Unusual Kris Hilt for Comment

[RobT]

Hi All,

Save for the unusual fullers and grooves at the base, the blade is typical (albeit well done) but I have never seen a hilt with a pommel like the one on this kris. To me it looks more Bagobo or T’boli-ish than what I would expect on a conventional kris. (If the hilt were a good deal larger and slightly more crooked, it would do well as a French dueling pistol grip.) The wood, very finely grained and almost without figure, isn’t binate or anything else I am familiar with. Before examining it with a hand lens, I had suspected that it was dyed horn. There are some carved designs where the hilt wrap ends and also on the pommel. Although the wood of the hilt is in perfect condition, I believe that the blade and hilt have been together for quite some time because the baca baca strap has worn almost completely through the hilt wrap on the back side and the strap on the underside has worn through a bit also.
Specs:
Blade; about 21.5” (54.6cm) long
Hilt; about 6” (15.2cm) long
Ferrule; very pale yellow (almost white) brass
Hilt Wrap; fine cord
Baca Baca; appear to have a high nickel content because they are only weakly magnetic
Baca Baca Straps; apparently copper

Sincerely,
RobT