The Pandat (other names also include Kamping, Parang Pandat, Parang Pandit or Mandau Tangkitn) is the war sword of the
Dayak people
The Dayak (; older spelling: Dajak) or Dyak or Dayuh are one of the native groups of Borneo. It is a loose term for over 200 riverine and hill-dwelling ethnic groups, located principally in the central and southern interior of Borneo, each w ...
of northwest
Borneo
Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and ea ...
(
Sarawak, Malaysia and
West Kalimantan, Indonesia) and is never used as a tool. On October 18, 2016, this weapon was featured in season 3 episode 9 of the American bladesmithing competition series ''
Forged in Fire''.
Description
The Pandat has a short, heavy, single-edged blade with an iron hilt. It has no real handle, but a short cross-piece of iron or bone passes through the handle. The sword is wielded with one or two hands and used primarily with downward strokes. Its blade and hilt are forged from one piece and the blade is bent, just before the hilt, at an angle of 25 degrees. The bend in the blade is located in the transitional part between the blade and the hilt. Both the back and the edge are straight and run apart, so that the blade's broadest part is at the point. The blade length is generally between and the handle is about long. The sheath is usually made of wood and decorated with traditional patterns. It may be decorated with feathers or tufts of hair or simply painted red.
Use
It is thought that a downward cut would be highly inefficient and unbalanced, throwing a great strain upon the wrist. Pandats are well balanced for upward cuts, but this would perhaps not be a very effective form of attack.
The Pandat's typically bent blade is very similar to
Parang Latok which, unlike the Pandat, is used as a tool.
See also
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Jimpul
Jimpul (other names also include Jumbul, Mandau Pasir, Parang Djimpul, Parang Jimpul) is a traditional weapon of the Sea Dayak and Kenyah people from Borneo. It is often thought that the Parang Jimpul may be considered as a hybrid between the Man ...
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Langgai Tinggang
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Mandau
The Mandau ( cs, Mandava) is a river in Bohemia (Czech Republic) and Saxony (Germany). It is a left tributary of the Lusatian Neisse, which it joins near Zittau.
It originates from multiple springs north of the 580.6m (1902 feet AMSL) Wolf Mou ...
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Niabor
Niabor (other names also include Beadah, Naibor, Nyabor, Nyabur, Parang Njabur Laki-Laki) is a curved sword from Borneo, a characteristic weapon of the Sea-Dayaks.
Description
It has a convex edge and concave back broadening towards the tip so ...
References
Further reading
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Blade weapons
Southeast Asian swords
Weapons of Indonesia
Weapons of Malaysia
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