Kris: Sulu or Sumatra?

[RobT]

Hi All,

When I pulled my Christmas present from the sheath, I said to my wife that it is a very nice Sulu kris. Then I flipped the sheath over and saw “SUMATRA KRISS” printed on the 8 sided (originally) label. You would think that whoever collected the sword would know where they got it from but, given that the label looks like something that may have been put on by a museum, the collector may not have been the one who did the cataloging. Still, one would think (or at least hope) that the person who did the cataloging had a reason for the designation. So, Is there anything about this sword that marks it as likely to be from Sumatra or is it just a probable museum catalogue error?
Specs: Blade about 22” (55.8cm) long with lenticular cross section. Steel baca baca. Non ferrous metal ferrule. Wooden cockatua pommel. Hilt wrap of cord (a bit of a train wreck) with two leather bands (one below the pommel and one after the ferrule).
When I got the piece, the blade, baca baca, ferrule, and pommel were all covered with a thick layer of shellac or lacquer which strengthens the museum suspicion but did nothing to prevent a good amount of rust from forming on the blade (but surprisingly, not on the baca baca). A dip in one of my EvapoRust tanks took care of the blade rust but didn’t completely remove the coating. Even after rubbing the blade with a lacquer soaked 3M pad, some of the coating remains. The pommel is still fully coated as found.
Even though the blade style looks rather old, the blade itself is rather thin and fairly flexible so I suspected that it may be a newer blade with with a ganja iras and a fake ganja line. Inspection of the line with a hand lens was inconclusive but the hilt is loose (no surprise there) so I pulled it off. I still can’t tell for sure but have provided two shots of the tang.

Sincerely,
RobT

[kai]

Congrats, Rob!

Be proud: Your training paid off! (There are many uninformed collectors, dealers, and even curators. Never trust any uncorroborated story; never trust any label that can't be verified.)

Given that the Tausug were heavily plying the waters of the archipelago, there still is a slim chance that the piece might have been collected on Sumatra. It doesn't look like a museum tag though.

I agree that the piece is Sulu. (They got the first 2 letters right... )

The katik (gangya) certainly looks separate to me. I'd place the blade as very late 19th century to early 20th century.

Is the clamp magnetic? I'd guess at nickel "silver" though (same as the ferrule).

Regards,
Kai

[David]

I nice Christmas present, and i would agree with Kai that it certainly isn't a Sumatran sundang, it is indeed a Moro kris.
Obviously i'm not sure who label this kris as "Sumatra" either, but i will say that there is never any guarantee that museum curators get such identification correct. I have been in a number of major museums and seen mislabelled keris and other items. Edged weapons are not every museum curator's strong points. Of course they often will politely blow us collectors off when we try to set them straight, because how dare we know better than them when we don't have their degree. LOL!

[xasterix]

Nice kris! I think it's Moro, from Mindanao, then later on in its career, Lumad-appropriated.

[RobT]

Thank you kai, David, and xasterix. Your responses not only set my mind at ease but also served to restore any street cred that I may have lost with my wife. I am glad everybody likes the kris. I will clean the grey EvapoRust patina off the blade and etch it with 3% nital. I will either restore (or more likely) replace the hilt cording (but will leave the leather bands). Lastly I will replace the band that holds the baca baca to the hilt (the remaining stub appears to be copper, not brass).

kai,
I did do a magnet test on the baca baca. In the initial test the small (.3” [8mm] diameter), ceramic magnet was strongly attracted, so I concluded that the baca baca was ferrous metal. At the time, I was puzzled by the amount of rust on the blade versus the complete lack of rust on the baca baca and also thought it strange that the metal of the baca baca matches the look of the metal on the ferrule which is non magnetic (tested with the hilt removed from the blade). I Dismissed these two anomalies but your supposition that that the baca baca may be nickel silver led me to do another test. I got a strip of aluminum of the same width and thickness as the baca baca and laid it on the blade. The magnet was just as strongly attracted as it had been in my first test so it is obvious that the magnet was being attracted to the blade not the baca baca. Thanks for the heads up. Perhaps, after I really clean the blade and etch it, whether or not the ganja is separate will become clearly apparent. The blade certainly looks like it could be 19th century.

David,
Your experiences with museum curators and mine with many antique dealers are the same. As time has gone by, because of their disinclination to drink, I have become less and less interested in leading horses to water.

xasterix,
Using Cato’s classification, the elephant’s trunk area on my kris appears to be more consistent with Sulu (Tausug, Samal, Yakan etc) rather than Mindanao (Marano or Maguindanao). Am I mistaken? Also, what features make it “Lumad-appropriated”. Additional info is always good.

Sincerely,
RobT

[Battara]

In my experience this would be a Sulu blade. The top of the scabbard in this boat shape is also indicative of Sulu pieces.

However, there was a lot of trade in the region with Tausug people, so would not be surprised if it might have been traded in Sumatra. I think it more likely that the dealer gave it a mistaken attribution.

[kai]

Thanks for the update, Rob!

I will either restore (or more likely) replace the hilt cording

It looks like a lost cause: If you decide to go for a re-wrap, make sure to keep the original grip binding with the piece for future reference.

but will leave the leather bands

This leather most certainly is not original. Please post close-ups.

Lastly I will replace the band that holds the baca baca to the hilt (the remaining stub appears to be copper, not brass).

Not rarely, this strip is made from another metal.

BTW, if you can remove the hilt, you should also be able to remove the asang-asang. This should help working on the blade.

Regards,
Kai

[xasterix]

Originally Posted by RobT

xasterix,
Using Cato’s classification, the elephant’s trunk area on my kris appears to be more consistent with Sulu (Tausug, Samal, Yakan etc) rather than Mindanao (Marano or Maguindanao). Am I mistaken? Also, what features make it “Lumad-appropriated”. Additional info is always good.

Sincerely,
RobT

Hi Rob! I also used to rely on Cato's classification. However I changed my mind when I was shared data by my curator-researcher friend who's worked with Mindanao and Lumad tribal elders for more than a decade. According to him, the elders dismissed Cato's classification; they don't look at the elephant figural, but rather the shelf below it (the area below the "mouth" of the elephant, like a second mouth). If the shelf opens wide (upper and lower part not perfectly parallel, but 'gaping') then it's Mindanao. If the shelf opens in a linear fashion, with both upper and lower parts parallel, then that's Sulu.

I interpreted the kris as Lumad-appropriated because the ferrule and asang-asang were 'roughly' replaced with unmarked metal- I'm not sure if it's silver, aluminum, or alloy. I believe those parts are also younger than the rest of the sword ensemble. If it were properly replaced by a Moro owner, it usually comes with the |X| placeholder or other engraving. My curator-friend had told me that rough replacements were indicative of later Lumad ownership. They didn't have access to the proper materials as their Moro brothers.

As for the boat-shaped scabbard, Mindanao elders have also ascribed that as theirs, particularly those with Iranun lineage, who used to be extensive seafarers in past eras.