Unlike modern education, in the ancient times of the '70's and '80's we were drilled sentence diagramming, syntax, and grammar. The Standard American lingo of those long gone days said, "No more than three adverbs in a row" and, "if you put one at the end of the sentence there should be a comma, for if there's not Sister Anita will waterboard your #$$ for the duration of recess".
'Pingpu' is the name of the particular set of indigenous Taiwanese tribes who used this. To say it is a 'Pingpu knife' doesn't imply that Pingpu is the name of the weapon.
No wonder, unfortunately lack of interest in history is a worldwide trend, especially regarding the material culture. You still have some awesome museums there though, with really high quality exhibition and great staff
Looks like one of those knives that indigenous people of Taiwan used to use. I think it was also part of their kit when they served in the Imperial Japanese Army as Takasago volunteers, like Gurkhas and their kukris. If not, it looks very simillar. EDIT: Nice, got it right :)
Hi. I'm from the Philippines. The fact that you said about the scabbard is part true. Thou we austronesians can no longer explain why some scabbards were open. We are often told that it is a way to prevent dust and mud from staying inside the scabbard and to make water out of it. (During headhunting era; to prevent blood staying in the blade so not to rust the metal) It is also a way to intimidate an enemy as well as to see if your tool is clean or rusted.
Sir Mix-A-Lot said "I like big butts" Matt Eason said "I love a wide butt" Lol But Matt also said "Something good to secure to get you hand right on that butt. And you're not going to slip off. And you don't want to slip off when you're...especially when you're riding right up that butt you don't want your hand to come off...it gets fatter..it swells I'm your hand and is less likely to slip off..." #Context LMAO
Oddly enough I got my first exposure to that kinda knife at college. The Taiwanese club used some of those for a culture night dance. It's cool to see you talk about it here!
This is actually very interesting to me because it is very similar to traditional Thai knives, As in Thailand not Taiwan. The Thai knives like this are found in the Lana culture in the northern mountains. The blades tend to not have as much of a curve and broaden near the tip, and the scabbard material is made of woven rattan vine, basically wicker. The Thai enep is a fantastic kukri like knife I would love for your to review as well. In fact, if you are willing to cover one, I would be willing to buy one for you next time I am visiting family in Thailand.
@@blakelowrey9620 Fair enough, I suppose worst case scenario is I end up with another knife for the collection. I would want to get him something of decent quality. Enep in Thailand vary widely in quality as they are very much tools like parang as well as weapons. Enep being used to this day as tools means you can find them very cheap and traditionally constructed for about the equivalent to 5$ for a hand made "farmers enep" On the other end of the spectrum you can find very finely made ornate pieces that can cost hundreds of dollars each.
@@-Zevin- if he ends up not wanting it, let me know! I was very little when I was in Thailand last, but I have other traditional knives from around the world, and would love to see one of those in person! Get a nice(er) one for the channel/yourself and a few of the farmers enep for channel/yourself to giveaway 😉
@@FireHawkISA I have actually considered getting bulk Thai knives or swords or setting up some type of arrangement for international shipping. So it's good to hear there is some interest. There is very little to no Thai sword/knives available on places like eBay, and the ones I have seen are poor quality or overpriced. The occasional antique does show up though if you keep an eye out.
Being from Indonesia, that kind of open scabbard would be useful for river crossings. All the water would leak out vs being inside the scabbard. It's not uncommon when traversing rivers to have to go chest deep into water. The open design probably helps with that. It is quite peculiar though. Here in Indonesia the woods used for making scabbards are usually resilient enough to not warp and get damaged by water. Maybe the trees in Taiwan and mainland Asia do not have such properties? Thus the open design.
There is a movie about this called Warriors of the Rainbow, about the Japanese invasion in 1890s. So if you find this in the Himalayas and on Taiwan, but not on the Philippines, Borneo and other parts of South East Asia. Indonesia and Philippines are linguistic relatives of aboriginal taiwanese, so I would rule out some ancient comon cultural root. The more minimalist construction of the blade may simply be rooted in the fact that the blade is a weaponisesable tool and not a high prestige object like a weapon. I could imagine that the close proximity of metal working cultures, made bladed weapon less of an high status object.
It is resembles the hinalung blades in the northern part of the Philippines. There are ethnic groups here that have a lot of similarities with the natives of Taiwan: images.app.goo.gl/NwHttWj9oJUaeoeE7
You seem to forget that there are many knives in South Asian countries that are in fact status symbols or prestige objects as well as being weapons for example the Kris was most definitely both
Long ago I had one of these weapons, a genuine antique, the scabbard had many more thin iron straps. The one I had was very large, the blade part 20 inches long, the hilt was all forged iron integral with the blade and it was hollow so that it could be used as a pole arm.
That fucking genius. The idea of essentially "fixing bayonets" and having a group of soldiers go from being armed with short swords to polearms is really cool.
Sooooo excited to see someone introducing this weapon to the world. Aboriginal people served in Japanese army in WWII carrying these in the south east Asia and they have great reputation as skilled jungle warriors. This is a spiritual and cultural tool to Taiwanese indeed, and practical as well. Nowadays most hikers and mountaineers, aboriginal or Chinese descendants like me, all admires lalau and carry them in the mountains. Thank you for the wonderful video.
I want to see Lucy's review of this video. How does she feel about Matt liking a Fat Butt and whether she thinks it is as long as Matt does, and why is Matt doing that motion all day?
I love how you managed to blow straight past the picture of the dude carrying the decapitated head. I think I know why they were carrying those knifes all the time. From my understanding, the mountain tribes were very keen on this, and decorated their houses with the boiled skulls.
@18:41 🎶 "I *love* a wide butt, I gotta say" Thou other knights shan't deny! That when a blade with a waifish waist And a round pommel in thine face! Thou art sprung! Pull thine grip up tough 'Cause you see that Pommel was Stuffed! Deep in the Scabbard she's wearing, Got staples and I cannot stop staring!🎵 *Blade got back!*
A number of Filipino edged tools/weapons have similar open scabbards. Various sizes from knives on up; I'm guessing convergent evolution. The humidity management idea is a good one. I'm still going to go with ease and economy of manufacture. There's only half the woodwork to do, and less work holding the two halves together. If you've had to deal with wood scabbards held together with strips of rattan ... it can be a pain and dangerous. Purely leather scabbards are not all that common in the nearby parts of the world with which I am familiar. And in the tropics leather has its own problems with durability and moisture. If it's like other similar tools the wrapping is probably rattan. You could probably use the skin of an Aboriginal Taiwanese person's hands to shingle roofs.
