Wood-Carved Dagger Scabbard (Front)

Before the advent of iron working on Taiwan, the indigenous people generally used bamboo knives. Iron knives became popular later. Their knives were usually made in the shape of a leaf, less than 33cm in length, with a wooden scabbard, and were worn around the waist using a rattan belt. The parts with lighter color and the two ears are the places where rattan strips were wrapped. Besides being used as a weapon, knives like this were used to cut meat, skin animals, and were essential in carving bamboo and wood. The scabbard is decorated with geometric patterns.