JAVANESE SWORD ? for ID

[David]

Originally Posted by Amuk Murugul

Your link confirms what I said. I referred to western Java, which traditionally included today's West Java Province and parts of today's Central Java Province (you can thank the colonial Dutch for this artificial geo-political division). Western Java was known as Tatar Soenda, Land of the Soenda, while the eastern part was called Tanah Djawa. So, the Soenda are different to the 'Javanese'. It's a bit like calling a Dutchman a German, as they are both Germanic and are now both part of the EU.

Sorry, i don't quite get this. Jawa is an island a body of land just as Europe is a body of land. Whether we are talking about West Jawa or East Jawa it is still Jawa, isn't it. So if this golok is indeed from that island then it is Javanese, isn't it? The Netherlands and Germany are 2 different countries on the same body of land (continent) of Europe. So the Dutchman and the German are both European just as the Tanah Djawa man and the Tater Sunda man are both Javanese. Am i missing something here?

[josh stout]

I guess it depends if you think "Javanese" refers to a people or an island. The Sundanese from West Java speak a different language, and have many other cultural differences from the Javanese. I think the German/Dutch comparison is very appropriate. They are similar but different peoples with languages descended from a common root. They are within a larger geographical unit now united with many others into a single political entity.
Josh