Code CH7
The Paiwan (Baiwan) call their blades "takit" (pronounced like "tjakit"). The scabbard features the paipushe snake, which the Paiwan refer to as "the Elder". The likeness of this snake appears on their clothing and totem carvings.
The hilt features two carved ancestor figures with crowns and raised arms, signifying the headman of the tribe. A brass bolster helps secure the blade in the hilt. More detailed ancestor heads depicting tribe members appear in carvings on the scabbard along with the canonical form of the paipushe snake.
This sword is 23 ¼ inches in overall length. The blade is 18 inches long, with a width of 1 ⅛ inches that gently tapers to 1 inch before the sweep up to the tip. The thickness of the blade is just over ⅛ inch and nearly constant until a quick distal taper in the final inch towards the tip. The cross section is a half-diamond -- flat on one side and two-sided on the other. Along the medial ridge on the faceted right hand side, the thickness is closer to ¼ inch. The edge is a type 4 chisel grind on the right hand side of the blade only. The tip is an upswept curve to a point, a form that concentrates force and is especially good for thrusting.
Taiwan aboriginal hunters
