Tanimbar sword
| Tanimbar sword | |
|---|---|
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| Information | |
| Weapon type: | Swords |
| Designations: | Tanimbar swords |
| Use: | weapon |
| Region of origin / author: |
Tanimbar Islands , ethnic groups of Tanimbar |
| Distribution: | Indonesia |
| Blade length: | about 58 cm to about 81 cm |
| Handle: | Wood, horn, metal, plant fibers |
| Lists on the subject | |
The Tanimbar sword is a weapon from the Indonesian Tanimbar Islands .
description
The Tanimbar swords are an independent sword form, of which there are many variants. You cannot assign a basic shape to these swords, as there was no metalworking culture on the islands. The tools and weapons that were needed were made by traveling blacksmiths from Indonesia. The inhabitants of the islands collected the necessary material themselves and commissioned the traveling blacksmiths with the production. The result of this procedure is that there is almost no blade that is the same as another. Similar shapes of different types of swords can be seen in the various weapons used throughout Indonesia.
blade
The blades differ as follows:
- Most of the blades of Tanimbar are similar to the blades of Malaku and Sulawesi . These blades are narrow at the handle and widen towards the location . The back of the blade is straight and bends in a slight curve towards the place. The backs of these blades are always straight, while the cutting edges are slightly convex . The length of these blades is between 50 and 65 centimeters.
- The blades that are similar to the blades from Serang are less common . These blades are narrower and slightly curved in place. The cutting edge is convexly curved and widens towards the location. The back of the blade is straight from the hilt and is then about 12 centimeters long concave and runs to the place. This gives the area on the back of the blade a crescent-shaped appearance. Domestic and imported blades as well as machete blades from Europe and China were used.
notebook
The booklets also differ in many ways. They are usually made of wood or horn . There are the following versions:
- The handle is straight and bends towards the cutting edge in the knob area. The booklets are often carved in the shape of an animal's mouth. In this version, the animal's mouth is open and shown in a V-shape. The upper jaw of the mouth is longer than the lower. A round tongue is worked out in the mouth, which is sometimes pierced. They are often decorated with strands or tufts of red cotton threads. The animal head is decorated with carvings and is often decorated with an inlaid pearl symbolizing an eye.
- The handle is straight and curves in the knob area towards the cutting edge. The knob ends are shown here as a "closed mouth" and form a shape that is similar to a pistol grip . The vagina mouth area is decorated with line-shaped carvings. In some versions, mother-of-pearl inlays made up of narrow, triangular pieces are incorporated. The pommel is often decorated with cords or pieces of red cotton fabric.
Some, very old and rare versions have a guard made of shark or ray skin . Shells are attached to these parries for decoration.
Scabbard
The scabbards are as varied as the other components of the swords. This can be divided into three types:
- The sheaths are straight and abstractly carved in the local area.
- The sheaths are widened in the area and decorated on the sides with a raised, worked broad line that runs lengthways across the sheaths.
- The sheaths become narrower towards the local area and bend towards the back of the blade at the end. The sheaths end pointy or rounded. These scabbards are often made for swords that have a crescent-shaped local shape. Ornaments are carved on the vaginal mouth that are geometrical , circular or triangular.
Although there were good wood carvers on Tanimbar, the scabbards are rarely intricately carved.
The Tanimbar swords are used by the people of the Tanimbar Islands.
literature
- Donn F. Draeger: Weapons and fighting arts of Indonesia. Charles E. Tuttle Co., Rutland VT 1992, ISBN 0-8048-1716-2 , p. 235.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Albert G. van Zonneveld: Traditional weapons of the Indonesian archipelago. C. Zwartenkot Art Books, Leiden 2001, ISBN 90-5450-004-2 , pp. 145-147.