Dayak parang ilang Handle

[VVV]

Ben,

I don't think Leiden is the proper place to find resembling hilts to ours.
This because of the non Iban bias in their collection.
I had a look myself in their collection archive and didn't find any close to yours.
On my hilt it looks clearly influenced by two of the old Kenyah hilts collected by Nieuwenhuis?
By influenced I mean that that's the closest resemblence of the hilts in their collection. Not that they are identical in style.
Maybe the Kenyah resemblence is another reason to classify this as a transition sword before the Iban adopted the Ilang as their own parang?
Here is a picture of the hilt from another angle for comparison.

Michael

PS Don't you think your hilt a bit resembles the old ones in Tromp's article, collected in Koetei?

[Dajak]

Hi Michael

I don t think so because if you look at that type off hilt you see a face and the back off the handle is almost straight .
I see also no type off hilt in Hein so would be difficult to trace it

your hilt is also a nice one
Ben

[VVV]

Hi Ben,

I don't see a face on all the hilts in Tromp?
And not on the example I have enclosed.
But I don't think they have the Tumpal motif either.
So it was just an idea on a slight resemblance and a possible connection?

Michael

[Dajak]

Hi Michael I think this type off handle might be older then the tromp handle
because the lip at the back side we see disappear after 1900.


Ben

[Marcokeris]

Here two pages from Holstein book

[Dajak]

Hi Marcokeris can you tel me the writer from the book and what name the book have



Ben

[Marcokeris]

Originally Posted by Dajak

Hi Marcokeris can you tel me the writer from the book and what name the book have



Ben

Hi Ben
the author is P. Holstein (a french collector)
The name of book is "Contribution a l'etude des armes orientales" edit in Paris in 1931 (french language!)
This work is divided in two big books:
the first is about description of oriental white weapons (india and indonesia),
the second is about author collection (extraordinary!) and all books are many plates
Even if it was edit in 1931 the quality of plates is really very good.
The book is rather rare (mybe is still possible to find a copy in ebay at good price).

[Mytribalworld]

Originally Posted by VVV

Hi Ben,

I don't see a face on all the hilts in Tromp?
And not on the example I have enclosed.
But I don't think they have the Tumpal motif either.
So it was just an idea on a slight resemblance and a possible connection?

Michael

Hi Michael,
Some of Tromp's handles surely has faces but indeed not on all
I have seen them in Leiden and some of them are in the typical Koetei style with face.I have the idea that the face on the grip fade away after 1900 when headhunting was'nt practised as often as before the great peacemaking.

arjan.

[VVV]

Hi Arjan,

Interesting idea about the faces fading away later.
Is it just an unconfirmed idea or do you have any indications of why that could be the case?
I had the idea that it was the other way around based on how rare the old non-face hilts, those combined with high class blades, are?
Why do you think Tromp shows the non-face first and then the hilts with face?

Michael

[Mytribalworld]

Originally Posted by VVV

Hi Arjan,

Interesting idea about the faces fading away later.
Is it just an unconfirmed idea or do you have any indications of why that could be the case?
I had the idea that it was the other way around based on how rare the old non-face hilts, those combined with high class blades, are?
Why do you think Tromp shows the non-face first and then the hilts with face?

Michael

Hi Michael,

its not just an idea,during my vistit in leiden I saw many "faced" mandaugrips in the collection who where collected before 1900.
the old one seems to have bigger noses,faces with more expression.
on the late models (around 1900) the faces are smaller and less expressive.
on later models its completely gone.
also on other models from other tribes you rarely see a face an mandauhilts after 1930.
indeed shows Tromp the non-faced mandau earlier because he also writes that the faced mandau was quite common in those days and the non faced quite rare. ( we speak about pre 1900)

Arjan.

[VVV]

Hi Arjan,

Reading your comment I realized that maybe we have the same view?
19th C and earlier the non-face hilts were quite rare to find among Koetei/Kutei mandaus, maybe an older or more exclusive version (like the Nieuwenhuis Mandau)?
In 20th C they became more popular again.
One reason could be that headhunting stopped as you suggest.
Another reason could be that Christianity entered the scene among the Dayaks and the face handles were connected to the old beliefs?

Michael