Note: Only three of these swords are in my collection. The remainder are elsewhere. Please note that these pictures are from a variety of sources. They appear here for educational purposes only under the "Fair Use" doctrine.
During the 30 years of the Aceh War (1873-1901) and for a decade or so after, a cluster of hamlets near the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL) Headquarters in the Sumedang (Soemedang) Regency of Java, Indonesia, produced a number of very high quality swords that are unique blends of traditional Indonesian designs and European military or personal preferences. Each sword is unique and was likely custom ordered by an officer in KNIL or someone associated with the Dutch East Indies Company.
The blades are almost always decorated with a very similar okir pattern. Many of the hilts feature carving of a bird or stylized eagle although some more closely resemble a Makara.
Some of the designs arising from this creative clash may be progenitors of types of weapon designs that spread across the archipelago in subsequent years. The parang nabur is sometimes cited as an example.
Manufacturing in this era was a cooperative process, with each household in a hamlet specializing in one part of the process. The hamlets were these swords were made are listed below. The names, in Dutch language rendering are shown along with the names as used in the Sundanese language of the area. The Dutch name of the hamlet producing the sword was typical engraved on the blade's ricasso along with the date of manufacture.
- Tjicatjing (Cikating)
- Tjikeroeh (Cikeruh)
- Tjipatjing (Cipacing)
- Tjisoerat
- Tjibatoe (Cnibatu)
Edged Weapons from Hamlets in the Sumedang Regency, Java, Indonesia