THERE ARE SEVERAL SIMULARITYS AMONG THESE KRIS. TWO APPEAR TO HAVE HANDLES CARVED FROM WATERBUFFALOW HORN AND HAVE THE SPIRAL CARVED GRIP WHICH IS LIKELY TO HAVE HAD TWISTED SILVER WIRE AND PERHAPS SILVER BANDS AS IN MY KRIS. I CAN'T TELL IF THE EXAMPLE IN THE SPANISH MUSEUM IS HORN OR WOOD. THE FILE WORK ON THE ELEPHANT TRUNK/ BIRD BEAK IS SIMULAR AS WELL AND A BIT DIFFERENT FROM MOST MORO FORMS.
MORO KRIS SELDOM HAVE HORN HANDLES ALTHOUGH SOME DO EXHIST. SILVER IS OFTEN USED BUT THE HANDLE GRIP ITS-SELF IS NOT CARVED IN A SPIRAL TO HOLD THE SILVER.
BEWARE CONJECTURE
ITS POSSIBLE SOME SLAVES WERE CAPTURED AND LEARNED THE ART OF SWORD MAKEING AS SLAVES AND LATER AS APPRENTICES WHEN THEY EARNED THEIR FREEDOM. WHEN FREE SUCH INDIVIDUALS COULD HAVE RETURNED TO THEIR PEOPLE TO WORK, LOCAL INFLUENCES COULD HAVE BEEN INCORPORATED INTO THE WEAPONS MADE IN SUCH CASES. THIS COULD EXPLAIN SOME OF THE REGIONAL DIFFERENCES. THE TWO MAIN SOURCES OF INFLUENCE OF WHAT WE KNOW AS THE MORO KRIS IS MINDANAO AND MALAYSIA ALL VARIATIONS WOULD BE DRAWN FROM THESE TWO SOURCES. I THINK THE KRIS WITH A GAURD IS WAY COOL
CONGRADULATIONS
