Unusual Moro Barong Sword

CharlesS · 17th July 2014, 04:55 PM

This Moro barong needed some cleaning and restoration, but now I am ready to show it to the forum and discuss its unique features.

At first glance it looks to be a typical Moro barong, certainly so by size and shape.

There are, however, three noticeably unique features about it.

Notice how the top("wrangka" for lack of a better term) of the scabbard is distinctly canted forward. Most carved tops sit at about a horizontal level to the lower part of the scabbard, but in this case it is canted decidedly forward, yet, the barong's ferrule sits at a perfectly horizontal manner with the rest of the scabbard. This took some carving know-how!

Also of interest is the intricate detail of the 'wrangka', and its motifs I am not familiar with as Moro. Are these circular motifs flower buds?...or, perhaps they are larger extensions of the scroll work at the top of the scabbard?...Has anyone seen any similar motifs before? We have all seen circles and formations of circles as talismanic motifs on Moro blades. I am wondering if this may be some form of extension of that.

The most eye-catching aspect of the barong is its gold or gold plated ferrule, heavily worked in floral motifs. This is quite different from the more common, plain silver, gold, or gold plated ferrules typically seen.

The blade is pattern welded, smaller than typical, but otherwise not unique.

Does anyone have any ideas about the specific tribe or region this piece may have originated from in Moroland? I am guessing perhaps Tausug or Samal, but would love others' input.

Ian · 17th July 2014, 06:03 PM

Hi Charles:

This is a lovely piece--very elegant.

The hilt looks Moro but the gold ferrule is certainly odd. My first thought on seeing the gold work was that it resembled SE Asian styles on dha. The way the work is segmented longitudinally into "panels" seems similar to me. Also, the chain-like recurring motif in the first panel next to the blade. The longest "panel" is segmented into recurring floral patterns IMO, again reminiscent of certain dha.

The length of this gold ferrule relative to the total length of the hilt seems a little longer than most Moro barung, and I have been told by Filipinos who should know that this usually indicates a Samal origin (if I recall correctly, Cato may also make this point).

However, the question really is whether this is Moro or from somewhere else? The overall style of barung and scabbard look Moro to me, it's just the decoration that seems different. [BTW I have seen this tilted "wrangka" at least once before on a barung--perhaps it sits more comfortably or aligns better with the hand when worn across the body in a waist band or sash.]

This quality of gold decoration is simply not seen on many Moro pieces and I think it definitely comes from elsewhere. We probably need to look for more prosperous Muslim neighbors. Given my comments above about a possible mainland SE Asian influence, I would think Malaysia (including Sabah) or the Sultanate of Brunei would be reasonable thoughts. Maybe Brunei is more likely given the longstanding connections between the muslims of the Sulu archipelago and the sultanate.

Just a lovely looking piece. Definitely made for someone who was wealthy. Congratulations on the find.

Cheers,

Ian.

Sajen · 17th July 2014, 10:21 PM

Hello Charles,

what a beauty!

The okir motif on the ferrule has a Malay or Indonesian touch IMHO.

Regards,
Detlef

Robert · 18th July 2014, 12:48 AM

Hello Charles, Not wanting to just repeat what everyone else has said so far I will just say WOW.

The Ferrule and the scabbard carving are some of (if not) the nicest I've seen so far on a barong. My congratulations and thank you for sharing this with all of us here on the forum.

Best,
Robert

Battara · 18th July 2014, 02:03 AM

Well, I must agree with Ian - possibly Brunei. I will add one other possibility - perhaps a Chinese Moro or Malay. I have seen work like this from Chinese craftsmen before.

Now for origin: my guess might be either Samal (as Ian suggested) or possibly the village of Bun-Bun?

One other thought: this might have been owned by a pang lima - a regional leader (not just a data) or a representative of the sultan.

By the way - the metal may be gold plated or may be gold alloyed not with copper but with silver, at 10k+ (testing would best determine what).

Ian · 18th July 2014, 02:49 AM

Charles:

I would like to share a couple of mine on this thread also. This one has a silver ferrule but also has the tilted "wrangka" similar to your example. Another fairly long ferrule with two woven silver wire bands at the top end.

Ian · 18th July 2014, 02:57 AM

I thought the ferrule on this one was copper until I had it tested. It came back 10K gold with copper alloy. This is a plain-looking Moro ferrule IMO. The carved simple wooden pommel is very well done and the wood is high grade. There are multiple bands of braided silver wire at the end of the ferrule. No scabbard with this one unfortunately. The ferrule on this one is shorter than my other example suggesting a different tribal origin (?Taussag).

Spunjer · 18th July 2014, 03:31 AM

excellent Barung, brother Charles!
the motif on the handle is totally un-Islamic (from the Moro's perspective at that time period), given actual floral patterns. on the other hand, five petal flowers in ukkil fashion is common among Suluanos' arts and crafts. understand as well that there's a large chinese population in Sulu, making me think this particular piece is Sulu, most likely crafted/owned by a chinese Joloano...

CharlesS · 18th July 2014, 01:03 PM

Thanks for all the input guys.

Regarding the ferrule, I agree it does not look Moro at all. I can see the Indo-Malay possibilities and the Chinese/Filipino as well. Jose and I had discussed Chinese artisans in the Philippines before.

I had not thought about the similarities to SE Asian dha/daab decoration, but compared it after reading Ian's suggestion, and there are, indeed, similarities, especially with the segmented, cartouche-like motifs.

Thanks again for the kind comments and input!

