their own personal weapons as well. Unless I'm mistaken, the tatoo itself is an idea that originated in the S. Pacific or Indonesia as far as Europeans are concerned. I wouldn't kick ANY of those swords out of my collection for cutting crackers, even in bed!grin Mike