Sword „takit“

The object presented here belongs to the group of takit and embodies the traditional culture of the ethnic groups of southern Taiwan, especially the Rukai and Paiwan, whose blade objects are essentially the same and cannot be reliably differentiated today. Takit are traditional blade objects of the Paiwan ethnic groups on Formosa. 

This takit has a scabbard covering of chased brass sheet with a row of heads. Remarkable is the handle of the weapon, which is shaped on both sides as a frontal, standing human figure. The tradition of making handles symmetrical and anthropomorphic is an old Austronesian cultural element that can be found on bronze weapons as early as the Early Metal Age and is largely unknown in Indonesia today, after centuries of Indian overprinting.

Objekt	Sword-knife „takit“, „rinadrug“
Kultur	South-Formosa, Paiwan (Rukai, Puyuma)
Zeit	18/19 century
Maße	Length 62 cm
Material	Wood, steel, non-ferrous metal, lacquer

Paiwan headhunter with takit, spear and shield.

http://hdl.handle.net/10385/jq085k616

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