ITEM #5. THE LARGE SWORD IS FAVORED FOR WEAR AT FESTIVALS AND IN PROCESSIONS IT IS OFTEN REFERRED TO AS A KRIS BUT DOES NOT REALLY QUALIFY AS ONE. IT LACKS ALL THE FILE WORK AND PARTS AT THE FORTE OF THE BLADE. NOTE THAT THE ENDS OF THE SCABBARDS ON THE FIRST TWO SWORDS AND THE LARGE ONE HAVE THE SAME SHAPE THIS IS NOT THE USUAL SHAPE FOR KRIS SCABBARDS BUT IS FOUND ON WHAT IS REFERRED TO AS A SULTANS KRIS. THERE IS A PICTURE OF THIS KRIS ON THE COVER OF ROBERT CATO'S BOOK ON KRIS. THE KERIS IS PICTURED ON PAGE 85 AND SAID TO BE EARLY 20 TH. CENTURY. THE BLADES ON YOUR FIRST TWO ARE PROPER KRIS BLADES OF THE OLDER STYLE, THE LONG ONE THOUGH WAVEY IS NOT A PROPER KRIS BLADE , AT LEAST NOT TO US OLDER COLLECTORS
BUT IT IS ETHINOGRAPHIC AND STILL IN USE IN THE SOCIETY THOUGH TOURISTS DO BUY THEM AS WELL.
ITEM #4 APPEARS TO BE CLOSER TO A KERIS ,INDONESIAN THAN TRADITIONAL MORO. THE HANDLE VERY KERIS LIKE AND THE FERRULE MORE LIKE THAT FOUND ON THE MORE RECENT GUNONG DAGGERS. IT MAKES ONE WONDER IF THIS SORT OF FERRULE WAS NOT DEVELOPED FOR THE GUNONG BASED ON THE MEDAK AND SELUT FOUND ON INDONESIAN KERIS. THE SCABBARD IS VERY CLOSE TO THE INDONESIAN KERIS RATHER THAN TRADITIONAL MORO FORM. THE BLADE IS MORO FORM.
ITEM #6 THE TIP OF THE SCABBARD IS OPEN WORK CARVED IN A FASHON I HAVE SEEN IN LOMBOK AND BALI.
THE OLDER BLADES WERE FORGED WITH WAVES OFTEN THE NEWER ONES ARE MADE FROM MONO STEEL AND THE BLADE SHAPED WITH GRINDERS HENCE THE THINNER BLADES AND SHARP POINTED LUKS.
THE LOCAL PRODUCTION SEEMS TO BE INFLUENCED FROM OUTSIDE CULTURES WHICH IS TO BE EXPECTED AS VERY FEW PEOPLES ARE ISOLATED IN TODAYS WORLD AND OLD TRADITIONS ARE NOT AS STRONG SO INOVATIONS ARE NO LONGER HELD BACK. A WORLD OF RAPID CHANGE EVEN IN MINDANAO.
