Origin of this mandau?

[kai]

Hello Willem,

Based on all the floral decoration and the fact that the hollow side of the blade is made by stock removal / chisseling and not forging I would place this in the Negara / Banjermasin region.

The Banjar/Negara melting pot did receive lots of influence from Ngaju, Malay, Bugis, "Chinese", Madura, Java, and even more foreign cultures. With Negara mandau the main influences seem to be Ngaju (as well as possibly other Dayak groups) and Malay - these tend to exhibit other hilt and scabbard styles though.

As mentioned, I believe we can agree on a strong Malay influence given the carving motifs and silver work. Aside from a most likely coastal community, I don't think this helps to narrow down the origin though.

If we look at the comparative pics provided by Jeff in post #9, the outer shape might well hint at a relationship with the Modang; of course, these hilts were also very common in Kutai, another major center of commerce. While the sultans seemed to have tried to keep the "barbarian influences" at bay, Kutai mandau seem to closely follow the Modang aesthetics rather than prominently including Malay influences.

While I can't exclude this is a one-off hilt from Kutai, it might come just as well from any other Malay settlement throughout coastal Borneo - IMHO most likely Kalimantan Timur though (based on the similar hilt profile). Jeff's hilt does not seem to be recarved from such a Modang hilt though since some details are added features. Aside from replacing the typical spirals with the extensive hollowed-out open spaces, the apparent complete lack of typical Dayak motifs like open aso jaws or leaches is really striking (cp. with the traditional examples!); these have been replaced with geometric and floral design motifs.

This extends to the floral carvings on the scabbard. Obviously, the latter has lost pretty much all accoutrements which might have helped placing it...

The rattan belt is of really good craftsmanship and its style quite typical for Kenyah/Modang/Kutai. BTW, these tend to get dry and brittle, Jeff - I'd avoid bending it (it is missing a customable cord with toggle for closing).

Also the blade (dimensions?) seems to fit well with such an origin - there seem to be a bunch of Kutai/coastal? mandau blades which have been hollowed out on the concave side, too. This example has been crafted very nicely and its features seem to fit well with eastern Borneo IMHO.

Regards,
Kai

[JeffS]

Fascinating stuff Kai. Thank you for the warning with the belt. It remains nicely pliable but that could change. Should I use some mineral oil to keep it in shape?

Mandau Dimensions
Blade: 55cm OAL: 63.5cm Width: 0.95cm at base

More detailed images:

[Mickey the Finn]

I've seen window putty used in lieu of the traditional resin ring.
Asomotif, thank you for this valuable information! [The map].