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Sword

Title

Sword

Year/Period

19th century

Region

Pakpak-Dairi Batak, North Sumatra

Object Type

swords, sheaths (cases)

Material

brass (alloy), wood (plant material), steel (alloy), horn (animal material), pigment

Technique

brass smithing, woodworking, metalworking

Dimension

Object size: 61.0 x 8.0 x 2.0 cm

Accession No.

2013-00948

Collection of

Asian Civilisations Museum

Credit Line

Gift of the Mandala Foundation

The piso sanalenggam is one of the rarest and most distinctive of Batak swords. Their curiously shaped and decorated sheaths may relate to early Dong Son or Austronesian influences. They are reserved for the use of shaman priests known as datu among the Pakpak-Dairi Batak.