BATAK OR BORNEO ???

VVV · 11th June 2006, 10:03 PM

Hi Dajak,

I am a bit disappointed and don't buy the old open cup/closed cup classification as a 100% indicator of Batak or Borneo origin.
As you know I have f.i. an extremely long Batak PP with a closed cup that once was in your collection.
The other reason, as I described above, was that several of them were popular trade blades produced in India and for them the open/closed cup tell sign doesn't work either.
The famous PP in Tropen was collected among Toba Bataks and has a variation of closed cup.
Also at least 3 of the Batak Piso Podang in the Leiden collection has closed cup (but I suspect two of them are trade blades).
However I agree that most of the time the Borneo Pedang hasn't open cup.
But sometimes the Batak Piso Podang has closed cup...

It's a tricky sword to classify and I think a lot more research has to be done on it.

Michael

11th June 2006, 10:03 PM	#7
VVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Sweden Posts: 1,637	Hi Dajak, I am a bit disappointed and don't buy the old open cup/closed cup classification as a 100% indicator of Batak or Borneo origin. As you know I have f.i. an extremely long Batak PP with a closed cup that once was in your collection. The other reason, as I described above, was that several of them were popular trade blades produced in India and for them the open/closed cup tell sign doesn't work either. The famous PP in Tropen was collected among Toba Bataks and has a variation of closed cup. Also at least 3 of the Batak Piso Podang in the Leiden collection has closed cup (but I suspect two of them are trade blades). However I agree that most of the time the Borneo Pedang hasn't open cup. But sometimes the Batak Piso Podang has closed cup... It's a tricky sword to classify and I think a lot more research has to be done on it. Michael