Description:

Dagger knife "badik", "bade"
South Sulawesi, Makassar area, Sulawesi Selatan, Buginese cultural area, 18th/early 19th century
L. 31,5 cm
Ivory, steel, wood. This is an exceptional badik from Sulawesi, which can be attributed to the 18th or early 19th century. The degree of preservation and the quality of material and workmanship qualify it as an outstanding and important example of this type of bladed weapon. The blade is forged using the pamor technique. It is constructed from two twisted rods in solid technique, with an additional forged cutting edge of fine refined steel. Twisted pamor is called pamor untiran or lar gangsir in Central Indonesian terminology. The surface shows a well-preserved black patina, which represents an original condition that is rarely found. The scabbard body is made of brown wood. It has an attached mouthpiece with a bulge on the cutting edge, which is open-worked. This shows an abstract zoomorphic design, as it is found in a similar form on scabbards on Sumatra (Aceh, Batak). The handle and mouthpiece as well as the scabbard foot are made of dujung, manatee ivory. The handle is bent like a pistol and ends at the back in a tapa kuda (horse hoof-like) finial, which is also frequently found on blade objects from Sumatra. This points to the close relationship between Sulawesi and South Sumatra, especially after the 1960s, when the Buginese settled in the Malay region following the capture of Makassar by the Dutch. The handle has a widened base that fits perfectly into the scabbard mouthpiece with a raised decorative element at the base.
From an old German private collection, collected since the 1950s - The EU sales licence for this lot is available - This lot cannot be exported out of the European Union

The badik was spread throughout the archipelago by the Makassars and can be regarded as representative of the Bugis culture. Its origins are lost in the darkness of history, but it does not seem impossible that Singalese knife moulds were the inspiration in the first millennium CE. It was still an indispensable part of traditional costume in the 1960s. The badik is an important weapon in pencak silat. In the past, badik was used in the duel form sitobo lalang lipa, which was common in cases of serious honour violations, whereby the opponents locked themselves in a ring made of sarong, which made it impossible to escape without losing face (similar to vendetta in Corsica). The duels often ended fatally or with serious wounds (sometimes for both participants), as the lightning-fast stabs and cuts were almost impossible to fend off. The Bugis, bearers of this type of badik, have always been known for their tolerant attitude. For example, not two, but five different genders are recognised, all of which are considered natural and of equal rank (male males, female males, female females, male females, and non-binary bissu, with the associated marriage options). Despite nominally Sunni Islam, women do not wear a veil, and tuanni, the belief in multiple deities, as well as various "magical" practices and rituals are observed and practised alongside Islam. The name Bugis derives from To Ugi, "people". The Bugis can look back on a long history. From 1200 to 1600, the kingdoms of Tallo, Soppeng, Wajo and Bone are connected in today's Bugis region. Around 1605, the Malays of the Sulawesi Selatan region converted to Sunni Islam. This was spread by Minangkabau Ulema rulers from Sumatra. However, this was not a strict rejection of the previous cosmologies; the tolotang religion continued to exist alongside Islam. During the English and Dutch colonial period, the Bugis were highly feared pirates and highly efficient merchants. The "bogeyman" or "bush man", a corruption of the "Bugis man" or "bogeyman", i.e. the Buginese Macassars, and their rededication as a child terror dates back to this time

Dolchmesser "badik", "bade"
Südsulawesi, Gebiet von Makassar, Sulawesi Selatan, buginesisches Kulturgebiet, 18./frühes 19. Jh.
L. 31,5 cm
Elfen

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300 € 359 € 30 €
360 € 399 € 40 €
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900 € 999 € 100 €
1.000 € 1.999 € 100 €
2.000 € 2.999 € 200 €
3.000 € 3.599 € 300 €
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