Very Good Mandau Sword with Piso Raout Side Knife

Mandau (also known as Parang Hilang), the legendary sword of the Dayak people from Kalimantan (Borneo), supposedly the prime beheading tool of the head hunters, but practically a machete for daily use in agricultural and house hold tasks. The Mandau is known for its unusual blade cross section: concave on one face and convex on the other. This allegedly allows an easier and cleaner circular strike of the sword. The Mandau usually comes with a side knife of short blade on a long handle (Piso Raout) also associated with the headhunting tradition and supposedly used to clean the soft tissues of the taken head.

The Mandau sword offered here is of a classical size and shape, complete with the side knife (which is usually missing). Very good massive blade of classical shape and cross section. L shaped antler handle bound with thin colored rattan strips, with its ends set with hair tufts. The side knife also with a beautifully carved antler handle top is housed in a back compartment from wood bark. This Mandau comes with a hanging belt made from twisted rattan fibers. An old paper label is glued to the tip of the Piso Raout compartment, inscribed in German: “Kopfjager Schwert der Dajak”

Blade 21 1/2 inches (54 cm). Total length 29 inches (74 cm). Piso Raout 21 inches (54 cm) long. Very good condition. Minor losses to the rattan binding of the handle and the rattan binding of the scabbard. Authentic and complete Late 19 - early 20C. Mandau sword