I've come across West African scabbards constructed similarly, I believe it to be a design that's evolved independently in several tropical and semi-tropical rainforest environments
It might not be convergent evolution as the tribes from Taiwan and northern Luzon in the Philippines are said to be related, with some saying that Taiwan is the source of most people in SE Asia.
These are found in SE Asia (Indonesia, specifically)and strangely enough, Taiwan. My Father is from Sumatra and encountered these, in the inland forests.
Woah... Did you just say colonialism is not just a European thing?? It is 2020 and you are not allowed to say that. I'm shaving the side of my head and dying my hair purple as we speak in preparation for my incoming social cyber attack
I would imagine that in _warm_ humid places an open scabbard is convenient because your blade will dry by evaporation if you leave it out in the sun and wind for a bit (or just wear it while you're out in the sun and wind)? Which wouldn't work so well in, say, Ireland.
Not really. Any scabbard made from wood is good to keep the blade dry compared to iron and leather. I'm not sure what type but some wood have good moisture wicking that keeps the blade dry and absorb the smell of blood like the scabbard we have for machete we use to slaughter animal. Some wooden scabbards have small gap between the joints either intentionally, poor workmanship or the wood shrunk from drying (in case where greenwood was used). In hot humid area specialized wood will sponged off moisture from blades. Damp doesn't mean we are dripping with water all the time. Open scabbard is just easier to make or have become a popularized pattern. Full scabbard is time consuming to make. My father during his free time took weeks scraping and shaving a block of wood to make sure the scabbard not only snugly fits but also his machete does not rattle and jump out when running or jumping in the jungle. I think the flexible staples on the open scabbard helps prevent slippage and rattling since each time he draws out the blade there's a sound of hissing iron scraping against each other.
I guess it's because of moisture and mold. Wooden scabbards can swell and lock the blade in the scabbard (i think there are historical accounts of that). That's why they had wool and felt inside (mainly the earlier ones, why ever they stopped using it), that holds the blade in the scabbard, while it doesn't lock it up when the wood swells up. But in cold, humid areas I guess the scabbard will dry eventually inside in a nice, heated house. While in warm humid places, it's humid everywhere. Thus it won't dry and eventually mold will form and destroy it An open scabbard wouldn't be prone to mold or to lock the blade inside
Many parangs I've seen have an enclosed wooden sheath with small notches on the bottom (or sometimes along the entire length) to let moisture drain out.
Another reason could be that it allows one to show off their blade while it is sheathed and for it to seem more menacing with the large blade constantly exposed to onlookers.
@@Glimmlampe1982 I am from Indonesia and closed wooden scabbards are definitely what's popular here in South East Asia. Never seen an open scabbard like that before. The wooden scabbards actually get looser over time vs tightening up. Our trees and woods are very resilient to hot and humid weather due to evolution. It's not uncommon for people to go chest high deep into rivers while having their machetes on their hip with the wood scabbard. And most scabbards have holes on the bottom for excess water to drain out.
I live in Townsville in Australia, in the tropics with humidity. I can’t leave my swords in there scabbards, even with oil they start to rust. I have to from time to time reapply oil, give them a good cleaning. Dry and light polish, then reapply Renaissance wax. Open scabbards are a great idea.
Didn't expect to see a knife of my country to be on your channel tbh, the grip is probably rapped by ratten instead of bamboo, they are way easier to work with for such construction and have more tenacity, I have one that's rapped by strings and accidentally poked it with another knife and have to wrap the entire thing myself. btw there another kind of handle for these knifes, they don't really have a tang, instead they have essentially a large peice of the steel wrapped into a cone with the same shape as the handle, which also doubles as a socket for mounting on a stick and yes they are well loved by the aboriginal peoples and many that likes to go hiking/camping as they are very good at cutting through vegetations in the mountains
Open scabbards are actually common with some northern tribes/groups here in the Philippines. From what I have heard from other blade enthusiasts here in our country, the reason for that is to prevent moisture from being trapped inside the blade.
There's some evidence to say that the natives of Taiwan, the Philippines, and some parts of Indonesia were originally colonized in ancient times by peoples coming from continental SouthEast Asia, the progenitors of the 100 Yue. It's said that the peoples of the 100 Yue were renowned sailors, swimmers, and adventurers. It's no wonder that in form and aesthetic it resembles other blades from SouthEast Asia.
I've always heard, among my friends in the military, that a knife isn't truly a part of you until it's drawn your own blood, either in use or during maintenance. It's something we referred to as "being bitten". Soldiers in the US Army can sometimes be so superstitious about it, that if a new knife is ever handed to a friend, and it "bites" the friend first, that's now his knife. Kinda weird stuff, but as a lover of knives, I noticed that every knife that bit me didn't break, but every knife that didn't bite me always broke a tip and became chipped after even the lightest use.
A specific indigenous tribe in my country use the open faced scabbard with a similar blade design. - Check out the Philippine Cordillera Bladed Weaponry particularly the ifugao tribe, North of Luzon island.
I think convergent evolution is the most likely- if you think about it thats the easiest and most pratical way of doing a scabbard FROM WOOD; The moment i stopped to imagine other ways of doing a wooden scabbar it became clear how thats the most obvious (and easier) solution- carve enough to fit the blade and done, from a *single* piece of wood. Any other methods would involve at least 2 pieces of wood, maybe even twice the time to make... and considering taiwan (jungles) and butan (pretty much all mountain) i guess leather was harder to come by, their people probably didnt had cattle yet when these scabbard/tradition started, and theres lots more you do with leather you cant with wood so priority of resources.
