Material: Iron blade, wood and brass hilt, wood scabbard, rattan basket with tigers’ claws
Style: South Nias, West Sumatra, Indonesia
Size: Sword: Length 70 cm, Width 7 cm (top); Scabbard: Length 54 cm, Width 5.5 cm: Basket:, Diameter 11 cm
Order Number: TATW8

Nias is a small island off the west coast of Sumatra, only about 80 miles long. It was called “the Island of Gold” and attracted little attention until the mid 19th century.

The sword is called a Balato. They are very rare. The blade broadens to a point with an almost straight edge.

The hilt is complex and richly decorated with a brass ring broadening towards the base. The carving is a lasara, which is a mythical figure linked to the god of death and darkness. It is a fanciful head, with teeth of a wild boar, the mouth of a crocodile or snake, crowned with a calao helmet and the antlers of a deer.

The wooden scabbard is held together by strips of brass.

A round plaited rattan basket is attached to the scabbard decorated with tiger claws, which are considered of great value.

Late 19th – Early 20th century.

A similar example is shown in Traditional Weapons of the Indonesian Archipelago, Albert G. Van Zonneveld, C. Zwartenkot Art Books, 2001 at page 29.

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