Ethnographic Arms & Armour
 

Go Back   Ethnographic Arms & Armour > Discussion Forums > Ethnographic Weapons

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Old 4th September 2017, 01:26 PM   #1
ausjulius
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: musorian territory
Posts: 410
Default cocos island knives are back

cocos island knives are back
i found this one form a recent auction in new zealand. and in fact there is another in an australian auction that looks like it might just be one as well
also in the 50s or 60s the cocos islands issued stamps with blacksmiths shown on the stamps . considering the agricultural nature of the plantation island there must have been busy that combined with the troops during the war..



we should really just call some office on the east island there and see if any of the local malays know who made this stuff
there is about 600 malays there so somebody should probably know immediately who the blacksmith family use to be.
Attached Images
 

Last edited by ausjulius; 5th September 2017 at 12:07 AM.
ausjulius is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 4th September 2017, 01:32 PM   #2
ausjulius
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: musorian territory
Posts: 410
Default

sorry for those not familiar the cocos/keeling island golok or knife is the one in the top with a very distinct style. if you search cocos knife or keeling knife you should find more pics.
ausjulius is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 4th September 2017, 03:31 PM   #3
Sajen
Member
 
Sajen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Germany, Dortmund
Posts: 8,407
Default

Where is the picture?
Sajen is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 4th September 2017, 06:31 PM   #4
Rick
Vikingsword Staff
 
Rick's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 6,258
Default

Ausjulius, you need to upload your pictures directly to this site.

Thanks.
Rick is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 4th September 2017, 10:04 PM   #5
Ian
Vikingsword Staff
 
Ian's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: The Aussie Bush
Posts: 4,005
Default

ausjulius:

There is a recent summary of what this site has to offer about the Keeling-Cocos knives here.

Ian
Ian is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 4th September 2017, 10:59 PM   #6
Ian
Vikingsword Staff
 
Ian's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: The Aussie Bush
Posts: 4,005
Default

Photobucket now charges $400.00 for pics uploaded to their site to be hosted on third party servers! That is probably why the pic shown by ausjulius (I suspect one of mine) is showing that error message--I refuse to pay that amount simply to enable third party hosting which previously had been permitted free!

I have downloaded my pics from that site and post them directly here. The original thread that had these pics was posted more than a decade ago, before the policy on directly loading files to this site came into operation. All the more reason to have the pics posted here for future reference.

Ian.
Attached Images
  
Ian is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 5th September 2017, 12:02 AM   #7
ausjulius
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: musorian territory
Posts: 410
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sajen
Where is the picture?
hmm i did .. it vanished... ill try again should be up there no. thanks
ausjulius is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 5th September 2017, 12:14 AM   #8
Rich
Member
 
Rich's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: comfortably at home, USA
Posts: 432
Default

Ian and all -

Try using Imgur as a photo posting site. Free.

Rich
Rich is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 5th September 2017, 12:24 AM   #9
ausjulius
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: musorian territory
Posts: 410
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ian
Photobucket now charges $400.00 for pics uploaded to their site to be hosted on third party servers!
damn.. well no more photobucket for me.. that site was becoming so slow and nonfunctional that it s almost useless anyway.

these knives are really quite interesting you can see images and video footage of various clunies-ross wearing these as well.

the Malays there came some time in the 1860s i think before there was a mix if madagascan and south african coloured and Malay convicts...

they must have been contracted in a relatively compact group and brought their blacksmiths with them..

im just imagining some weird hybrid Madagascan or african weapons being made by a malay blacksmith.. or maybe a hybrid drik knife for the original clunies-ross heheh.

but really this is a mystery that i think we can solve with a few phone calls..
i think today im going to look in a phone directory for the cocos islands and make some calls there and see if any local people might know who were the makers of these and when they stopped making them!
ausjulius is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 5th September 2017, 03:20 PM   #10
Ian
Vikingsword Staff
 
Ian's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: The Aussie Bush
Posts: 4,005
Default

ausjulius,

There may be a more dark explanation as to how Malay or Melanesian people ended up in the Cocos Keeling Islands in the 19th C. There was a practice in northern Australia of "blackbirding" native people of the Torres Strait Islands and nearby into forced labor on sugar plantations, etc. This was essentially a form of slavery. An ugly part of Australian history that also included indigenous groups (Aborigines).

I don't know the history of the Cocos Keeling Islands well enough to say whether the Malay inhabitants went there voluntarily or not, but the Clunies-Ross family ruled these islands with absolute authority before they became part of Australia.
Ian is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 5th September 2017, 05:16 PM   #11
Sajen
Member
 
Sajen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Germany, Dortmund
Posts: 8,407
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by ausjulius
but really this is a mystery that i think we can solve with a few phone calls..
i think today im going to look in a phone directory for the cocos islands and make some calls there and see if any local people might know who were the makers of these and when they stopped making them!
I am more as curious if you will be able to get some informations!

