Subject: siulu / salawa chief
Culture: Ono Niha
Setting: slave raiding, tribal warfare, Nias 19thc
Object: balatu sword
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* Dallas Museum of Art > Pacific Islands
"Sword in sheath Late 19th-early 20th century Wood, metal, tusk, and glass ...
A dense cluster of tusks forms the snarling, grotesque head on this sword. Spherical glass stoppers become watchful eyes, and glinting silver emphasizes the vicious power of the tusks. The head is a container for amulets that might include shark's teeth, fossils, pieces of cotton, and small ancestor figures made from wood."
* Tropenmuseum > Zuidoost Azië
"Zwaard met voorouderbeelden De greep is versierd met een mythisch monster. Drie voorouderfiguren zijn als amuletten aan de schede bevestigd. Staal, hout. Indonesië. 19de eeuw." ...
"Sword with ancestor figures The hilt is decorated with a mythical monster. Three ancestor figures are attached to the scabbard as amulets. Steel, wood. Nias, Indonesia. 19th century." ...
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