*Gasp* Did he just say ... Oh no, no more Chinese swords for Matt. He could even be banned from TH-cam :-( Off to the re-education camps with him. Edit: To those who replied - yep, you know what I meant ;-0
In the village back home in Alaska where I’m from, I knew hardcore hunters who’s best knife sheath was made from a beer box and duck tape, also wildernesses fire fighting water hose works good if you can steal some from the supply tent 😉
18.41 "I love a wide butt, I've got to say, something good and secure to get your hand right onto that butt, and you are not going to slip off....you don't want to slip off, when you are riding right up on the butt"" Ooerr
I'm from the Philippines and has some familiarity with different regional blades of my country, this style of hilt and scabbard looks similar with the blades of ethnic groups in Cordilleras, you can search 'pinahig' or 'hinalung' in Google. It's similar in a way that the hilt is also wrapped in rattan and the scabbard is 'open', though the blade profile is different. Interesting!
This example is a smaller version of the normal sizes. I have several of them, insanely hard to get out of the country as the Taiwanese ban on edged weapons is very anal. This looks like it came from the Hualian Truku smiths.
On the subject of non-European weapons, I would love to hear more about the weapons of the Yakut, Evenki, and similar peoples of Siberia. The typical "Yakut knife" is fairly easy to find, but what is much lesser known are the larger versions, which vary in blade and handle length from large knives to machetes to pole arms. It's hard to even find a name for them, but I have seen them called Batiya and Khotokhoon, or simply "Yakut machete." I hope someone sends you one.
Southeast Asian martial arts utilise the excess grip for control of an opponents limbs or weapons. I'm currently studying Kali and it's a big part of it.
I hope it will stealth the pic at 5:20 trough the algorithm because that isn't exactly the standard policy, even for these type of channels. Very interesting video. Loved the music and the whole edit magic. Videos getting better and better. Love the content.
Such Scabbards are also seen throughout North Eastern India. among the tribal weapons there. Not just in Sikkim sir. Other examples: Naga Dao (Nagaland), Mishmi Dao (Arunachal Pradesh), there are a few more.
@@chowalex8646 well, it probably got into the language due to trade links and other contacts... The North Eastern Indians are Tibeto Burmese in origin, so they originated from areas closer to China before being absorbed into India.
The scabbard is design for fast draw thats why its open design. The idea is you got a very high carbon steel knife is a forest, when a inclosed sheath once it rust and you need it you might not ensheath the weapon fast enough.
It is a head hunting weapon this particular design is from the atayalic speaking tribes and may range in different lengths this is a secondary weapon and used to finish off a target that was shot by an arrow or a gun
So i am a engineer in thermodynamic, and i think that the main difference between England and taiwan that would push them to make open scabbard, might be the temperature. Indeed at higher temperature the air is capable of absorbing at lot more moisture, meaning that when the temperature drop, let's say at night it will release some of that water, and if you have an enclosed space like a classical scabbard for instance you'll get water inside even if it was protected from the rain, add to that the fact that in low oxygen environement (for isntance an enclosed scabbard) water can do anaerobic corrosion, and i believe it become fairly reasonnable to think that an open scabbard could protect the blade better than a closed one in an environnement with high humidity and high temperature. In England you dodge that problem because the air is a lot colder and therefore a lot dryier to begin with, meaning that the rain is a much greater risk than the humidity of the air itself.
I think I've generally seen shorter spears being used in heavily forested environments. Makes sense, an eight-foot pole-axe would be impossible in, say, the Amazon rainforest. Indigenous people carried short, light-weight spears, where you could carry more than one. (I suspect a thrown spear got lost in the dense growth pretty oftern.) Their bows tend to be smaller, too, for the same reason. Try just walking through a dense virgin forest (if you can find any these days). It's damned hard going, so anything that's encumbering would be a huge pain in the ass.
Looks similar to the type of knife used to cut coconut flowers (kagot, cagot, manggot) to access the sap for wine, vinegar or sugar production. Southern part of Luzon, Philippines.
A Taiwanese-American chap who sold me a few shih-ling dao, parang, and goloks had a couple of laraw. I think he re-sold his first one because the second was custom forged to be a better fit for him personally. Wish I had scooped up that first one when I had the chance! Edit: Also, good to hear Matt acknowledge the 'divide & conquer' tactic of colonialism.
My aboriginal guide on a hike in Taiwan had this as his survival knife. Someday, I hope to get one from a traditional smith there. BTW check out Seediq Bali/ Warriors of the Rainbow movie.
Funny thing you say about spears and long polearms. I've watched videos and read articles that the philipine army is one of the few modern armies left on the world that still trains with swords.
The Southern Han Chinese genotype is found in both Taiwan & among the Tibet People (& thereabouts, as well as in many more places); so, it's quite possible that this somewhat open sheath concept was commonly shared by this group of kinfolk at some point (although such could also simply be a case of common solutions found independently to address a common problem).
correctamente re context for super-ventilated scabbards is jungle 'patrols', hunts, where wake-up to a very dew-laden blade-- rust!--, ventilated to dry-out fast; ** design is very well adapted to stabbing (hammergrip, icepickgrip) at biting-grappling range, via Peripheral Entry Points, to heart, for 10-15sec Lethal Problem Solving (vs just slashing, stabbing-away at whatever: no telling how long THAT will take to solve the lethal problem (similar for bullet-placement, buckshot, arrows...); ** also, re stabbing at grappling, the long hilt allows for ONE hand to SWIVEL the hilt in the OTHER hand, to instantly change the edge-orientation, for stabbing, (& slashing tendons, eg) wielded w/ TWO hands, at ALL angles of peripheral entry points, to heart; ** also, for longer (saber?) thrusts, CAN CHANGE, REVERSE, grip so edge is UP, (as, hilt is OVAL)-- thus better for long thrusts; ** also, generous curved edge great for ROLLING CUTS at elbow-range, & CIRCULAR CUT PATHS, & push-cuts (hammergrip & icepickgrip);** also, if hold EDGE UP, can make POPPING THRUSTS from several angles, maybe for less-than-lethal duels
Things we learned in this video, a few extra inches is adventitious, wide butts are great to get a hold of, and if you do it all day you'll get blisters. Thanks Matt history is fun!
