Borneo parang naibur--a mix of old and new

[Dajak]

Originally Posted by Ian

Ben:

Thank you for that succinct comment.

As I noted above, I'm not concerned about whether my sword is actually a parang naibur (or the absence of an agreed name for it)--perhaps it's closer to being a jimpul. My point in posting it was to learn more about what is considered old in style and what is new. Your earlier comment in another thread about thick and thin rattan on hilts was a starting point for my thinking about this.

Kai raised the possibility that it may have had a ceremonial function.

Ian.

The style is not old of the blade he come close to Jimpul style blade.

Scabbard also not the age you think.

Ben

[Ian]

Originally Posted by Dajak

The style is not old of the blade he come close to Jimpul style blade.

Scabbard also not the age you think.

Ben

Ben,

Can you give me an estimate of how old you think the scabbard and blade may be? Kai has mentioned the scabbard is unusual. Do you agree?

Ian

[Dajak]

[QUOTE=Ian]Ben,

Can you give me an estimate of how old you think the scabbard and blade may be? Kai has mentioned the scabbard is unusual. Do you agree?

Ian[/QUOTE

What is unusual on the scabbard?

Ben

[kai]

Hello Ian,

Kai has mentioned the scabbard is unusual.

I said it is rare that these are complete with scabbard - the lower quality blades often seem to come without them...

Regards,
Kai

[Dajak]

Originally Posted by kai

Hello Ian,


I said it is rare that these are complete with scabbard - the lower quality blades often seem to come without them...

Regards,
Kai

This one was in the KIT museum 1916....1956 the blade is different.

[kai]

Hello Ben,

This one was in the KIT museum 1916....1956 the blade is different.

Thanks for this example - the blade and hilt seem to have better quality IMHO.

Regards,
Kai

[Ian]

Thank you Ben and Kai. I appreciate your comments.

The points I'm taking from your input are that this an Iban parang (without a more specific name), perhaps mid-20th C or a little earlier in manufacture, with some recent additions of animal products.

While not questioning your assessment in any way, I was a little surprised by your dating this one closer to mid-20th C than earlier. Based on my experience with pieces from mainland SE Asia and the Philippines, I would have thought this one was closer to 1900 +/-. Of course appearances depend on how the sword was used and stored, and are not necessarily the best indicators of age. As Kai noted, materials and style are important indicators also.

I do have a couple of questions about maintenance of these swords and on how you assess quality of blades. As I mentioned above, the blade on this sword has quite a lot of oxidation from age and use. I'm not sure that I want to polish it back to bright metal unless that is how it would have been kept in its original culture. Would the blade be seen as "better quality" if I polished it?

Also, with regard to quality, this blade is rather plain but, as I mentioned above, it has characteristics of being well made by an experienced craftsman. In assessing quality, is the amount of file work an important consideration for these swords? It seems to me that those decorative elements are nice for show but do not necessarily reflect a better made or more functional blade. In referencing "quality" are you equating this with "prestige?"

Ian.

[asomotif]

Hello Ian,

I am wondering, from where did you buy this parang ?

Regardless of the age guesses we can make, it looks like a blade that has faced long extensive use.
Also the scabbard looks very used. lot of patina.
The original carrying strap has surely been replaced by simple rope because someone was in need to carry this parang.

The blade has decorations on the back. are these brass inlays ?

I think that cleaning the blade will give us a better idea of the quality.
However, personally I am not very much in favour of cleaning such a blade with the main purpose to convince others of the age or quality of the blade


Maybe you can give it a gentle cleaning trying to give more life to the decorations

I like this parang, regardless the age.
It has a history in Borneo, maybe much more fun to own than a jimpul with history in a museum

Best regards,
Willem

[kai]

Hello Ian,

Would the blade be seen as "better quality" if I polished it?

AFAIK, the traditional taste would be to keep it polished, indeed. However, I don't think it needs to be brightly polished to a mirror shine.

Any polish is not per se a sign of quality. However, signs of quality can often be better gauged if a blade is reasonably clean (as well as not over-polished).

In assessing quality, is the amount of file work an important consideration for these swords? It seems to me that those decorative elements are nice for show but do not necessarily reflect a better made or more functional blade. In referencing "quality" are you equating this with "prestige?"

No, some of the gift blades have all bells & whistles, at least nominally. Good quality blades always show good flow of lines and neat craftsmanship, even if not clad with any fancy features. The high-end blades are also made from superior steel quality, too.

Regards,
Kai