Moro punal bronze guard?

[Ian]

Just one last thought on the similarity between gunong and kris blade styles. Here is a relatively modern kris blade that shows the square shoulder preceding the first luk on the "back edge" of the blade, and the ">"-shaped point with its acutely angled tip. The blade does not have a separate gangya, and the tang is very short (although Moro kris can have surprisingly short tangs, this one is shorter than most). The elephant trunk area suggests a Maguindanao origin for this blade.

The okir style engraved on the blade, with cross-hatching, is found on early 20th C pieces (say, 1900–1920/1930), and this is consistent with the blade features noted above. Similar blades were made later without the engraved okir.

I think this may help date some of the gunong shown here. However, the production of these small knives has extended for more than a century, and continue today. Those seen for sale now are nearly all 20th C in origin, sometimes reflecting earlier styles. I don't think one can say that because the blade on a gunong resembles a kris style of the late 19th C or early 20th C it is therefore from that same period. I think one can say it is of a style that does not predate the corresponding kris style, however it could have been produced decades later. Only a small fraction of Moro gunong/punal coming on to the market these days are 19th C in origin and it is good to see pictures of knives in an early style posted in this thread. The popularity of the gunong as a souvenir item will see its continued production in the Philippines, although current quality may not be what it once was.