A Somewhat Unusual Kampillan

[Maurice]

Originally Posted by VANDOO

THE BLADE IS PROBABLY OLDER THAN THE HANDLE. ALL THE INLAY REMINDS ME OF DAYAK MANDAU BLADES SO PERHAPS THE ORIGINAL HANDLE WAS OF THE OLD DAYAK STYLE.
FULLERED BLADES ARE UNUSUAL IN MORO OR DAYAK BLADES SO CUSTOM MADE WITH FULLERS OR FROM A RECYCLED BLADE INLAY ON KAMPILIAN BLADES IS NOT COMMON BUT QUITE A FEW ARE AROUND. THE INLAY IN YOUR BLADE IS MORE NUMEROUS AND IS NOT ONLY AT THE TIP AS IS USUALY THE CASE. THE STAR SHAPED INLAYS ARE UNIQUE ON KAMPILIANS IN MY EXPERIENCE.
ITS LIKELY INFLUENCED FROM MORE THAN ONE SOURCE, PERHAPS MORO, DAYAK, EUROPEAN, CHINESE OR INDIA. IF IT COULD ONLY TELL ITS STORY. NICE ONE

Could be that the blade is older as the handle, but I've seen very simple and plain hilts on kampilans in very old pre 1900 collections. So it could be the original one also...

There are fullers on some Murut blades, the so called pakayuns.
But these blades are narrower and have an curve upwards, so Charles kampilan could not be a reworked Murut sword.

The inlay is also very different as seen on mandau blades. the only thing that looks like it are the brass dots, but than not placed in the way they are on Charles's blade. And brass dots are also common on moro swords.
There are (chiefs) mandaus with stars on the blade, but they look different as the stars on this kampilan, which I exactly have seen on old moro krisses before...

I found an image of an old style kampilan also with a fullered blade, and from a kampilan (2 images) of somekind similar inlay (stars are different though, but the dots are placed in the same "three"way). Both are not mine btw.