A BIG MACHINE IN A FORIGN COUNTRY MAKES STEEL BLADES AND EXPORTS THEM TO A COUNTRY THAT STILL MAKES BLADES AT THE FORGE BY HAND. WHEN THIS MONO STEEL IS FIRST SEEN EVERYONE IS IMPRESSED AND THE SALESMEN SELL AND TRADE LOTS OF THEM. THE TRADER PRESENTS A FANCY WEAPON TO THE DATU AS A SELLING POINT TO ATTRACT OTHERS TO HIS GOODS.
LATER IT IS LEARNED THAT A MACHINE MAKES THESE BLADES NOT A SMITH OR EMPU AND NO HANDS ON RITUAL HAS BEEN PERFORMED SO THERE IS NO SPIRIT OR MAGIC IN THE BLADE. THOSE WHO WORKED AND STILL WORK AT FORGEING BLADES WERE ATTRIBUTED TO HAVE SOME MAGICAL SKILLS THAT HAD OFTEN BEEN PASSED DOWN FOR GENERATIONS. SO JUST AS A SAMURAI WANTED A SWORD FROM A MASTER WHO WAS FAMOUS AND IN DEMAND IT IS LIKELY A DATU FELT THE SAME WAY.
THE PATTERNS STARTED BECAUSE OF THE NATURAL PROCESS OF USING SMALLER BITS OF METAL AND FOLDING THEM TOGETHER BUT SOME FOUND WAYS TO CONTROL AND DEVELOP PATTERNS. I HAVE NOT READ OF ANY POWERS ATTRIBUTED TO CERTIAN PATTERNS IN PHILIPPINE KRIS BLADES BUT HAVE LITTLE DOUBT THAT THERE WERE SOME JUST AS THERE ARE WITH THE INDONESIAN KERIS. THESE PATTERNS ARE A PLEASURE TO LOOK AT AND SHOW THE SKILL OF THE MAKER BUT I THINK THERE WAS MORE MEANING TO THEM THAN JUST LOOKING PRETTY THAT HAS BEEN LOST.
AS MENTIONED ABOVE SOME OF THE MONO STEEL DATU WEAPONS WERE MADE BY FORIGNERS WHO WANTED TO IMPRESS THE LOCAL DATU BY GIVING HIM A FANCY WEAPON TO HELP GAIN THE INSIDE TRACK FOR TRADE.
SO EVEN IF A MONO STEEL BLADE MAY BE AS GOOD OR BETTER THAN A HAND FORGED PATTERENED BLADE THERE WERE MAGICAL, TRADITIONAL AND SPIRITUAL REASONS TO WANT A WEAPON MADE IN THE OLD WAYS.
THIS IS ALL CONJECTURE BASED ON LOGIC BUT TO MY KNOWLEGE THERE IS NO WRITTEN PROOF SO THINK OF IT AS AN INTERESTING STORY NOT PROVEN FACT.
