Unusual Kris Hilt for Comment

[RobT]

Hi All,

Save for the unusual fullers and grooves at the base, the blade is typical (albeit well done) but I have never seen a hilt with a pommel like the one on this kris. To me it looks more Bagobo or T’boli-ish than what I would expect on a conventional kris. (If the hilt were a good deal larger and slightly more crooked, it would do well as a French dueling pistol grip.) The wood, very finely grained and almost without figure, isn’t binate or anything else I am familiar with. Before examining it with a hand lens, I had suspected that it was dyed horn. There are some carved designs where the hilt wrap ends and also on the pommel. Although the wood of the hilt is in perfect condition, I believe that the blade and hilt have been together for quite some time because the baca baca strap has worn almost completely through the hilt wrap on the back side and the strap on the underside has worn through a bit also.
Specs:
Blade; about 21.5” (54.6cm) long
Hilt; about 6” (15.2cm) long
Ferrule; very pale yellow (almost white) brass
Hilt Wrap; fine cord
Baca Baca; appear to have a high nickel content because they are only weakly magnetic
Baca Baca Straps; apparently copper

Sincerely,
RobT

[kai]

I'd vote for Moro, Rob!

[Ian]

Looks all Moro to me too. That 20th C grip wrap is usually seen on Sulu kris.

[SanibelSwassa]

These are Moro pieces from my collection. I believe these are Seko or horse hoof hilts and became more popular after the fall of the last sultanate. With that said I’m definitely open to input and wisdom from others that can shine more light on the subject.

[Sajen]

Here are two more in a similar style.

[JeffS]

Another. The carving is nicely done.

[RobT]

Thanks to all who replied,

Special thanks to SanibelSwassa and JeffS for providing examples that are so similar to my hilt. I do have a question for SanibelSwassa about his use of seko for horse hoof. I know the word kuda for horse hoof. Who are the people who use seko and who uses kuda?
So, Moro it is. This is good to know because I have a kris that needs a pommel and, if I'm feeling ambitious, I may decide to try to duplicate this fancy style (more than likely though, I will make a more conventional kuda hilt like the ones Sajen shows).

Sincerely,
RobT

[Ian]

It's interesting that all of these "horse hoof" pommels are accompanied by hilts reflecting other features of mid-20th C production, most notably the type of wraps on the grip section of the hilt. This is true for the bangkung as well. These all appear to be of Sulu origin. Whether the blades predate the dress is hard to say. I've seen old kris blades redressed in this style, similar to Sajen's and Jeff's examples.

[RobT]

Hi Ian,

Given the perfect condition of the wood, I would bet that my hilt is newer than the blade. My blade appears to be 19th century and I doubt that a hilt shape like the one currently on the blade could have survived undamaged (let alone unblemished) for that long a time. The hilt is also very solidly affixed which could indicate that it was recently placed. SanibelSuassa's kris blade appears to be 19th century. JeffS' blade and the second one shown by Sajen are possibly 19th century also. I don't think however, given the wear to the hilt wrap, that my hilt is very recent either. I would expect frequent carry would be needed to get that kind of damage.

Sincerely,
RobT