Pandat


Pandat is the war sword of the Dayak people of northwest Borneo and is never used as a tool. This weapon was featured in the American bladesmthing competition, Forged in Fire 's season 3 episode 9.

Description

The Pandat has a short, heavy, single-edge blade with an iron hilt. It has no real handle, but a short cross-piece of iron or bone passes through the handle. The sword is handled with one or two hands, with a downward stroke. Its blade and hilt are forged from one piece and the blade is bent, just before the hilt, at an angle of 25 degrees. The bend in the blade is located in the transitional part between the blade and the hilt. Both the back and the edge are straight and run apart, so that the blade's broadest part is at the point. The blade length is generally between and the handle is about long. The sheath is usually made of wood and decorated with traditional patterns. It may be decorated with feathers or tufts of hair or simply painted red.

Use

It is thought that a downward cut would be highly inefficient and unbalanced, throwing a great strain upon the wrist. Pandat are well balanced for upward cut, but this would perhaps not be a very effective form of attack.
The Pandat's typically bent blade is very similar to Parang Latok which, unlike the Pandat, is used as a tool.