frugal repast
 

Got this today. 102cm long. I have been admiring it all afternoon with very cold lager and some lovely biltong a local South African chap down the road makes. Rather nice :) .

Cheap, cheap, cheap
 

I found this one recently at an antique market.

I think it's a Hadendoa dagger. Don't think it's very old, but it's complete with its leather sheath. And............it was cheap at only 5 Euro.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...oa-detail2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...n/Hadendoa.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...oa-detail1.jpg

This is simply due to migration from parts of the Philippines with high population densities to areas with lower ones, resulting in the natives of those regions being reduced to minorities, and eventually, assimilated. This isnt something unique to Palawan. The large island of Mindoro, which lies between Palawan and the Tagalog speaking areas of Luzon has shared the same fate. Much of Mindanao has been turned into a Visayan "lebensraum" and Cebuano is now the lingua franca of much of the region. Similarly, the Ilocanos have spread out from their core Ilocos region and have Ilocanized most of northern Luzon.

Palawan has a lot of native languages, Tagbanwa is not the only one. There is also the Palawan language, as well as other tribal tongues. Interestingly, the Tagbanwa are amongst the few peoples of the Philippines who continue to use native writing systems of Brahmi (Sanskrit alphabet) origin.

I think in a couple of generations, we are going to see a drastic reduction in the number of languages and ethnic groups in the Philippines.

GOT IT!!
 

:D This was subject of earlier thread. Managed to "extract" it from its owner, and it now lives with the rest of my Dha.

As a lover of cross cultural pieces, I am absolutely in love with this "dha-war".

Very interesting. Do you think it was all "born together", or composite, and if composite, older or younger??

Thanks for sharing.

Previous Thread Tulwar/Dha
 

Hi Charles,
Refer previous thread dated 30th January "Help with Identification Please". All discussion re this item is there.
Regards Stuart

Personally, that monster hilt reminded me of my Tito Boy. He loves his lambanog. :D



On another note, I thought I would revive this thread in case anyone wanted to share a new acquisition, but did not want to start a new thread on their newfound piece.

I have a couple of kris coming in that I find particularly simple (but well done) and would not generate enough discussion to warrant separate threads (WWII. separate gangya. both maranao. I love 'em as much as someone can love an inanimate object, but that's basically all that could be said about these pieces to be honest.) That being said, I thought it would be wise for me to post them here once they arrive, since I am still anxious to share them.

Pics when they come in!

That's really funny, just yesterday I read this thread again und thought about to reactivate it again. ;) :cool:

I am curious to see your new babys!

Regards,

Detlef

hahahahaha! everyone has a tito boy, but why is it that there's no tita girl :shrug: ?

Kamagong pommel with ivory inlays; 6 1/2" long and 2" wide. 16" laminated blade. in comparison with two other junggayans on the bottom pic

Magnificent Spunjer!...you know one of those is my "dream piece!" ;)

Note taken, Charles, hehe...

Nice pieces. Perdy! :D

Very purdy indeed. The Ivory and Gold combination is beautiful.

Ron, can you make a note that I want the other 2 that Charles doesn't want? ;-)

Here my latest acquisition to share!

Rg,
Maurice

not exactly “ethnographic”...
 

I took a one-week long smithing class and made this. Yes, I have videos of me hammering the red-hot steel.

I was inspired by the 12th century sword “Hocho Masamune". The "yaki-ire", quenching the steel to harden it after applying clay to the blade, came out perfectly, and the hamon is clearly visible.

My friend and colleague Michael Bell of Dragonfly Forge taught the class. I made the sheath and handle, sort of "Shira-saya" style, after I got back.

One of my dream pieces. Ron has the only one I ever saw that was similar. I very much admire the way he acquired it! Scratch and sniff!!"

This much gold is very rare. Makes Islamic men weak. "Unless you are a king." Well-known Moro authority told me. Perhaps both of these were made for kings?

"This much gold is very rare. Makes Islamic men weak"

Not more then other human beings ;)

beautiful pieces all and lovely Craftmanship, Montino.

:rolleyes: Weakens your budget, unless you are a king ;)

Very nice piece. Love the structure of the ivory.

Best regards,
Willem

Indeed it does
 

Damn right there, my budget is very weak now :shrug:

My thanks to a quiet member for helping me obtain this example.....hmmmmm gold :D

Gav

Amazing ! congrats Gav. Is it wootz?

G'day Lofty,

No wootz but a very fine patterened blade. E.Astvatsaturyan shows a small line drawing of the same pattern in the work on Caucasian arms. The steel quality is amazing, extreme gratitude to he who made this available to me.

Gav

Wow, that's a beauty, maurice! Love the inlay work!
I think what Bill meant was the belief in old Mindanao, not necessarily Islam in general even at that point in time...

My latest purchase - and not at all an inexpensive one. EIC lock, locally converted to percussion; silver inlaid barrel with cannon-form muzzle. Good, solid stock. Weighs a fair bit. Woven, multi-strand, hessian rope sling. Bloody beautiful old girl!

my new treasures
 

hello together
These are the latest achievements of the past week.
regards Chregu

Last acquisition for a while. While biased in my preference towards older Sulu blades, I've found a new respect and admiration for the larger, broader pieces from Mindanao.

I've always wanted a straight Maranao battle piece ever since I saw Ferguson and Bill Marsh's collections of kris a few years ago on another forum. This one's a little more ornate than other ones I have seen, which are usually very spartan in the use of metal fittings and have some sort of rattan wrap or non-laquered jute wrap instead of the black laquered wrap that this one has.

Despite this, it does still seem like a very powerful, no-nonsense Kris.

Got it for what I consider a very reasonable price. Can't wait to handle this in person. If anyone has anything to add, I would be very appreciative. What social standing did the original owner belong to? etc etc.

Nice and complete kris without sheath. Like the patina at the handle. Would guess that it is a good fighter so not from a person of special status.
Do you plan to etch the blade when you have received it?

Regards,

Detlef

I agree nice Maranao piece.

Thank you, gentlemen. I've always wanted a straight kris and having spoken with forum members Spunjer and harimauhk (among others) about it over the past couple of months, I've learned to really appreciate the broader and heavier Maranao and Maguindanao pieces, especially the more spartan "battle pieces", as they have been dubbed colloquially. Very no-nonsense, very beauiful in its austerity.

I most definitely do plan on etching it, Detlef. I do not have much experience in etching and FeCl is hard to come by in Canada (It used to be easier to get apparently, but by 2008 it became more difficult as chemicals are very strictly regulated), so I am currently practicing on modern blades using vinegar, lemon juice and pineapple juice to see which gets me a better result. After I have confidence in my etching abilities I will move onto genuine pieces like this one.

I use vinegar and have had very good results!

Good luck and regards,

Detlef