Attached are my both honest examples.

Regards,
Detlef
Attached Images
 
Sajen is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 7th September 2017, 12:13 PM   #12
ausjulius
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: musorian territory
Posts: 410
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ian
ausjulius,

There may be a more dark explanation as to how Malay or Melanesian people ended up in the Cocos Keeling Islands in the 19th C. There was a practice in northern Australia of "blackbirding" native people of the Torres Strait Islands and nearby into forced labor on sugar plantations, etc. This was essentially a form of slavery. An ugly part of Australian history that also included indigenous groups (Aborigines).

I don't know the history of the Cocos Keeling Islands well enough to say whether the Malay inhabitants went there voluntarily or not, but the Clunies-Ross family ruled these islands with absolute authority before they became part of Australia.
the history of the cocos is very well documented by its owners whose children are alive today... there was no melanesian people on these islands.. its nothing to do with blackbirding..
ausjulius is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 7th September 2017, 12:14 PM   #13
ausjulius
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: musorian territory
Posts: 410
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sajen
I am more as curious if you will be able to get some informations!

Attached are my both honest examples.

Regards,
Detlef
thanks.. i didnt get to make a call today .tomorrow i shall do it..
they show up a lot so they must have made more than a few and for quite some time i suspect.
ausjulius is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 8th September 2017, 12:06 AM   #14
Sajen
Member
 
Sajen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Germany, Dortmund
Posts: 8,407
Default

Here a link for your interest: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocos_(Keeling)_Islands
It is IMVHO surprisingly that so much knives can be found by a rather small population.
Sajen is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 3rd May 2021, 04:12 PM   #15
ausjulius
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: musorian territory
Posts: 410
Default

well its been a while since this topics been discussed but i havesome further information.

i contact john Clunnies-Ross today and asked him about the knives and their history, he said the blacksmith shop on the home island (which although unused still exsists) manufactured these blades, although there could have been others too in the past. he said they were still made till the late 1970s along with others tools, spears ect . he said there was two main styles the "ladies" knife and the larger parangs. blades with made of eithervehical springs or indeed the german battleship.
he said making declinedwith the halt ofcopra processing.. no more charcoal being made and no more plantation workers,

he saidif we wanted more info about the knives there is a cocos islandfacebook page and that we could post the pictures there and that the relatives of the makers could see them and beable to givepossiably more information.

id really like to see somebody make such a knife again now. such ashame this craft vanished so quickly.
ausjulius is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 3rd May 2021, 06:00 PM   #16
Sajen
Member
 
Sajen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Germany, Dortmund
Posts: 8,407
Default

Great information!

I don't have facebook but feel free to upload pictures to their facebook site!

Regards,
Detlef
Sajen is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 3rd May 2021, 07:51 PM   #17
Ian
Vikingsword Staff
 
Ian's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: The Aussie Bush
Posts: 4,005
Thumbs up

Ausjulius:

Thanks for the update. Great information. I was planning to visit the Cocos-Keeling islands last year but COVID came along, and travel there is still not re-established. Maybe next year.

Ian.
Ian is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 4th May 2021, 03:28 PM   #18
ausjulius
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: musorian territory
Posts: 410
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sajen View Post
Great information!

I don't have facebook but feel free to upload pictures to their facebook site!

Regards,
Detlef
thanks, yes i will gather some images and make a facebook page just for this occasion (i too do not have facebook) i have several ofthese knives including ne with a longer thick 18 - 20 inch blade.. but alas they havebeen packedaway the last 16 years in a family members home😑.. far from where i live now. i find them very interesting knives.. especially the handle construction
ausjulius is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 4th May 2021, 03:32 PM   #19
ausjulius
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: musorian territory
Posts: 410
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ian View Post
Ausjulius:

Thanks for the update. Great information. I was planning to visit the Cocos-Keeling islands last year but COVID came along, and travel there is still not re-established. Maybe next year.

Ian.
hi ian.. yes would beaneet place to visit. from what i can gather there is still people alive who can make or did make knives, but to their age im not sure. it would be very goodif we couldsonehow revitalise to restart thisknifemaking tradition there. such a shame. i guess the locals viewed them mostly as tools
ausjulius is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 09:03 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Posts are regarded as being copyrighted by their authors and the act of posting material is deemed to be a granting of an irrevocable nonexclusive license for display here.