NOT far from the sharp bend at the entrance to Baet Lampuot village, some 18 kilometers from the city of Banda Aceh, stands an old, wall-less 4x6-meter structure, its tin roof supported by six wooden posts. This unassuming building is Ibrahim's workshop, where he produces rencong, the traditional Achenese dagger.

The heavyset man walks to a one-meter-high furnace. He lights it, adding coals to fire the raw brass. "This one can hold up to 10 kilogr