A Fine Old Ceremonial Sword Paiwan Tribe Indigenous People of Taiwan Formosa Island

A Fine Old Ceremonial Sword Paiwan Tribe Indigenous People of Taiwan Formosa Island

This beautiful old Sword in a carved wood scabbard is from the Paiwan Tribe an original indigenous people of Taiwan, in earlier times Taiwan was known as Formosa Island.  The sword handle is carved in the form of a standing male ancestor. The finely carved wood scabbard has an upraised rectangular form with three heads in a row which relates to the Paiwan Tribes’ headhunting practices, below these heads is another standing male ancestor, and below that is an important snake head design.  Dating from the late 19th to early 20th Century & in good condition with an old use patina.

The hundred-pacer snake (Agkistrodon acutus) is one of the major characters in Paiwan mythology, and it is generally considered to be the pro-creator of the nobles and, in some episodes, of the commoners as well. With local variations in details, the focal theme of the procreation myths is that a female human accepted a marriage proposal from a snake, but not without strong dissent from her family. Jars with snake designs were given to the woman’s family by the snake as bride price, along with the privilege of using the snake design. These jars later became heirlooms of the family line that descended from this reptile-human union. Unions between women and snakes foretell prosperity.

The Paiwan are one of several indigenous peoples living the mountainous interior of Taiwan. Paiwan society is hierarchical, divided into high nobles, minor nobility, and commoners. In former times, only the high nobility was entitled to create or commission certain forms of human images, which portrayed important ancestors (tsmas). The ancestors, whose supernatural influence was controlled by the nobility, had the power to either help or harm the community, depending on whether their spirits received proper respect through ritual observances and offerings. The houses of Paiwan nobles were both the physical and artistic centres of ancestral power and imagery. The remains of noble ancestors were buried within the houses of their descendants, and their images adorned the doorways, house posts, and other architectural elements.

Have a good look at the other Paiwan or Rukai Tribes’ artworks on my website.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic Art & Asian Arts 

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