Twistcore Moro spear with provenance, collected in 1872!

[Maurice]

Yesterday finally my spear arrived.
It is a 19th century spear, with a 46 cm broad tapered blade, with raised central ridge flanked by shallow chamfered fullers.
I was very surprised unpacking it yesterday, because immediately a beautifull twistcore pattern showed up, which was not to be seen on the images I had seen when I bought it.
The 25 cm brass socket with four fluted rings.
The top of the shaft is carved with a band of swags.
The butt of the shaft consists of a seperate octagonal horn piece, enclosing a wooden pipe, probably to attach some endcap that is missing now??

The total length of the spear is 277 cm.

It was collected by captain William Chimmo of the HMS Nassau on his trip to the Sulu Archipellago circa 1872.

I hope somebody can provide more information about this captain Chimmo and of his trip to the Sulu Archipellago.
Also I hope some of the forummembers have other trophees of him, because there were more pieces sold earlier in an auction of this collection.
Also any idea about the colour of the spearhead? It looks like it could be some sort of bronze forged in it??

[kai]

Hello Maurice,

Congrats, this is gorgeous!

Apparently, we're looking at a Sulu spear: There are quite a few stylistic differences to the usual Moro spears (from Mindanao) and their Lumad counterparts.

I'm at a loss regarding the butt end of this long spear...

Also any idea about the colour of the spearhead? It looks like it could be some sort of bronze forged in it??

The blade needs a gentle cleaning and etching - that will help to show details. Brass inlay might be possible but silver would seem more suitable for such a status piece.

Regards,
Kai

[Maurice]

Originally Posted by kai

Apparently, we're looking at a Sulu spear: There are quite a few stylistic differences to the usual Moro spears (from Mindanao) and their Lumad counterparts.

Are these differences somewhere explained here on the forum?
Could you otherwise give us some quick hints about the differences?

Originally Posted by kai

I'm at a loss regarding the butt end of this long spear...

Yes Kai, I am also at a loss.....it was a real backstroke when unpacking the package of this wonderfull, provenanced, old and long twistcore spear...

Originally Posted by kai

The blade needs a gentle cleaning and etching - that will help to show details. Brass inlay might be possible but silver would seem more suitable for such a status piece.

It will sure happen pretty soon. I will place some images when we did..

Originally Posted by kino

Your spear had at one time an iron loop at the end. Similar to the one in the photo.

The color of the blade could be from laquer residue.

Thanks Kino, now I remember the thread again with these loops. However I can't figure out how the construction had been than..

The colour look real brasslike, and I don't think it is from laquer residue, but probably you are right and I am mistaken.
I think we will know after given the spearhead an etch..

Originally Posted by mandaukudi

Maybe its interesting to buy the article from Jstor it seems that the most closest information is in that article http://www.jstor.org/pss/1799566

Thank you Arjan, I am sure going to buy that article...






No members with other pieces of this collection?????

[Gavin Nugent]

Hi Maurice,

A very nice spear you got there, congrats.
As I noted by PM I did see this spear for auction and actually the second time in another auction house was when you bought it. I can't beleive another did not buy this initially, I know I would have if spears were cheap to ship from your areas.
From the initial auction there were several other items with this provenance but I cannot now remember them...but know there were no weapons from memory only artifacts and some very interesting ones, all were from the Sulu regions I do remember that, so the reference made to this spear being Sulu is I suspect very accurate.

Again, congrats, very nice.

Gav

[Maurice]

Originally Posted by freebooter

Hi Maurice,

A very nice spear you got there, congrats.
As I noted by PM I did see this spear for auction and actually the second time in another auction house was when you bought it. I can't beleive another did not buy this initially, I know I would have if spears were cheap to ship from your areas.
From the initial auction there were several other items with this provenance but I cannot now remember them...but know there were no weapons from memory only artifacts and some very interesting ones, all were from the Sulu regions I do remember that, so the reference made to this spear being Sulu is I suspect very accurate.

Again, congrats, very nice.

