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#1 |
Member
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 23
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Hi! Back again..
I was wondering if the Lumads made their own Kampilans and not just refit Moro Kampilan with new hilts, and if so, how did they get the steel material? Did they trade it with Moros? Thank you. |
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#2 |
Vikingsword Staff
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: The Aussie Bush
Posts: 4,139
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Hello ashkenaz:
Thank you for the question about Lumad weapons. Yes is the short answer to your question, but not usually as long as Moro kampilan and with different hilt styles peculiar to their Lumad origin. The T'boli in particular had a short bladed version of the kampilan, that they called a tok or kafilan. There are also examples of similar short kampilan used by the Bagobo. Swords of other Lumad groups are much harder to find and source. What little we know about Mandaya weapons, for example, does not seem to include a kampilan style blade. If you search on this site for various Lumad names you will find a few examples of kampilan-like swords used by these groups. The blades of the shorter versions are made within the Lumad cultures—those of the T'boli are particularly respected for their quality and traded for by other groups. Exchange among the Mindanao Moro tribes and Lumad groups is known to occur with respect to kris blades, so I don't see any reason why that would not apply also to kampilan blades. As far as sources of iron and steel, native groups are very resourceful. Although there is iron ore available on Mindanao, it is likely that Lumad smiths obtained some of their iron from other sources, including Moro, Spanish, and later the U.S. Ian. Last edited by Ian; 3rd October 2018 at 10:15 PM. Reason: Spelling |
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#3 |
Vikingsword Staff
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: The Aussie Bush
Posts: 4,139
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Ashkenaz,
Here are a couple of pictures of a T'boli and a Bagobo small kampilan. They are each shorter than the Moro kampilan and are more in the nature of large knives rather than swords. The tribal distinctions are in the hilts and the ikat wrappings of the scabbards, otherwise it can be hard to distinguish between the tribal origins because the blades are often similar. The top one is T'boli. Ian. |
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#4 |
EAAF Staff
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 7,186
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I agree with Ian. Mostly kampilan like blades seem to be used on Lumad tribes like the T'boli and the Bagobo.
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#5 | |||||
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,249
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Hello Ian,
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Regards, Kai Last edited by kai; 4th October 2018 at 05:50 PM. |
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#6 | ||||||||
Vikingsword Staff
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: The Aussie Bush
Posts: 4,139
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Hi Kai:
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Ian. |
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#7 | ||
Vikingsword Staff
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: The Aussie Bush
Posts: 4,139
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In thinking about Kai's comments, I was prompted to refer back to a classic book on T'boli culture: T'boli Art in Its Socio-Cultural Context, by Gabriel S. Casal (Ayala Museum, Makati, 1978, 228 pp). Chapter XI of this book is titled "The Legacy of Ginton." Ginton was one of D'wata's seven sons and is an important figure in the T'boli creation myth. Ginton is the god of metal working, and had the same status as the gods of life, death, mountains, and forests. Ginton bequeathed "singkil (brass anklets), blonso (brass bracelets), hilöt (women's chain mail girdles), t'sing (ring) and all kafilan and tok (T'boli swords) as his gifts to mankind ..."
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#8 |
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Greenville, NC
Posts: 1,855
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Kai,
I think the relative size of Moro weapons has as much to do with their being the weapons of seafarers and raiders, and to their stature, as much as a jungle environment. In period photos I am often surprised how Americans(supposedly shorter then than now) seem to tower over their Moro counterparts, say a datu and his entourage. Shorter blades are a characteristic of most SE Asian cultures, with some exceptions, and they are not all jungle dwellers, nor seafarers and raiders for that matter, so I think physical stature played crucial role in decisions about sword lengths. Even the kampillan, the longest of Moro swords, was capable of being welded with one or two hands. I know as a short guy myself I am more comfortable with a med-sized to smaller blade. Longer blades are awkward for me to handle. |
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#9 |
Member
Join Date: Oct 2018
Posts: 629
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Hi everyone. I'm not well-versed in Lumad weapons, but this is all I can do to help- been to the National Museum of Anthropology here in the Phils lately, this is what I saw. Apologies if I wasn't able to get all the labels.
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#10 |
Member
Join Date: Oct 2018
Posts: 629
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Hi everyone, I'm not well-versed in Lumad weapons, but this is what I can do to help- here are some pics from our National Museum of Anthropology.
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#11 |
Member
Join Date: Oct 2018
Posts: 629
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Greetings. While I'm not knowledgeable on Lumad weaponry, here are some pieces from the National Museum of Anthropology. Enjoy!
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