Code IN60
A larger siraui (pisaw, pisau) from Sumatra, Indonesia, c. 1920. This is a relatively rare dagger not often found outside Sumatra. I acquired this weapon from the estate of the reknown collector, Lew Waldeman, who clasified it as a “siran dagger”. The siraui is both a utility knife and a weapon of self defense. This one is too large to easily conceal.
Overall length of the knife is 9¾ inches (25 cm) with the blade, exclusive of the stem, comprising just under 6 inches (15 cm) of that. Overall sheathed length is 12¾ inches (32.5 cm) with a knife weight of 3.2 ounces (93 grams) and a sheathed overall weight of just under 8 ounces (228 grams).
The sharpened edge of the blade is convex and the other is slightly concave, with the result a blade that sweeps up towards a raised tip. The blade has a slight wedge shape cross-section and appears sharpened equally on both sides. The width of the blade is just under 1 inch at the forte. The blade is a robust 1/4 inch thick at the visible portion of the tang at the hilt, rapidly tapering to 1/8 inch at the beginning of the blade and thereafter tapering distally. The blade has been highly polished yet still shows signs of a lifetime of work. The form of the all wood hilt is a simple hulu iku mie, often found in Sumatra. The hilt is 3 1/2 inches long. A very simple carved design depict a double crown. The single or double crown motif is often seen in brass on other weapons from Sumatra such as the rencong.
The scabbard resembles that found on the keris: an inner wooden gandar completely enclosed in a brass sheath pendok. The top of the sheath is in the form of a warangka tengah palembang, typical of Sumatra.
