Subject: meo 'cat' warrior chief

Culture: Tetum, Atoni, other native Timorese

Setting: tribal warfare, Timor 19th-early 20thc

Object: hemola, surik swords

Hemola

* van Zonneveld 2001 p51

"HEMOLA TIMOR, SAVU A sword with an almost rectangular upper part at the hilt. The upper part of the scabbard is also rectangular. The straight blade is rather slender. ..."

* Steel and magic 2020 p102

"[A] hemola [is] a type of weapon appearing only in Western Timor and the islands of Alor, Rote, and Savu west of Timor. The hemola is usually associated with the islands of Rote (Roti) and Savu even though it is traditionally a Timorese creation. Swords with a straight blade and elaborate hilts seem to be linked with Western Timor" ....

Surik

* Steel and magic 2020 p102

"[C]urved blades (surik) seem to be more common in Central and Eastern Timor."