Obviously, this should be dubbed the ‘Thai Fighter’ (walking on Killer Mouse IP, potentially dodged bullet...). Rambling diatribe: Ah well, I love the crazier SE Asian/Indian pre-gunpowder weaponry; lots of substandard designs (I.e. urumi) that would simply fail as a life-&-death weapon, but just as many brilliant, novel solutions to serious shortcomings in tech or material sciences. Ofc, I’m pretty sure that Indian smelters were the first (recorded, iirc) producers of reasonably consistent crucible steels, even if it’d have cost you a few villages to buy the ~300-600g ingot a modestly proportioned sword - or maybe a spearhead and dagger, axe/spear, etc? Big money item, presuming one has the mercantile connections to even have the option, really. All numbers are my own fairly educated guess, as is my stated declaration that the Urumi is trash, as are most flexible hand-to-hand weaponry.
I knew it came from the Pacific Ocean, somewhere, and while I've seen knives from the Philippines with that kind of scabbard, the knife didn't seem right. If Taiwan had crossed my mind, I might have guessed it, but there are quite a few different ethnic groups out in the Pacific, and I don't know all of them...
Matt has good sabre technique... but poor machete technique. If you hammerfist a machete you'll have blisters before long, and you'll tire very quickly.
Just a thought.. Your theory on Why the scabbard is only covered On one side .. I was thinking More in the lines a sacred or Important Display. Of special significance Goes against common Sense..
"probably" , "perhaps", "most likely" are signs that the gentleman understands deeply the science called history. History is the science of "perhaps" , "most likely" and so one, independently of who likes it and who not. History is not arithmetics, it's not banking...it is history and that's it
Yup, definitely Taiwanese. I was introduced to the basic shape by a Taiwanese knife maker who produces several modernized variations. It immediately connected with me.
I kind of figured that was a Taiwanese blade from the profile & style of the design. Thailand has many beautiful designs for their handcrafted productions, unique designs that I have never seen locally in my area. I have a neighbor who collects various blades from that part of the world, last time I seen his collection . He had like 12 Thai blades, it's probably doubled by now. he wants to make a little personal museum on his private property one day.
Obviously not a bushcraft guy. His wood chopping moves are dangerous to himself and to anyone nearby. And no warrior ever plays with a weapon like that. Too nonscientific, testing is a controlled process. Dude! Think first!
Best line of the video "...and I love a wide butt, Ive got to say. Something good, secure to get your hands right on that butt. And you're not going to slip off. Especially when you're riding right up on the butt. You don't want your hand to come off." 😂
Nice cutting, even better than the kukri! You should compete, like with the cinque dia arming sword thingamybob that they have in America. Seriously, your cutting is next level. Like no daichi.
I must admit, the first thought I had when I saw the scabard was. "Huh, if you fell into water it would deffinately Drain well." I think you're right, I think the scabard is open to allow the blade to dry and prevent damp seeping in from the air.
"Probably, initially, predominantly, these were probably backup weapons... primarily" I've never seen so many adverbs in one place!
Thanks sweetie
Unlike modern education, in the ancient times of the '70's and '80's we were drilled sentence diagramming, syntax, and grammar. The Standard American lingo of those long gone days said, "No more than three adverbs in a row" and, "if you put one at the end of the sentence there should be a comma, for if there's not Sister Anita will waterboard your #$$ for the duration of recess".
I miss "Obviously". Such a nice word.
'Pingpu' is the name of the particular set of indigenous Taiwanese tribes who used this. To say it is a 'Pingpu knife' doesn't imply that Pingpu is the name of the weapon.
Master legend, where did you see all of those adverbs?
thank u for sharing this,we Taiwanese don't appreciate that part of our heritage enough
May you never have a need to access the memories.
From headchopper to bushcrafter
No wonder, unfortunately lack of interest in history is a worldwide trend, especially regarding the material culture. You still have some awesome museums there though, with really high quality exhibition and great staff
Uncultured swines
出草番油是吧
"I love a wide butt." I love how you can say all these things in your videos with a straight face.
His dad jokes are next level for sure. I would think we all aspire to fire off dad jokes like these without losing our cools.
you are so right! this video had soooo many dirty jokes perfectly delivered with his classic dead pan way! he's so clean dirty its amazing!
I too love a wide butt Matt
Looks like one of those knives that indigenous people of Taiwan used to use. I think it was also part of their kit when they served in the Imperial Japanese Army as Takasago volunteers, like Gurkhas and their kukris. If not, it looks very simillar.
EDIT: Nice, got it right :)
tru
Hi. I'm from the Philippines. The fact that you said about the scabbard is part true. Thou we austronesians can no longer explain why some scabbards were open. We are often told that it is a way to prevent dust and mud from staying inside the scabbard and to make water out of it. (During headhunting era; to prevent blood staying in the blade so not to rust the metal)
It is also a way to intimidate an enemy as well as to see if your tool is clean or rusted.
Sir Mix-A-Lot said "I like big butts"
Matt Eason said "I love a wide butt"
Lol
But Matt also said "Something good to secure to get you hand right on that butt. And you're not going to slip off. And you don't want to slip off when you're...especially when you're riding right up that butt you don't want your hand to come off...it gets fatter..it swells I'm your hand and is less likely to slip off..."
#Context
LMAO
Watch out, or you will get blisters!
Got to make sure you can hang on no one wants to slip off when you're riding the butt
@@Diomedes_XXII right!
The former adolescent in me was thinking something similar.
I wasn't the only one. Yay.
Oddly enough I got my first exposure to that kinda knife at college. The Taiwanese club used some of those for a culture night dance. It's cool to see you talk about it here!
This is actually very interesting to me because it is very similar to traditional Thai knives, As in Thailand not Taiwan. The Thai knives like this are found in the Lana culture in the northern mountains. The blades tend to not have as much of a curve and broaden near the tip, and the scabbard material is made of woven rattan vine, basically wicker.
The Thai enep is a fantastic kukri like knife I would love for your to review as well. In fact, if you are willing to cover one, I would be willing to buy one for you next time I am visiting family in Thailand.
