Sword "mandau" ·  Indonesia - Borneo, Dayak · ID: 3034251

Description

elaborately carved hilt of bone, partly wrapped with plant fibre and decorated with animal hair, iron blade with brass inlay and skewed endings, a two-parted wooden scabbard decorated with fine incised ornaments, a second scabbard on the back, containing a knife with a long wooden handle, strap for support, min. dam., slight traces of abrasion;
used for head hunting and as a machete in daily life. According to a number of sources the small knife was used, among other things, to remove the soft parts of the enemies cut-off heads. The “mandau” is used by many peoples of Kalimantan and is widely spread.

Comparing literature

van Zonneveld, A.G., Traditional weapons of the Indonesian Archipelago, Leiden 2001, p. 88