Pair of Moro Barong

[Rick]

Cato had a theory that one could judge the era from the carving at the end of the handle .

Try to find a copy of Moro Swords by Robert Cato; also a few hours spent here going through the archives would, quite possibly, be even more rewarding .

Search terms :
Barong
Barung

[carlitobrigante]

thanks Rick, i have been looking through the treasure trove that is this sites archive, a wealth of info there that im still looking through. As for Catos book, ive been searching for a copy for a while now, but its a bugger to track down, and the one time i did it was priced out of my reach anyway :-(

thats very interesting if he thinks the hilt carvings can tell us a rough date. Aswell as that then im told the smaller blades tend to be older?? The use of silver in the fittings can mean its older. And am i right in saying aswell that the use of mother on pearl on the scabbard denotes its most likely 20th century?? Anything else anyone know of that helps date these???

If anyones got any scans of any pages i would be forever in your debt if you could share. Failing that if anyone could email what the book says about the handle carvings that would be fantastic also.

For some reason the pics ive attached have been put into wrong order, incase it isnt obvious the 3rd pic down, the blade belongs to the one with the ornate hilt, the 5th pic down is the blade of the older barong.

[Battara]

I feel that the first one is 1900 to early 20th century and the second one based on the hilt style is 1920s from the Samal people in around Sulu.

Nice laminations on both pieces and great early Samal carvings on the scabbard (the 2nd piece).

[Rick]

Yes, those carvings are quite excellent; the uniformity and symmetry of the individual forms are masterfully executed .

I almost thought it to be embossed at first glance !

[Battara]

Yes I agree Rick, great okir work at the top of the scabbard!

[kai]

Nice start for a barung collection!

Both blades may well be 19th c. IMHO and I'd be tempted to repolish and etch the longer one (or both). Just a hunch - I'm wondering wether with the Samal barung only the pommel might have been replaced during the 20th c.?

Both scabbards appear to be of good quality. Tips(feet) of both scabbards have been broken off (happens a lot); the Tausug(?) piece with another break on the other side of the throat.

Please post close-ups when you receive these!

thats very interesting if he thinks the hilt carvings can tell us a rough date.

The hilt does seem to be the best indicator, especially since scabbards might get replaced/swapped. The rectangular beak seems to appear in some late 19th c. barung; the crest coming out from the curved hilt as a solid (often quite triangular) block rather than extending as a more-or-less floral ornament from the tip of the pommel is a 20th c. development.

Aswell as that then im told the smaller blades tend to be older??

Size and shape of the blades do vary. Very large or very slender blades are likely to be less old (i.e. not antique) but there may be exceptions...

The use of silver in the fittings can mean its older.

Silver (or at least silver plate) is pretty much standard for traditional barung regardless of age, even for plain warrior pieces. There are some antique examples with brass sleeves though.

And am i right in saying aswell that the use of mother on pearl on the scabbard denotes its most likely 20th century??

Yes.

Anything else anyone know of that helps date these???

Wear/patina, wood quality, carving quality, etc.

For some reason the pics ive attached have been put into wrong order

You need to load them up seperately if you want to show them in any given order.

Regards,
Kai

[Spunjer]

Both scabbards appear to be of good quality. Tips(feet) of both scabbards have been broken off (happens a lot); the Tausug(?) piece with another break on the other side of the throat.

Actually kai, the scabbard toe on the first one was designed to match the hilt, which is pungkol (limbless is it?) style, one that doesn't have a beak nor a crest. So i'm pretty sure the scabbard is original to the blade on this one.

[Battara]

I'm with Spunger on the first barong. A lot of fighting blades use this style of pommel.

However I agree with Kai on the second in that the pommel may well be a replacement, especially since it does not quite match the blade or scabbard. Some good observations.

[VANDOO]

NICE BARONGS IN YOUR SECOND SET OF PICTURES THE TOP PICTURE HAS TWO WOVEN BANDS AROUND THE METAL GRIP. I RECENTLY SAW A SIMULAR EXAMPLE AND THE OWNER SAID IT WAS MADE OF WOVEN HUMAN HAIR LIKELY A FAMILY MEMBER OR ANCESTOR. HE SAID PERHAPS IT WAS A SORT OF TAISMAN OR CHARM FOR PROTECTION, SORT OF A WAY TO TAKE FAMILY OR ANCESTORS TO BATTLE WITH YOU. I HAVE NOT READ THIS ABOUT THE MORO BUT IT COULD COME FROM AN OLDER TRIBAL BELIEF. I HAVE HEARD SOMETHING SIMULAR REGARDING CERTIAN KERIS HANDLES IN BALI AND DID SEE THE HUMAN HAIR.
PLEASE TAKE A CLOSE LOOK AT THEM WITH GOOD MAGNIFICATION AND CHECK AND LET US KNOW WHAT YOU FIND. IF ANY OF YOU GUYS HAVE ANY INFO ON THIS PLEASE JUMP IN AS IT IS A NEW BIT OF INFO TO ME AT LEAST AND I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF ITS TRUE OR FALSE. THE ONE I SAW SEEMED TO HAVE A COATING OF SOMETHING TO SECURE AND PROTECT THE HAIR AND I HAD NO LOUPE WITH ME SO COULDN'T TELL MUCH BUT LOOKED VERY SIMULAR TO YOUR EXAMPLE. THANKS IN ADVANCE

[Robert]

Hello Vandoo, Are you referring to bands like these? These are on a barong in my collection but they seem to be coated with what feels to be some sort of wax or resin (as well as dust) which makes it hard to really tell what they are made of. Tomorrow I will try to put it under magnification and see if I can tell more about its composition.

Robert