Code: IN15
This is a matching pair of contemporary Golok, “Golok Djanoer Ganda Perah Tjeker Oentjal", or more simply, "Golak Ganda" (Double Golak) in Javanese. The Sundanese name is "Bedog". Each knife fits side-by-side into its own compartment in a single scabbard. The blades measure 15 3/4 inches long by 1 1/4 inch wide and are very sharp. The ricasso is narrow in width and the blades thicken towards the tip, thereby ensuring the weight of the blade is well forward as an aid to slashing and chopping. The blades are pattern-welded. Each knife measures a total of 22 inches including the hilt.
On the side of each blade are struck markings showing the name of the village of provenance. Unlike many other weapons from the region, it is thus possible to be certain of the origin of the knives. These knives were made after about 1974 by H. Aas of Tjibatoe, Soekabumi.
The hilts are made of ironwood. The scabbard is also made of ironwood, with brass decoration and appliances and a mahogany-like wood along the top and bottom line of the scabbard as well as near the opening.
The golok, is a jungle knife, a chopper, also used as a cleaver and in war. It has a short heavy blade with a cutting edge and a straight or slightly concave back. Some types have a blade heavier in the center and curving to a sharp point at the tip. This golok has spread far and wide. It is used in nearly all Malayan countries and is also found in northern Australia. As a result, there is great variation in the shapes of the hilts and scabbards, and the blades may range in width from hand-size to several feet in length.
Double golok such as these are sometimes used in the martial art called “silat”.