I feel like you should just assume he wants it and go ahead and buy it lol. Khap khun Khap
@@blakelowrey9620 Fair enough, I suppose worst case scenario is I end up with another knife for the collection. I would want to get him something of decent quality. Enep in Thailand vary widely in quality as they are very much tools like parang as well as weapons.
Enep being used to this day as tools means you can find them very cheap and traditionally constructed for about the equivalent to 5$ for a hand made "farmers enep" On the other end of the spectrum you can find very finely made ornate pieces that can cost hundreds of dollars each.
@@-Zevin- if he ends up not wanting it, let me know! I was very little when I was in Thailand last, but I have other traditional knives from around the world, and would love to see one of those in person!
Get a nice(er) one for the channel/yourself and a few of the farmers enep for channel/yourself to giveaway 😉
@@FireHawkISA I have actually considered getting bulk Thai knives or swords or setting up some type of arrangement for international shipping. So it's good to hear there is some interest. There is very little to no Thai sword/knives available on places like eBay, and the ones I have seen are poor quality or overpriced. The occasional antique does show up though if you keep an eye out.
Do they generally have round-crossection handles?
the original people of Taiwan is not Chinese( Sino Tibetan) they are Austronesian.
"Not the British this time!" I laughed out loud.
Being from Indonesia, that kind of open scabbard would be useful for river crossings. All the water would leak out vs being inside the scabbard. It's not uncommon when traversing rivers to have to go chest deep into water. The open design probably helps with that.
It is quite peculiar though. Here in Indonesia the woods used for making scabbards are usually resilient enough to not warp and get damaged by water. Maybe the trees in Taiwan and mainland Asia do not have such properties? Thus the open design.
I like that it kind of has a stereotypical sword sound when you draw it
Imagine standing on sentry duty and the last thing you hear is 'schhhhhlk!'
@@hendrikvanleeuwen9110 you knew what was fixing to go down but it was too late .
"I love a wide butt." And he doesn't miss a beat. Not quirk of the lip, no wink, nothing.
Last time I was this early, Matt had hai... wait
There was no channel THAT long ago...
There is a movie about this called Warriors of the Rainbow, about the Japanese invasion in 1890s. So if you find this in the Himalayas and on Taiwan, but not on the Philippines, Borneo and other parts of South East Asia. Indonesia and Philippines are linguistic relatives of aboriginal taiwanese, so I would rule out some ancient comon cultural root. The more minimalist construction of the blade may simply be rooted in the fact that the blade is a weaponisesable tool and not a high prestige object like a weapon. I could imagine that the close proximity of metal working cultures, made bladed weapon less of an high status object.
Seediq Bale
That movie was tragic. First thing I thought of when I saw that blade was warriors of the rainbow
It is resembles the hinalung blades in the northern part of the Philippines. There are ethnic groups here that have a lot of similarities with the natives of Taiwan: images.app.goo.gl/NwHttWj9oJUaeoeE7
Couldn't think of the name,it was very good ,subject little known these days.
You seem to forget that there are many knives in South Asian countries that are in fact status symbols or prestige objects as well as being weapons for example the Kris was most definitely both
“I like a wide butt. Something you can secure your hand on and it won’t slip of” Yeah, Mat, we got ya)
Long ago I had one of these weapons, a genuine antique, the scabbard had many more thin iron straps. The one I had was very large, the blade part 20 inches long, the hilt was all forged iron integral with the blade and it was hollow so that it could be used as a pole arm.
It looked like many of the ones in the photos he showed were also significantly larger, with perhaps ~18" blades instead of ~10" blades.
That fucking genius. The idea of essentially "fixing bayonets" and having a group of soldiers go from being armed with short swords to polearms is really cool.
Sooooo excited to see someone introducing this weapon to the world. Aboriginal people served in Japanese army in WWII carrying these in the south east Asia and they have great reputation as skilled jungle warriors.
This is a spiritual and cultural tool to Taiwanese indeed, and practical as well. Nowadays most hikers and mountaineers, aboriginal or Chinese descendants like me, all admires lalau and carry them in the mountains.
Thank you for the wonderful video.
"If I did that motion all day, I'd get some nasty blisters." Not if you use lotion 🤣
I want to see Lucy's review of this video. How does she feel about Matt liking a Fat Butt and whether she thinks it is as long as Matt does, and why is Matt doing that motion all day?
It's all perfectly normal in context. What context that is, we may never know.
In my tribe(Bunun),we call it”haili”
Sounds like “hi lee”
Bununs are Seediq’s rival tribe I think, In the movie “Warriors of the rainbow”.
@@yournoneexistencefather5869 it’s true,our rivalry can be traced back way before Japanese or Chinese set foot on this island
Yeah I recognize that immediately.
Hello from Taiwan!
Hi yo c3
I love how you managed to blow straight past the picture of the dude carrying the decapitated head. I think I know why they were carrying those knifes all the time. From my understanding, the mountain tribes were very keen on this, and decorated their houses with the boiled skulls.
@18:41 🎶 "I *love* a wide butt, I gotta say"
Thou other knights shan't deny!
That when a blade with a waifish waist
And a round pommel in thine face!
Thou art sprung! Pull thine grip up tough
'Cause you see that Pommel was Stuffed!
Deep in the Scabbard she's wearing,
Got staples and I cannot stop staring!🎵
*Blade got back!*
Come for the bladed weapons stay for the sexual innuendo.
A number of Filipino edged tools/weapons have similar open scabbards. Various sizes from knives on up; I'm guessing convergent evolution. The humidity management idea is a good one. I'm still going to go with ease and economy of manufacture. There's only half the woodwork to do, and less work holding the two halves together. If you've had to deal with wood scabbards held together with strips of rattan ... it can be a pain and dangerous. Purely leather scabbards are not all that common in the nearby parts of the world with which I am familiar. And in the tropics leather has its own problems with durability and moisture.
If it's like other similar tools the wrapping is probably rattan.
You could probably use the skin of an Aboriginal Taiwanese person's hands to shingle roofs.
I've come across West African scabbards constructed similarly, I believe it to be a design that's evolved independently in several tropical and semi-tropical rainforest environments
Makes sense: why do double the work when half will do just as good a job? And if it gets wet or mud in you just shake it a bit and clear the issue.
