I think Maurice's observation that the gliwang is never worn, but rather carried in the hand, is consistent with the scabbards we see here. Thomas's example with the slit along the top of the scabbard would make it hard to wear on the body, and keep the sword contained, and these can be reasonably long swords as well. The Moro panabas, another heavy battle weapon, tends not to have a sheath too. The blade edge sometimes had a small strip of wood with a groove that was fastened with a strip of cloth to protect the edge, and the entire weapon was usually wrapped in cloth and carried to its place of use. The edge guard and cloth were discarded when battle was engaged.
First time I've seen a slotted scabbard from Aceh. Gavin, can you show us more examples?
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