17th July 2014, 04:55 PM	#1
CharlesS Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Greenville, NC Posts: 1,857	Unusual Moro Barong Sword This Moro barong needed some cleaning and restoration, but now I am ready to show it to the forum and discuss its unique features. At first glance it looks to be a typical Moro barong, certainly so by size and shape. There are, however, three noticeably unique features about it. Notice how the top("wrangka" for lack of a better term) of the scabbard is distinctly canted forward. Most carved tops sit at about a horizontal level to the lower part of the scabbard, but in this case it is canted decidedly forward, yet, the barong's ferrule sits at a perfectly horizontal manner with the rest of the scabbard. This took some carving know-how! Also of interest is the intricate detail of the 'wrangka', and its motifs I am not familiar with as Moro. Are these circular motifs flower buds?...or, perhaps they are larger extensions of the scroll work at the top of the scabbard?...Has anyone seen any similar motifs before? We have all seen circles and formations of circles as talismanic motifs on Moro blades. I am wondering if this may be some form of extension of that. The most eye-catching aspect of the barong is its gold or gold plated ferrule, heavily worked in floral motifs. This is quite different from the more common, plain silver, gold, or gold plated ferrules typically seen. The blade is pattern welded, smaller than typical, but otherwise not unique. Does anyone have any ideas about the specific tribe or region this piece may have originated from in Moroland? I am guessing perhaps Tausug or Samal, but would love others' input. Attached Images Last edited by CharlesS; 17th July 2014 at 05:28 PM.

18th July 2014, 02:49 AM	#6
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,200	Another tilted "wrangka" Charles: I would like to share a couple of mine on this thread also. This one has a silver ferrule but also has the tilted "wrangka" similar to your example. Another fairly long ferrule with two woven silver wire bands at the top end. Attached Images

18th July 2014, 02:57 AM	#7
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,200	Another gold (suassa) ferrule I thought the ferrule on this one was copper until I had it tested. It came back 10K gold with copper alloy. This is a plain-looking Moro ferrule IMO. The carved simple wooden pommel is very well done and the wood is high grade. There are multiple bands of braided silver wire at the end of the ferrule. No scabbard with this one unfortunately. The ferrule on this one is shorter than my other example suggesting a different tribal origin (?Taussag). Attached Images

17th July 2014, 06:03 PM	#2
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,200	Hi Charles: This is a lovely piece--very elegant. The hilt looks Moro but the gold ferrule is certainly odd. My first thought on seeing the gold work was that it resembled SE Asian styles on dha. The way the work is segmented longitudinally into "panels" seems similar to me. Also, the chain-like recurring motif in the first panel next to the blade. The longest "panel" is segmented into recurring floral patterns IMO, again reminiscent of certain dha. The length of this gold ferrule relative to the total length of the hilt seems a little longer than most Moro barung, and I have been told by Filipinos who should know that this usually indicates a Samal origin (if I recall correctly, Cato may also make this point). However, the question really is whether this is Moro or from somewhere else? The overall style of barung and scabbard look Moro to me, it's just the decoration that seems different. [BTW I have seen this tilted "wrangka" at least once before on a barung--perhaps it sits more comfortably or aligns better with the hand when worn across the body in a waist band or sash.] This quality of gold decoration is simply not seen on many Moro pieces and I think it definitely comes from elsewhere. We probably need to look for more prosperous Muslim neighbors. Given my comments above about a possible mainland SE Asian influence, I would think Malaysia (including Sabah) or the Sultanate of Brunei would be reasonable thoughts. Maybe Brunei is more likely given the longstanding connections between the muslims of the Sulu archipelago and the sultanate. Just a lovely looking piece. Definitely made for someone who was wealthy. Congratulations on the find. Cheers, Ian.

17th July 2014, 10:21 PM	#3
Sajen Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Germany, Dortmund Posts: 8,781	Hello Charles, what a beauty! The okir motif on the ferrule has a Malay or Indonesian touch IMHO. Regards, Detlef

18th July 2014, 12:48 AM	#4
Robert EAAF Staff Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Centerville, Kansas Posts: 2,196	Hello Charles, Not wanting to just repeat what everyone else has said so far I will just say WOW. The Ferrule and the scabbard carving are some of (if not) the nicest I've seen so far on a barong. My congratulations and thank you for sharing this with all of us here on the forum. Best, Robert

18th July 2014, 02:03 AM	#5
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,221	Well, I must agree with Ian - possibly Brunei. I will add one other possibility - perhaps a Chinese Moro or Malay. I have seen work like this from Chinese craftsmen before. Now for origin: my guess might be either Samal (as Ian suggested) or possibly the village of Bun-Bun? One other thought: this might have been owned by a pang lima - a regional leader (not just a data) or a representative of the sultan. By the way - the metal may be gold plated or may be gold alloyed not with copper but with silver, at 10k+ (testing would best determine what).

18th July 2014, 03:31 AM	#8
Spunjer Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Witness Protection Program Posts: 1,730	excellent Barung, brother Charles! the motif on the handle is totally un-Islamic (from the Moro's perspective at that time period), given actual floral patterns. on the other hand, five petal flowers in ukkil fashion is common among Suluanos' arts and crafts. understand as well that there's a large chinese population in Sulu, making me think this particular piece is Sulu, most likely crafted/owned by a chinese Joloano...

18th July 2014, 01:03 PM	#9
CharlesS Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Greenville, NC Posts: 1,857	Thanks for all the input guys. Regarding the ferrule, I agree it does not look Moro at all. I can see the Indo-Malay possibilities and the Chinese/Filipino as well. Jose and I had discussed Chinese artisans in the Philippines before. I had not thought about the similarities to SE Asian dha/daab decoration, but compared it after reading Ian's suggestion, and there are, indeed, similarities, especially with the segmented, cartouche-like motifs. Thanks again for the kind comments and input!