Parang latok sword and scabbard
Object No. H3062
Sword (parang latok) and scabbard, metal / timber / brass / hair, Dayak peoples, Kalimantan, Borneo, 1850-1900
Loading...
Summary
Physical Description
Sword (parang latok) and scabbard, metal/wood/brass/hair, Dayak peoples, Kalimantan, Borneo, 1850-1900. Sword: parang latok with heavy single edged blade made of metal, widest at the point. The blade makes an obtuse angle with a square shank to the hilt. The hilt is of dark brown wood carved with geometric designs, triangles, cross hatching and beads. Scabbard: the scabbard is made of wood and bound with seven rings of brass (four missing). One side of the scabbard is decorated with relief carving and the collar is decorated with a repeated floral design. Under the collar it is also bound with narrow twine and overlayed with a thicker cord loosely knotted on one side. Near the tip there are dark brown tuft of hair threaded through holes on the edges.
DIMENSIONS
Width
150 mm
Depth
35 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
This sword and scabbard were made by the Dayak people of Kalimantan, Borneo. The parang latok is a heavy jungle knife or sword which is used with both hands. The scabbard is made from two pieces of wood held together with brass bindings and ornamented with tuft of hair and a curling motif reminiscent of those on Dayak textiles, beadwork and woodcarvings. Dayak means 'inland person' and is the collective name often used to describe mon-Muslim ethnic groups of the island's interior. This parang latok and scabbard were made 1850-1900.
SOURCE
Credit Line
Purchased 1913
Acquisition Date
19 November 1913
Copyright for the above image is held by the Powerhouse and may be subject to third-party copyright restrictions. Please submit an Image Licensing Enquiry for information regarding reproduction, copyright and fees. Text is released under Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivative licence.
Image Licensing Enquiry
Object Enquiry