Mandau, The traditional weapon of North Kalimantan

Helloindonesia.id – Indonesia is a country full of various cultures and inheritance of preceding objects, one of which is a traditional weapon. the weapon used to be used to fight against possible invaders. this time we will discuss from one of the ones that are quite interesting in Indonesia, namely Kalimantan.

North Kalimantan, abbreviated as Kaltara, is a province in Indonesia located in the northern part of the island of Borneo which is also a fraction of the province of East Kalimantan. North Kalimantan borders the states of Sarawak and Sabah, East Malaysia. Initially, the expansion of this new province separate from East Kalimantan experienced a very long process starting from the 2000s, until finally on October 25, 2012 at the plenary meeting of the House of Representatives (DPR) endorsing the establishment of a new province of North Kalimantan as the 34 in Indonesia based on Law Number 20 of 2012.
Mandau
Mandau is a traditional weapon originating from Dayak culture in Kalimantan. Mandau is also one of Indonesia’s traditional weapons. Mandau has a variety of carvings on the blade that have certain meanings. Mandau comes from the origin of the word “Man” in a tribe in southern China and “dao” which means machete in Chinese.
Mandau has various functions in the life of the Dayak people in Kalimantan. In ancient times, Mandau was used by people in warfare and also headhunting (beheading of the enemy). Nowadays, war and ngayau are rare in Dayak people in Kalimantan, so they are only used in traditional rituals and as decoration.
Mandau also contains certain values. Mandau contains magical meanings such as rituals at the time of making mandau and also mandau which are used in certain traditional rituals. In the social aspect, the mandau is used by the community as a hunting and farming tool. Whereas in the aspects of art and culture, mandau is the identity of the Dayak community in Kalimantan, which also characterizes courage, thoroughness and patience.
Mandau structure
Mandau also has various structures, including:
Kumpang
Kumpang is a mandau scabbard. Kumpang is made of wood, coated with deer antlers, and is usually decorated with carvings. In Kumpang Mandau, it is given an invitation, which is a bond made from woven uai (rattan). In addition, in kumpang, a bag of wooden leather is tied to a knife containing penyerut and ivory wood which is believed to be able to reject wild animals. Mandau which is strung in kumpang is usually tied around the waist with a braided rattan.
Threshold

Threshold is the term for mandau made of ordinary iron. Often used as souvenirs. Lay people or people who are not accustomed to seeing or holding a mandau will find it difficult to distinguish between mandau and threshold because if seen from the naked eye, they are almost the same. However, both are very different. But if we look at it in more detail, there will be a very noticeable difference, namely in the mandau, there are carvings or encrusted with gold, copper, or silver and the mandau is stronger and more flexible, because the mandau is made of mountain stone containing iron and processed by an expert. While the threshold is only made of ordinary iron.
Bar

Mandau blades or eyes usually have several curves at the ends. The mandau bar also has different carvings between one region and another. The carving became the identity of the mandau of certain Dayak sub-tribes.
Upstream
Upstream Mandau has two (2) important values. First as a handle or weapon. The two upstream forms give character to a mandau. The basic shape of the upstream mandau usually resembles quadrupeds, birds etc. So it is fitting, if you look at the historical records and values ​​contained in a mandau, especially the Dayak people continue to preserve and have a proud value for the traditional Dayak tribe weapons.

Threshold is the term for mandau made of ordinary iron. Often used as souvenirs. Lay people or people who are not accustomed to seeing or holding a mandau will find it difficult to distinguish between mandau and threshold because if seen from the naked eye, they are almost the same. However, both are very different. But if we look at it in more detail, there will be a very noticeable difference, namely in the mandau, there are carvings or encrusted with gold, copper, or silver and the mandau is stronger and more flexible, because the mandau is made of mountain stone containing iron and processed by an expert. While the threshold is only made of ordinary iron.
Bar
Mandau blades or eyes usually have several curves at the ends. The mandau bar also has different carvings between one region and another. The carving became the identity of the mandau of certain Dayak sub-tribes.
Upstream
Upstream Mandau has two (2) important values. First as a handle or weapon. The two upstream forms give character to a mandau. The basic shape of the upstream mandau usually resembles quadrupeds, birds etc. So it is fitting, if you look at the historical records and values ​​contained in a mandau, especially the Dayak people continue to preserve and have a proud value for the traditional Dayak tribe weapons.

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