Albino horn hilted pira

[Ian]

This pira has a pale green horn hilt with streaks of white, consistent with coming from an albino water buffalo (carabao). The blade is in the style of pre-1900 pira, because it has a small "ricasso" adjacent to the hilt. Traditional shaped pira (as used mainly by the Yakan people) have been produced by Maranao craftsmen in the 20th C and do not usually show the "ricasso" feature, although some of the early Maranao examples apparently did have a small ricasso (as noted by fellow forum member Xasterix). The use of brass rings at each end of the horn hilt is atypical, and might suggest that this is indeed a Maranao interpretation of a traditional Yakan pira. If so, the sword probably dates to the early part of the 20th C. The blade is monosteel, showing no evidence of lamination after etching with ferric chloride, and came very sharp.

I'm posting this example mainly to enter it into the archives. As always comments and thoughts are most welcome.

[kai]

Hello Ian,

IMO, all parts of the hilt are not genuine. It really helps to include pics from additional angles to allow visualisation of features in 3D.

Not much hopes for the blade, too, albeit it being closer to the original shape. Here's a thread with genuine old-style examples:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=26922

More nerdy details on dimensions:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=26593

Antique pira blades seem to come in widely varying lengths and more research is needed to include full variability; not much hope for non-laminated blades though.

Regards,
Kai

[Battara]

I have to agree with Kai.

The end in shape is round and not flat, the area near the hand hold is shortened, and the curvature of the blade is nearly nonexistent.

However, I'm glad you posted this for our archives. Good to known what variant copies are out there, especially Maranao types.

[Rafngard]

The blade shape almost looks like it could be from Luzon.

Thanks,
Leif

[Sajen]

Have to agree with Kai, I guess it's later than the early 20th century.

[Ian]

Guys,

I think that you maybe misunderstood why I posted this one. I put it here to indicate that older style pira blades were made from reasonably modern materials post-1900.

I purchased this one in Manila in 1997. The dealer who sold it to me is about my age and someone I came to know very well. This pira was one of the early items I bought from him and I wrote down some of the information he gave me about this sword. He told me that Maranao craftsmen had been making pira in the older style since about the 1920s. Whether they were made for Yakan consumption or for those who traveled was unclear. He told me that at first the Maranao blades had the small "ricasso" (he called it something else, but that was 30 years ago and I did not make a note of the name) for only a short time (maybe 10 years) and that feature was then dropped.

The hilt, he said, was a "prestige" hilt made from albino horn (which it is) and decorated in brass "for someone important." This could have been a sales pitch, of course.

Based on this information, I think the likely date of manufacture was in the 1920s or 1930s.

To address some of the points you raised. "Monosteel" is a term that needs defining. My working definition is a steel of uniform chemical composition. That does not necessarily mean steel from a single billet. It could be steel from several sources, but of the same composition. It does not exclude that the steel has been folded or layered during forging (i.e., laminated) or differentially hardened. Depending on the skills of the smith, laminated "monosteel" may show no evidence of lamination to the naked eye when etched.

There are examples of Moro weapons made from "monosteel" dating from the 19th C, and increasingly into the 20th C. I recently sold a 19th C barung with a Chinese-made blade that had no evidence of lamination and was likely a "monosteel" blade. A "monosteel" Moro blade can have significant age, and such a blade could have been made from materials fairly readily available in the 1920s.

As far as the 3-D aspect of the hilt, I will post more pictures in the next day or so when the winter rains stop and the overcast skies clear.