If Not a Barong,Then What?

[drac2k]

I picked up several items at auction yesterday and one of these was this curious sword; the blade measures 17.75" long, 2.75" at its widest and it has a sharp edge from the tip running 7" down the spine.
Can anyone give me more information on this sword?
PS, the cutting edge is the rounded one.

[Sajen]

It's junk! Please send it to me, I dispose it for you!! No clue what it is, it's very nice, congrats!

Regards,
Detlef

[drac2k]

Thanks Sajen, you could be right, lol.I didn't know what it was so like a dummy, I decided to buy it.

[Battara]

It is old and unique. The wood is damaging and the inlays are bone. Very nice.

[drac2k]

Do you know what is called and where is the wood damaged; is there some part of the carving missing?

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by drac2k

Do you know what is called and where is the wood damaged; is there some part of the carving missing?

In front of the handle seems a tiny part missing, that's what Jose means I think.

[kai]

Congrats, really neat piece!

one of these was this curious sword; the blade measures 17.75" long, 2.75" at its widest and it has a sharp edge from the tip running 7" down the spine.

What is the max thickness of this blade?

While the bone inlay, the silver punto, and the silver braidings seem to suggest honest age, I get mixed feelings: While stylistically correct, the scabbard is pretty roughly finished - something I haven't seen from 19th century status examples; I'm also not convinced the hilt being kamagong (from the limited pics, the surface texture seems to be off) - could this possibly be a stained, medium-weight timber? I'd be inclined to place this ensemble into the first half of the 20th c. Just a gut feeling though.

The fittings are clearly Sulu work, Tausug specifically I believe. While the blade may originate inside the culture, I couldn't exclude it being a Maranao trade blade, especially if later.

Regards,
Kai

[David]

I adjusted this photo for a better view. Can someone point out the damaged part of this hilt? I am afraid i do not see it.
Nice find btw!

[Sajen]

I am not sure if it is in front, but I think this marked tiny loss was meant by Jose.

And by this break it looks indeed like kamagong.

[David]

Originally Posted by Sajen

I am not sure if it is in front, but I think this marked tiny loss was meant by Jose.

And by this break it looks indeed like kamagong.

Thanks Detlef. That does look like it could be minor damage. Better photos of the area would tell more.

[kai]

Can someone point out the damaged part of this hilt? I am afraid i do not see it.

David, Jose's mention of "damaging" was an autocorrection glitch when trying to type kamagong...

[drac2k]

The max. width at the base of the spine is a 1/4"; the wood is very dense and heavy, more so than any mahogany that I am familiar with and it does not appear to be stained. The scabbard is not of the same quality as the sword so it could be a replacement sheath or maybe just like some beautiful kampilans with very crude breakaway scabbards for combat.
Tomorrow I will post a barong that came from the same collection, covered in the same cosmoline grease, which indicates that they were collected at the same time; maybe the barong can help date the other item.
Thanks for all of the comments and the great pictures!

[Ian]

Hi drac,

That's an interesting old piece. The naga hilt is an unusual item and very similar to the one in Cato's book. I suspect the wood is kumagong, which is used sometimes for Moro hilts. It is very dark and dense.

As to what your blade is, that's a bit of a mystery. The blade is very forward weighted, much like a Mandaya general purpose bolo. It does not correspond to the leaf-shape profile of a barung. I looked back at some of the archive pictures of Moro weapons plaques and found a somewhat similar example in my large plaque from the 1930s: see the bottom left item in the central panel here. Unfortunately, the examples are not named on this old handmade plaque. Nevertheless, the blade profile may once have been in the Moro repertoire of weapons or general purpose blades, as your example suggests.

Heavy, forward weighted blades are seen among other Filipino groups. I mentioned the Mandaya already, and I've seen similar Bagobo blades, but this type of blade is also common among the Ifugao groups and others in central and northern Luzon. I would not be surprised if there are Visayan and Bicolano versions also. The design seems well suited to heavy chopping.

As to what this knife/sword might have been called, I don't know. I suspect it may have been made in Zamboanga.

[kai]

The max. width at the base of the spine is a 1/4"

That's on the thin side considering the blade length.

the wood is very dense and heavy, more so than any mahogany that I am familiar with and it does not appear to be stained.

Great, pics can be deceiving! Sounds like kamagong, indeed.

If you compare the carving quality of both hilts, I still believe there is a difference which might be best explained by different periods, especially considering that the typical barung is a working piece while the naga hilt certainly has status function.

Maybe the cosmoline contributed to the color of the bone inserts.

Regards,
Kai

[David]

Originally Posted by kai

David, Jose's mention of "damaging" was an autocorrection glitch when trying to type kamagong...

As per Jose's post #10.