Gav

Hi Gav,

Indeed I guess that the shipping of that long thing was the reason it wasn't sold earlier. However the twistcore was not visible on the images, and there were only images of the upper part of the spear. I bought it also more for the provenance as for the piece, which turn out to be very impressive and collectible also seeing it in real!
But this was the last time I buy such long thing out of my own country. It was quite a fuzz and hassle to get that thing home...(as you already did know).

Because you noted in your pm there were other trophees sold earlier in another auction of this Sulu trip, I was very curious, and only thought of other spears and blades..so I decided to ask other forumites to show them...that was a mistake I made because I am a weapon collector....
I guess than that I have the only weapon of the lot....

Maurice

[Mytribalworld]

Originally Posted by Maurice

Yesterday finally my spear arrived.
It is a 19th century spear, with a 46 cm broad tapered blade, with raised central ridge flanked by shallow chamfered fullers.
I was very surprised unpacking it yesterday, because immediately a beautifull twistcore pattern showed up, which was not to be seen on the images I had seen when I bought it.
The 25 cm brass socket with four fluted rings.
The top of the shaft is carved with a band of swags.
The butt of the shaft consists of a seperate octagonal horn piece, enclosing a wooden pipe, probably to attach some endcap that is missing now??

The total length of the spear is 277 cm.

It was collected by captain William Chimmo of the HMS Nassau on his trip to the Sulu Archipellago circa 1872.



I hope somebody can provide more information about this captain Chimmo and of his trip to the Sulu Archipellago.
Also I hope some of the forummembers have other trophees of him, because there were more pieces sold earlier in an auction of this collection.
Also any idea about the colour of the spearhead? It looks like it could be some sort of bronze forged in it??

Hi Maurice,

Maybe its interesting to buy the article from Jstor it seems that the most closest information is in that article http://www.jstor.org/pss/1799566

Arjan

[kino]

Maurice,

Your spear had at one time an iron loop at the end. Similar to the one in the photo.

The color of the blade could be from laquer residue.

[Maurice]

Originally Posted by mandaukudi

Hi Maurice,

Maybe its interesting to buy the article from Jstor it seems that the most closest information is in that article http://www.jstor.org/pss/1799566

Arjan

Thanks to another dear forumite, I have the article that Arjan tipped me, in my possession.
I will quote what I found about captain Chimmo's trip to the Sulu Archipellago, by Major-General Sir H.C. Rawlinson: delivered at the Aniversary Meeting on the 26th May, 1873.

The Eastern Archipelago. __ The Nassau, Commander Chimmo, has likewise just returned after an absence of something under three years; she had been employed during 1872 principally among the Sulu Archipelago, and in clearing away the dangers of the Sulu Sea. Many difficulties were met with which impeded the progress of this work, among them the hostility of the piratical tribes which infest these regions, and which obliged the parties to be always armed and on the look-out; on a late occasion one of the boats was attacked, and some of the officers and crew wounded, in return for which their town was destroyed and severe punishment inflicted upon the pirates.
The Nassau returned to Signapore by the Flores and the Java seas, examining the various dangers in the track of vessels by that route to Australia; she reached Malta by the Suez Canal in March, when she was put out of commission and is now being prepared for further surveying service on the eastern coast of Africa.

It is not much, but at least something about the provenance.
I hope more articles can be found!

Maurice

[Maurice]

Here images of the cleaned budiak blade, which I am really proud of to have in my collection!

Oh, and if anybody has additional info about captain Chimmo and his trip to the Sulu archipellago, don't forget to let me know....

Maurice

[erikscollectables]

Very nice!

Originally Posted by Maurice

Here images of the cleaned budiak blade, which I am really proud of to have in my collection!

Oh, and if anybody has additional info about captain Chimmo and his trip to the Sulu archipellago, don't forget to let me know....

Maurice

[David]

Well here is what the vessel looked like and a a chart of that particular voyage is available from the National Library of Australia here:
http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/3...set=49&max=931