Two Very Good Datu Barongs, One With Shandigan Blade

David · 2nd October 2013, 03:46 AM

Two beautiful barungs no doubt, but yes, most definitely the ivory pommeled one for sure.

I do have a bit of a layman's question. I can clearly see the ivory piece as a datu weapon. But i am not sure exactly why the other one is automatically designated as such. It is of course, lovely and i would welcome it in my collection in a heartbeat, but what makes it datu? The sheath is nicely carved (better than most) and has a jungayyan pommel. Were such pommels reserved solely for the datu class or could this simply be a barung owned by someone just a little further up the chain but not of the datu class?

Battara · 2nd October 2013, 04:05 AM

A good question David.

According to Cato, junggayans where allowed to be worn by datus. In fact, they had several. This one might be considered a datu "working" barong. Obviously the ceremonial or "parade" pieces had the "bling" we all love so much.

Spunjer · 2nd October 2013, 12:08 PM

Yowza!!! excellent pieces, bro! pretty neat that the upper bands on the the ivory pommeled junggayan are made out of gold as well. the scabbard on the same barung looks to be newer though; notice the median ridge sticking out and the toe similar to those on the WW2 types. hey, as long as the blade fits, right?
they're definitely both Sulu, no doubt, but as far as tribal affiliation

congrats!!!

CharlesS · 2nd October 2013, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spunjer

Yowza!!! excellent pieces, bro! pretty neat that the upper bands on the the ivory pommeled junggayan are made out of gold as well. the scabbard on the same barung looks to be newer though; notice the median ridge sticking out and the toe similar to those on the WW2 types. hey, as long as the blade fits, right?
they're definitely both Sulu, no doubt, but as far as tribal affiliation

congrats!!!

Spunjer,

I agree at first glance the scabbard appears like the WW2 era ones, and it may be. There is no doubt this scabbard was made for this blade.
The quality of this scabbard is not typical of WW2 era pieces which we tend to find broken and cracked quite often as they were made from a softer more easy to carve wood. The front panel of this scabbard is made from a hardwood with clearly flashing grains, really something I would more expect to see on an Indonesian keris.

I am not so confident about putting a date on it, but clearly it was attempt to create and upgraded, even exotic, look....especially compared to what we see in typical Moro barong scabbards and the wood that is used for some of them, most especially the later ones.

kino · 5th October 2013, 04:37 PM

Really nice!
I like the way they used a black horn spacer with the ivory.
The accoutrements adds flair to the scabbard.
It amazes me how delicate looking the carvings are on both pieces and how they stayed intact thru time.

Battara · 5th October 2013, 11:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kino

It amazes me how delicate looking the carvings are on both pieces and how they stayed intact thru time.

That is so true Kino! All that carving on both are totally intact. INSANE!

CharlesS · 6th October 2013, 05:26 PM

To be fair, as mentioned in the opener, there was some restoration to the wood on the first one, and some of that involved the carved top(right top edge).

The second one is untouched and I especially love the carving on that one, though both are intricate.

CharlesS · 2nd October 2013, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David

Two beautiful barungs no doubt, but yes, most definitely the ivory pommeled one for sure.

I do have a bit of a layman's question. I can clearly see the ivory piece as a datu weapon. But i am not sure exactly why the other one is automatically designated as such. It is of course, lovely and i would welcome it in my collection in a heartbeat, but what makes it datu? The sheath is nicely carved (better than most) and has a jungayyan pommel. Were such pommels reserved solely for the datu class or could this simply be a barung owned by someone just a little further up the chain but not of the datu class?

David,

I think Battara's term "datu working" barong may be just perfect for the first one.

Spunjer and I have discussed this type of thing many times...essentially who got what in terms of quality and 'bling'. He has several old period pics and postcards of weapons sellers' stalls(maybe he can find them and post them here)...blades just hanging all over the place that are for sale to the locals(....if only we could go back in time...and assume a return with our heads and limbs attached!!). These pics indicate a variety of size, quality, and types of blades, from the most mundane to the blingiest ivory, etc. We have both sort of concluded it was just a matter of what you could afford, and that said, it's logical the datus could afford the higher quality pieces. As Battara mentioned, I am sure there were some social rules involved as well. I don't think it was too terribly different than modern society....status and wealth reflected in what was bought and worn. We most also factor in such things as gifts and representation pieces from datu to datu that would have been meant to impress.

2nd October 2013, 03:46 AM	#1
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,211	Two beautiful barungs no doubt, but yes, most definitely the ivory pommeled one for sure. I do have a bit of a layman's question. I can clearly see the ivory piece as a datu weapon. But i am not sure exactly why the other one is automatically designated as such. It is of course, lovely and i would welcome it in my collection in a heartbeat, but what makes it datu? The sheath is nicely carved (better than most) and has a jungayyan pommel. Were such pommels reserved solely for the datu class or could this simply be a barung owned by someone just a little further up the chain but not of the datu class?

2nd October 2013, 04:05 AM	#2
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,272	A good question David. According to Cato, junggayans where allowed to be worn by datus. In fact, they had several. This one might be considered a datu "working" barong. Obviously the ceremonial or "parade" pieces had the "bling" we all love so much.

2nd October 2013, 12:08 PM	#3
Spunjer Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Witness Protection Program Posts: 1,730	Yowza!!! excellent pieces, bro! pretty neat that the upper bands on the the ivory pommeled junggayan are made out of gold as well. the scabbard on the same barung looks to be newer though; notice the median ridge sticking out and the toe similar to those on the WW2 types. hey, as long as the blade fits, right? they're definitely both Sulu, no doubt, but as far as tribal affiliation congrats!!!

5th October 2013, 04:37 PM	#5
kino Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,018	Really nice! I like the way they used a black horn spacer with the ivory. The accoutrements adds flair to the scabbard. It amazes me how delicate looking the carvings are on both pieces and how they stayed intact thru time.

6th October 2013, 05:26 PM	#7
CharlesS Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Greenville, NC Posts: 1,854	To be fair, as mentioned in the opener, there was some restoration to the wood on the first one, and some of that involved the carved top(right top edge). The second one is untouched and I especially love the carving on that one, though both are intricate.