Lopah Petawaran, Sumatra

The “Lopah Petawaran” is a type of ancient knife that originated in the northern regions of Sumatra. The knife was used for several reasons, including making incisions in the ears of buffaloes. These knives were ritually placed in a mixture of flour and water to be sprinkled on people or objects to ward off evil spirits. The blade: Straight and sharp back. The edge curves towards the tip and has a flat back with a chiseled figurative design on the base with decoration descending towards the middle of the blade. Despite the pitting of the blades in some places, a forging pattern can be distinguished. Due to the original finish, I decided to leave the blade in its "as found" condition to maintain its originality. The handle: A rendition of the stork Jongo, and is therefore called "Hulu Jongo". It is possible that along with the Jongo stork the storm stork or the milky stork was mentioned, but I could not find any other information about the species in relation to the people of Sumatra. Made from the horn of the karbouw, a domesticated subspecies of the water buffalo. A similarity can be seen on the “Rencong” of which the “Lopah Petawaran” is believed to be similar to its predecessor. The scabbard: Made up of two wooden plates, held together by a sheet of good quality silver. The scabbard cap features a subtle lobed pattern and the scabbard mouth features a fine braided silver tip.

Condition: Excellent, traces of use and age on the silver, a very small piece is missing. Blade slightly pitted, but still in good original condition and nicely patinated. The horn handle has a crack which almost always occurs due to age and climate transition. A rare piece in very good general condition.

Dimensions: Handle: 7.5 cm Blade: 23 cm Scabbard: 26.4 cm Total length: 37 cm