@@gusty9053 actually it's not double the work.
You just need a flat board as a lid.
It might not be convergent evolution as the tribes from Taiwan and northern Luzon in the Philippines are said to be related, with some saying that Taiwan is the source of most people in SE Asia.
Looks like an Atayal, Seediq or Truku knife.
These are found in SE Asia (Indonesia, specifically)and strangely enough, Taiwan. My Father is from Sumatra and encountered these, in the inland forests.
in hot humid climates leather and cotton rots quickly, and you can put an open scabbard in the sun to dry quickly.
Do you have a source for that? Because leather and cotton can easily be dried in the hot sun to slow down decay.
Woah... Did you just say colonialism is not just a European thing?? It is 2020 and you are not allowed to say that. I'm shaving the side of my head and dying my hair purple as we speak in preparation for my incoming social cyber attack
5:20 casually showing a man holding another man's decapitated head.
"I love a wide butt and I'm not going to lie.". Yeah, you and Sir Mix A Lot. 🤣
I would imagine that in _warm_ humid places an open scabbard is convenient because your blade will dry by evaporation if you leave it out in the sun and wind for a bit (or just wear it while you're out in the sun and wind)? Which wouldn't work so well in, say, Ireland.
Not really. Any scabbard made from wood is good to keep the blade dry compared to iron and leather. I'm not sure what type but some wood have good moisture wicking that keeps the blade dry and absorb the smell of blood like the scabbard we have for machete we use to slaughter animal. Some wooden scabbards have small gap between the joints either intentionally, poor workmanship or the wood shrunk from drying (in case where greenwood was used).
In hot humid area specialized wood will sponged off moisture from blades. Damp doesn't mean we are dripping with water all the time. Open scabbard is just easier to make or have become a popularized pattern. Full scabbard is time consuming to make. My father during his free time took weeks scraping and shaving a block of wood to make sure the scabbard not only snugly fits but also his machete does not rattle and jump out when running or jumping in the jungle. I think the flexible staples on the open scabbard helps prevent slippage and rattling since each time he draws out the blade there's a sound of hissing iron scraping against each other.
I guess it's because of moisture and mold.
Wooden scabbards can swell and lock the blade in the scabbard (i think there are historical accounts of that). That's why they had wool and felt inside (mainly the earlier ones, why ever they stopped using it), that holds the blade in the scabbard, while it doesn't lock it up when the wood swells up.
But in cold, humid areas I guess the scabbard will dry eventually inside in a nice, heated house.
While in warm humid places, it's humid everywhere. Thus it won't dry and eventually mold will form and destroy it
An open scabbard wouldn't be prone to mold or to lock the blade inside
Many parangs I've seen have an enclosed wooden sheath with small notches on the bottom (or sometimes along the entire length) to let moisture drain out.
Another reason could be that it allows one to show off their blade while it is sheathed and for it to seem more menacing with the large blade constantly exposed to onlookers.
@@Glimmlampe1982 I am from Indonesia and closed wooden scabbards are definitely what's popular here in South East Asia. Never seen an open scabbard like that before.
The wooden scabbards actually get looser over time vs tightening up. Our trees and woods are very resilient to hot and humid weather due to evolution. It's not uncommon for people to go chest high deep into rivers while having their machetes on their hip with the wood scabbard. And most scabbards have holes on the bottom for excess water to drain out.
I live in Townsville in Australia, in the tropics with humidity.
I can’t leave my swords in there scabbards, even with oil they start to rust.
I have to from time to time reapply oil, give them a good cleaning. Dry and light polish, then reapply Renaissance wax.
Open scabbards are a great idea.
Matt repeats “we look at its features in a minute”
My response “ Alright JoergSprave calm down!”
Come for the features, stay for the context ^^
I can't keep myself from giggling when he refers about the butt....
Didn't expect to see a knife of my country to be on your channel tbh, the grip is probably rapped by ratten instead of bamboo, they are way easier to work with for such construction and have more tenacity, I have one that's rapped by strings and accidentally poked it with another knife and have to wrap the entire thing myself.
btw there another kind of handle for these knifes, they don't really have a tang, instead they have essentially a large peice of the steel wrapped into a cone with the same shape as the handle, which also doubles as a socket for mounting on a stick
and yes they are well loved by the aboriginal peoples and many that likes to go hiking/camping as they are very good at cutting through vegetations in the mountains
Love the Cobra Kai shirt, a nice change from the Superdry collection
[5:22] Took me a while to realize what I was looking at there. Yikes!
Guess he was looking to "get ahead" in life =D
Open scabbards are actually common with some northern tribes/groups here in the Philippines. From what I have heard from other blade enthusiasts here in our country, the reason for that is to prevent moisture from being trapped inside the blade.
At 16:58 Matt vigorously rubs his "hilt" saying "I could do this all day!".
There's some evidence to say that the natives of Taiwan, the Philippines, and some parts of Indonesia were originally colonized in ancient times by peoples coming from continental SouthEast Asia, the progenitors of the 100 Yue. It's said that the peoples of the 100 Yue were renowned sailors, swimmers, and adventurers. It's no wonder that in form and aesthetic it resembles other blades from SouthEast Asia.
I've always heard, among my friends in the military, that a knife isn't truly a part of you until it's drawn your own blood, either in use or during maintenance. It's something we referred to as "being bitten". Soldiers in the US Army can sometimes be so superstitious about it, that if a new knife is ever handed to a friend, and it "bites" the friend first, that's now his knife. Kinda weird stuff, but as a lover of knives, I noticed that every knife that bit me didn't break, but every knife that didn't bite me always broke a tip and became chipped after even the lightest use.
A specific indigenous tribe in my country use the open faced scabbard with a similar blade design.
- Check out the Philippine Cordillera Bladed Weaponry particularly the ifugao tribe, North of Luzon island.
