TELDAP Collections
A Slice of Wonder
Facets of Taiwan
Exhibitions
| Dagger |
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This is a typical Atayal dagger: wide tip and narrow rear, the body slightly curved and with a raised end. It has a wooden sheath, one side of which is solid wood while the other has been hallowed out and lined with thin wires. The hilt is reinforced with rattan strip wrappings. This item is a headhunting dagger. The only thing that makes it different from ordinary daggers is the human hair (taken from the enemies) attached to the sheath. The dagger is usually kept secretly on the weapon shelf or in the barn. Women and children are strictly forbidden to touch it. It is used only for headhunting missions.
National Taiwan Museum Digitizing Project of Formosan Aborigines Collections: the Atayal
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