A Moro Kriss...or Not???

Ian · 20th February 2005, 06:50 PM

Chuck:

Albert Van Zonneveld uses the term sundang to desribe the large double-edged kris that we associate with the Moros. He lists similar sundang as coming from Kalimantan and Sulawesi, as well as the Philippines and Sulu Archipelago. Figure 550 of v. Zooneveld's Tradtional Weapons of the Indonesian Archipelago shows a Kalimantan sundang ("kris") that resembles your example: a single asang asang, a large central fuller, and a hilt having a small kakatua pommel. It actually looks very similar to the one you show, but v. Zonneveld's picture is too small to see any finely engraved details. [I wonder if it would be possible to have his pictures reproduced on the web at greater resolution than in the book, or maybe on a CD that we could buy from him? Are you out there, Albert? The only criticism I have of your book is the minute pictures for many, many pieces.]

The scabbard strikes me as possibly not very old, a replacement perhaps, while the okir designs around the throat are evocative of Moro decorations.

Probably a Moro variant, but we seem not to have identified kris from other sources very well, so it is hard to exclude Kalimantan, Sulawesi, etc.

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20th February 2005, 06:50 PM	#5
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,361	Chuck: Albert Van Zonneveld uses the term sundang to desribe the large double-edged kris that we associate with the Moros. He lists similar sundang as coming from Kalimantan and Sulawesi, as well as the Philippines and Sulu Archipelago. Figure 550 of v. Zooneveld's Tradtional Weapons of the Indonesian Archipelago shows a Kalimantan sundang ("kris") that resembles your example: a single asang asang, a large central fuller, and a hilt having a small kakatua pommel. It actually looks very similar to the one you show, but v. Zonneveld's picture is too small to see any finely engraved details. [I wonder if it would be possible to have his pictures reproduced on the web at greater resolution than in the book, or maybe on a CD that we could buy from him? Are you out there, Albert? The only criticism I have of your book is the minute pictures for many, many pieces.] The scabbard strikes me as possibly not very old, a replacement perhaps, while the okir designs around the throat are evocative of Moro decorations. Probably a Moro variant, but we seem not to have identified kris from other sources very well, so it is hard to exclude Kalimantan, Sulawesi, etc.