Tumbuk lada with Malayan rhino horn handle?

[kai]

Hello Nik,

Extremely unlikely from mere statistics alone. (Search this forum for identifying features - not visible from these pics though.)

BTW, I suspect the "carving" of the pommel is from rats gnawing away on it...

Regards,
Kai

[Green]

Now that I have this item in hand, I'll putting up a few close up pics of the handle and part of the sheath. A rather unusual thing for me is the coloration of the handle, it is not black or translucent as in albino bufallo horn but brownish in parts and with lines/striations and pittings(?) in some places. It look almost like a skin rather than horn.

Can anyone comment what it actually is?... buffalo horn?

[David]

I'm not sure what kind of horn this is. It doesn't really look like rhino, but then your photos don't really reveal very much. I can't see the structure of the horn. On close examination though you should be able to see a tubular structure with a dot in the center if it is rhino .

[Sajen]

It look like water buffalo horn, very worn and get wet once over some time. Still a nice sewar or when you want tumbok lada!

Regards,
Detlef

[Green]

Thanks for the confirmation/opinion Detlef!

[mariusgmioc]

In my opinion this is a Sewar, not a Tumbuk-lada. Tumbuk-lada have a significantly thicker hilt with a flater pommel.

I think it might be rhino. Rhino horn was fairly frequently used for sewars. I have at least one if not two rather muddane sewars with rhino horn hilt and top part of the scabbard.

Rhino horn under magnification has a fibrous structure as it is practically compacted hair.

[Green]

Originally Posted by mariusgmioc

In my opinion this is a Sewar, not a Tumbuk-lada. Tumbuk-lada have a significantly thicker hilt with a flater pommel.

I think it might be rhino. Rhino horn was fairly frequently used for sewars. I have at least one if not two rather muddane sewars with rhino horn hilt and top part of the scabbard.

Rhino horn under magnification has a fibrous structure as it is practically compacted hair.

Thanks Mariussgmioc for this info.
If you don't mind can you show your sewar with rhino horn pommel? it would be instructive to me. And about the name tumbuk lada... here's an example

http://old.blades.free.fr/daggers/tumbukl/tumbukl.htm

compared to sewar here

http://old.blades.free.fr/daggers/sewar/sewar.htm

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by mariusgmioc

In my opinion this is a Sewar, not a Tumbuk-lada. Tumbuk-lada have a significantly thicker hilt with a flater pommel.

Agree with you Marius! And the blade by a Tumbok Lada is broder, the blood groove is longer and better and the area before the tang thicker. Sadly you have shown most examples inside scabbard, I will look if I find examples in my archive.

Originally Posted by mariusgmioc

think it might be rhino. Rhino horn was fairly frequently used for sewars. I have at least one if not two rather muddane sewars with rhino horn hilt and top part of the scabbard.

I really doubt that we see here rhino horn. And it would be the first I've seen until now with a hilt from this material! And I doubt also that mudane sewars has fittings with this material. I am curious to see your example.
Rhino horn was also in old times an expensive material and was only used by high class examples, I've seen and handled a few keris hilts with this material but never by sewars.

Originally Posted by mariusgmioc

horn under magnification has a fibrous structure as it is practically compacted hair.

Exactly.

Regards,
Detlef

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by mariusgmioc

Rhino horn was fairly frequently used for sewars.

Sorry that I am persistent! Any evidence for this claim?