I think convergent evolution is the most likely- if you think about it thats the easiest and most pratical way of doing a scabbard FROM WOOD; The moment i stopped to imagine other ways of doing a wooden scabbar it became clear how thats the most obvious (and easier) solution- carve enough to fit the blade and done, from a *single* piece of wood. Any other methods would involve at least 2 pieces of wood, maybe even twice the time to make... and considering taiwan (jungles) and butan (pretty much all mountain) i guess leather was harder to come by, their people probably didnt had cattle yet when these scabbard/tradition started, and theres lots more you do with leather you cant with wood so priority of resources.
*Gasp* Did he just say ... Oh no, no more Chinese swords for Matt. He could even be banned from TH-cam :-(
Off to the re-education camps with him.
Edit: To those who replied - yep, you know what I meant ;-0
How dare he said that nasty T word
He said the T-word. Now the mainland chinese will come after him.
He said BOTH politically incorrect “T-words” in the same video! The Party will not be happy!
In the village back home in Alaska where I’m from, I knew hardcore hunters who’s best knife sheath was made from a beer box and duck tape, also wildernesses fire fighting water hose works good if you can steal some from the supply tent 😉
18.41 "I love a wide butt, I've got to say, something good and secure to get your hand right onto that butt, and you are not going to slip off....you don't want to slip off, when you are riding right up on the butt""
Ooerr
5:21 Now that's an ad for your knife!
5:26 at first I thought there was somebody hiding in the bushes
I'm from the Philippines and has some familiarity with different regional blades of my country, this style of hilt and scabbard looks similar with the blades of ethnic groups in Cordilleras, you can search 'pinahig' or 'hinalung' in Google. It's similar in a way that the hilt is also wrapped in rattan and the scabbard is 'open', though the blade profile is different. Interesting!
This example is a smaller version of the normal sizes.
I have several of them, insanely hard to get out of the country as the Taiwanese ban on edged weapons is very anal.
This looks like it came from the Hualian Truku smiths.
On the subject of non-European weapons, I would love to hear more about the weapons of the Yakut, Evenki, and similar peoples of Siberia. The typical "Yakut knife" is fairly easy to find, but what is much lesser known are the larger versions, which vary in blade and handle length from large knives to machetes to pole arms. It's hard to even find a name for them, but I have seen them called Batiya and Khotokhoon, or simply "Yakut machete." I hope someone sends you one.
Southeast Asian martial arts utilise the excess grip for control of an opponents limbs or weapons. I'm currently studying Kali and it's a big part of it.
It seems to be better at chopping/slashing than the Kukuri you demonstrated. Maybe because it's of thinner stock?
Ping poo it is then. How you can remember La lau more then ping poo is beyond me.
Pink poo, dude
Both sound like teletubbies to me.
I hope it will stealth the pic at 5:20 trough the algorithm because that isn't exactly the standard policy, even for these type of channels.
Very interesting video. Loved the music and the whole edit magic. Videos getting better and better. Love the content.
Exactly my thoughts as well...
Such Scabbards are also seen throughout North Eastern India. among the tribal weapons there. Not just in Sikkim sir.
Other examples: Naga Dao (Nagaland), Mishmi Dao (Arunachal Pradesh), there are a few more.
thank you for these examples !
btw i am surprised both knife are called Dao , Dao is a Chinese term
@@chowalex8646 well, it probably got into the language due to trade links and other contacts... The North Eastern Indians are Tibeto Burmese in origin, so they originated from areas closer to China before being absorbed into India.
The scabbard is design for fast draw thats why its open design. The idea is you got a very high carbon steel knife is a forest, when a inclosed sheath once it rust and you need it you might not ensheath the weapon fast enough.
It is a head hunting weapon this particular design is from the atayalic speaking tribes and may range in different lengths this is a secondary weapon and used to finish off a target that was shot by an arrow or a gun
So i am a engineer in thermodynamic, and i think that the main difference between England and taiwan that would push them to make open scabbard, might be the temperature. Indeed at higher temperature the air is capable of absorbing at lot more moisture, meaning that when the temperature drop, let's say at night it will release some of that water, and if you have an enclosed space like a classical scabbard for instance you'll get water inside even if it was protected from the rain, add to that the fact that in low oxygen environement (for isntance an enclosed scabbard) water can do anaerobic corrosion, and i believe it become fairly reasonnable to think that an open scabbard could protect the blade better than a closed one in an environnement with high humidity and high temperature.
In England you dodge that problem because the air is a lot colder and therefore a lot dryier to begin with, meaning that the rain is a much greater risk than the humidity of the air itself.
I think I've generally seen shorter spears being used in heavily forested environments. Makes sense, an eight-foot pole-axe would be impossible in, say, the Amazon rainforest. Indigenous people carried short, light-weight spears, where you could carry more than one. (I suspect a thrown spear got lost in the dense growth pretty oftern.) Their bows tend to be smaller, too, for the same reason. Try just walking through a dense virgin forest (if you can find any these days). It's damned hard going, so anything that's encumbering would be a huge pain in the ass.
"Taiwan". This video is now hated by 1/7 of the world Lol.
Nah its gota be ping poo. Just objectively a better name.
even if that's how the colonizers categories them?
I mean yeah "oh drat i seam to have be run through with a ping poo" you just cant beat that.
Looks similar to the type of knife used to cut coconut flowers (kagot, cagot, manggot) to access the sap for wine, vinegar or sugar production. Southern part of Luzon, Philippines.
A Taiwanese-American chap who sold me a few shih-ling dao, parang, and goloks had a couple of laraw. I think he re-sold his first one because the second was custom forged to be a better fit for him personally. Wish I had scooped up that first one when I had the chance!
Edit: Also, good to hear Matt acknowledge the 'divide & conquer' tactic of colonialism.
Oh, I know this. It's Taiwanese Aboriginal, right? I've seen them before when reading up on the native tribes of Formosa.
My aboriginal guide on a hike in Taiwan had this as his survival knife. Someday, I hope to get one from a traditional smith there. BTW check out Seediq Bali/ Warriors of the Rainbow movie.
>> **rubs up and down the **-shaft-** grip** „I can do this all day!“
Uh huh. Pandemic gave you time at home to practice, huh? 😏
PS: Oh God, what an innuendo-fest this whole video was…! 😬
5:16 damn, that man looks like business
5:20 OOOF
Funny thing you say about spears and long polearms. I've watched videos and read articles that the philipine army is one of the few modern armies left on the world that still trains with swords.
