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The Sacredness Of The Dayak Mandau Dance

The Sacredness Of The Dayak Mandau Dance
According to Michael Coomans, in his book Human Power (1987), Dayaks live in the belief of indigenous traditions. For Dayak people, mystical events become objects in a belief. Therefore, mystical things become real and objective things. Mandau is a cultural object that is born not separated from the magical assumption. More than just weapons, the Dayak people believe in the mandau, living in the spirits of their ancestors.

Anatomically, the mandau consists of two parts: a blade and a sarong (called kumpang). the original mandau is made of mountain stone containing iron. Just like the kris on Java, the mandau is not made by just anyone. Mandau is made by a blacksmith who is also able to "fill" the mandau with ancestral spirits so that it can add strength to those who have it.
The Sacredness Of The Dayak Mandau Dance
The Sacredness Of The Dayak Mandau Dance
the part of the mandau blade is shaped like a tingang which is considered a sacred bird by the Dayak people. Although the mandau blade is uniformly shaped like a bird, but each mandau has a different carving.

Meanwhile, kumpang is made of wood coated with deer antlers. kumpang usually decorated by various carvings. This carving is said to be believed to be able to repel wild animals that try to approach. At the base of the kumpang, there is a rattan knit that functions as a hook at the waist. while, on the sides, there are small bags that are usually filled with chisel knives or other traditional weapons smaller than the mandau.
The Sacredness Of The Dayak Mandau Dance
Many Dayak tribal elders call mandau the threshold. In form, mandau and threshold are indeed similar. but if examined closely, there is a huge difference. Threshold can be regarded as a copy of the Mandau. Unlike mandau, the threshold is made of ordinary iron. The threshold also does not contain gold in the engraving section and is not "filled" like the mandau.

The price of a mandau and threshold is much different. If the threshold can be purchased at a price of IDR 300,000, the price of the Dayak mandau can reach tens of millions of rupiah. In addition to being unique and containing gold, people who have mandau are believed to also have turtles. penyang is a science inherited by ancestors in war. It is said that the person holding the mandau will be equipped with the science of penyang, so that it becomes powerful and powerful against any weapon.