Insights on unusual kampilan?

[Oliver Pinchot]

This kampilan was sold at auction in 2013, it was deaccessioned from the John Woodman Higgins Armory Museum in Worcester, MA. It has a strong provenance from an American army officer who served in the Philippines between 1898-1899. It also displays the Type I Maguindanao hilt characteristics you listed above, Ian. Unfortunately its owner was posted in Jolo and several other locations in addition to Maguindanao and was not specific about where he acquired it.
http://www.auctionflex.com/showlot.a...enum=1&lang=En

[Ian]

Thanks Oliver. Yes, it is hard to pin down just where some of these items came from that were brought back from the Spanish-American and Philippine-American conflicts. The US troops got around quite a bit and high ranking officers received gifts from many parties--not all swords were picked up on the battlefield.

I've attached pictures (below) of the long axis of this kampilan. Actually, I think this one is closer to a Type II hilt, and it's interesting to look back at my old post and see a very similar hilt (with a similar scrolled guard) that was classified then as a Type II hilt -- see Figure 5, example on right.

Here is the description of the present kampilan from the auction:

"A MORO KAMPILAN SWORD
The wooden hilt of typical form, with bifurcate pommel and broad, scrolled crossguard, finely carved overall, with bilobate iron guard and rattan grip-wrap intact. The long, unusually broad single-edged blade expanding toward the profiled and pierced tip.Latter 19th century.Donated to the John Woodman Higgins Armory Museum, Worcester, Massachusetts, on May 9, 1957 by Nathaniel Sage, Jr. and William H. Sage III, grandsons of Brigadier General William Hamden Sage (1859-1922.) General Sage was professor of Military Sciences and Tactics, Central University of Kentucky, Richmond, 1892-93. He acted as Aide-de-Camp to General Ovenshine in the Philippines in 1898, where he further served as Adjutant General, 1st and 2nd Brigades, 1st Division, XIII Army Corps, Adjutant General, 3rd District, Mindanao, Jolo and Malsbang, Philippines, 1906. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for service during the Philippine Insurrection at Zapote River, June 13, 1899. His citation reads: With 9 men volunteered to hold an advanced position and held it against a terrific fire of the enemy estimated at 1,000 strong. Taking a rifle from a wounded man, and cartridges from the belts of others, Captain Sage himself killed 5 of the enemy. Overall length 96.5 cm. Condition I"

There is reference here to the General having served in Jolo and Malsbang. I think that Malsbang is probably a typo, and the correct spelling is Malabang. A search for Malsbang turns up an article in an old newspaper from California (San Francisco Call, 17 April 1902) that reports the killing of an American soldier in the Lake Lanao region and the dispatch of a punitive expedition to arrest the murderers. There destination was near Malsbang. There is no mention of William Sage in the article. However, if Malsbang is actually Malabang, then the General would indeed have served in the Lake Lanao region and have come in contact with the Maranao.

[Oliver Pinchot]

Yes, I see now. Type II it is, Ian.
I know that the record from the Higgins spelled it Malsbang, in a 1980s transcription of the original donors' (General Sage's grandsons) 1957 letter. Hardly a stretch to see where the S on the keyboard was struck in place of the A. Brigadier General Sage, at the time a captain, seems to have seen considerable action. He was actually stationed in the Philippines between 1898-1906, but I don't know if he was there for eight years consecutively. His grandsons donated several examples, including this kampilan, a datu's kris, and some barongs. Some were elaborately decorated, others were quite simple.

[Spunjer]

don't know if this is much of a help, Ian.
here's a picture of a Maranao datu, Datu Pagi. notice the kampilan on the the left

[CharlesS]

Spunjer,

Looks like that kampie is in a scabbard...or is it just my old eyes??? The blade's tip seems to be rounded like a scabbard tip, yet at the same time I am seeing a 'gleam' off it, so may just be the exposed blade. Seems to be some sort of bands there as well.

Your thoughts?

[Spunjer]

enlarging the picture on my personal file, it appears to be one of those open face scabbards. i'll do some editing with the lighting later on to get a better pic

[Ian]

Spunger:

Thanks for the photo. I enlarged it a bit and applied a central axis line over the blade. This kampilan appears to be a typical Type I although I cannot see the handle to determine if it has a "saddle."

The scabbard appears to be an edge guard that does not completely cover the blade, but just the sharpened edge and the tip. I have a similar guard for an old panabas that is tied on with strips of cloth. This one might be tied on with twine.

Ian.