The long grip thing, this is a tool as well as a weapon, different uses require different grips and speeds.
The Southern Han Chinese genotype is found in both Taiwan & among the Tibet People (& thereabouts, as well as in many more places); so, it's quite possible that this somewhat open sheath concept was commonly shared by this group of kinfolk at some point (although such could also simply be a case of common solutions found independently to address a common problem).
You might want to compare this with the blades and scabbards of the Cordillera region of the Philippines.
What the hell is that?
That's what I wanted people to ask :-)
Great first post!
It's half of a wooden banana with a knife stapled to it's side
correctamente re context for super-ventilated scabbards is jungle 'patrols', hunts, where wake-up to a very dew-laden blade-- rust!--, ventilated to dry-out fast; ** design is very well adapted to stabbing (hammergrip, icepickgrip) at biting-grappling range, via Peripheral Entry Points, to heart, for 10-15sec Lethal Problem Solving (vs just slashing, stabbing-away at whatever: no telling how long THAT will take to solve the lethal problem (similar for bullet-placement, buckshot, arrows...); ** also, re stabbing at grappling, the long hilt allows for ONE hand to SWIVEL the hilt in the OTHER hand, to instantly change the edge-orientation, for stabbing, (& slashing tendons, eg) wielded w/ TWO hands, at ALL angles of peripheral entry points, to heart; ** also, for longer (saber?) thrusts, CAN CHANGE, REVERSE, grip so edge is UP, (as, hilt is OVAL)-- thus better for long thrusts; ** also, generous curved edge great for ROLLING CUTS at elbow-range, & CIRCULAR CUT PATHS, & push-cuts (hammergrip & icepickgrip);** also, if hold EDGE UP, can make POPPING THRUSTS from several angles, maybe for less-than-lethal duels
Things we learned in this video, a few extra inches is adventitious, wide butts are great to get a hold of, and if you do it all day you'll get blisters. Thanks Matt history is fun!
LMAOOO ping poo sorry I cant. I'm gonna save a clip of you saying ping poo in repeat.
'the culturally beloved weapon of Taiwan, akin to the Kukri of Nepal, the katana of Japan or the 15 quid machete, down your begs, of Glasgow'.
No milk bottle is safe when Matt's nearby.
Good job not breaking character during the whole butt thing... Lololololololol9ctl6rzkydzlyrOyeU
Obviously, this should be dubbed the ‘Thai Fighter’ (walking on Killer Mouse IP, potentially dodged bullet...).
Rambling diatribe:
Ah well, I love the crazier SE Asian/Indian pre-gunpowder weaponry; lots of substandard designs (I.e. urumi) that would simply fail as a life-&-death weapon, but just as many brilliant, novel solutions to serious shortcomings in tech or material sciences.
Ofc, I’m pretty sure that Indian smelters were the first (recorded, iirc) producers of reasonably consistent crucible steels, even if it’d have cost you a few villages to buy the ~300-600g ingot a modestly proportioned sword - or maybe a spearhead and dagger, axe/spear, etc? Big money item, presuming one has the mercantile connections to even have the option, really. All numbers are my own fairly educated guess, as is my stated declaration that the Urumi is trash, as are most flexible hand-to-hand weaponry.
That blade looks like what inspired the design of the dagger that Aragorn is given at Lothlorien!
I knew it came from the Pacific Ocean, somewhere, and while I've seen knives from the Philippines with that kind of scabbard, the knife didn't seem right. If Taiwan had crossed my mind, I might have guessed it, but there are quite a few different ethnic groups out in the Pacific, and I don't know all of them...
Ah... It's remind me of Warriors of The Rainbow: Siidiq Bale. Great movie where the Taiwan natives fight the Imperial Japan Army.
Matt has good sabre technique... but poor machete technique. If you hammerfist a machete you'll have blisters before long, and you'll tire very quickly.
I'm probably late in pointing this out, but... 18:40 - 18:54. *NO CONTEXT!*
Just a thought.. Your theory on
Why the scabbard is only covered
On one side .. I was thinking
More in the lines a sacred or
Important Display.
Of special significance
Goes against common
Sense..
"probably" , "perhaps", "most likely" are signs that the gentleman understands deeply the science called history. History is the science of "perhaps" , "most likely" and so one, independently of who likes it and who not. History is not arithmetics, it's not banking...it is history and that's it
Ah yes, the small little event of WW2.
Minor disagreement among a few people, no big deal really
@ 5:20 Didn't realize at first that dude's casually standing WITH SOMEONES HEAD IN HIS HAND.
Yup, definitely Taiwanese. I was introduced to the basic shape by a Taiwanese knife maker who produces several modernized variations. It immediately connected with me.
I was not expecting this knife to be as strong as it was!
That was a stick!
I thought you would go for fruit and water bottles first!😳
I kind of figured that was a Taiwanese blade from the profile & style of the design. Thailand has many beautiful designs for their handcrafted productions, unique designs that I have never seen locally in my area. I have a neighbor who collects various blades from that part of the world, last time I seen his collection . He had like 12 Thai blades, it's probably doubled by now. he wants to make a little personal museum on his private property one day.
Obviously not a bushcraft guy. His wood chopping moves are dangerous to himself and to anyone nearby. And no warrior ever plays with a weapon like that. Too nonscientific, testing is a controlled process.
Dude! Think first!
Best line of the video "...and I love a wide butt, Ive got to say. Something good, secure to get your hands right on that butt. And you're not going to slip off. Especially when you're riding right up on the butt. You don't want your hand to come off." 😂
Nice cutting, even better than the kukri! You should compete, like with the cinque dia arming sword thingamybob that they have in America. Seriously, your cutting is next level. Like no daichi.
12:00 watch kings and generals documentary: Numan lost tribe of south China
Nanman *
It's a great channel.
I must admit, the first thought I had when I saw the scabard was. "Huh, if you fell into water it would deffinately Drain well."
I think you're right, I think the scabard is open to allow the blade to dry and prevent damp seeping in from the air.
"Riding up against the butt..."?
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