664 - Sword with Curved Wooden Grip and Wooden Scabbard, probably Indonesia, Klewang Type

Sword with Curved Wooden Grip and Wooden Scabbard, probably Indonesia, Klewang Type Steel, wood. Single-edged sword with a straight back; the blade widens slightly towards the point and ends in a stepped tip. The surface stained, with rust pitting. The grip of wood is bent forward in a hook and ends in a broad beak notched on the underside and shows a crack running through it. The scabbard of light wood on the display side with two rectangular recesses whose inlays are missing. The end of the scabbard accented with dark wood. Condition commensurate with age, the blade with traces of corrosion. Blade length 48 cm, overall length 68 cm In the Malay Archipelago the term klewang covers a whole group of single-edged swords standing between the shorter golok and the longer kampilan; blade lengths range from about 38 to 76 cm. In the Aceh War from 1873 onwards the weapon proved so effective against European units that the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army introduced its own shortened military version from 1898, which remained in use with the army, navy and police into the 1960s.