Budbud on Moro Weapons

[xasterix]

Hello! I've always wondered what material is used as budbud (the coils usually found on the hilts of Moro swords). There seems to be at least 3 that I"m aware of: woven rattan, a black rope, and a gray, wire-like rope. I've also noticed that in some weapons, the hilt was prepped in anticipation of budbud (a deeper cavity was carved into the hilt to accommodate budbud, while in other pieces, budbud was obviously an add-on the original design; it thickened the hilt.

Would be most grateful if anyone can identify and illustrate good budbud for use on modern Moro weapon hilts.

Thanks very much in advance!

[Ian]

Hello xasterix:

Thank you for this question about Moro hilts. I have to admit I've not heard the term "budbud" before. Perhaps you could tell us where you found it.

If I understand your question correctly, you are referring to the narrow braided strips that can be found on the hilts of some Moro barung and kris (and occasionally other Moro edged weapons). If so, then the materials contributing to these strips seems to be quite varied in my experience. Plaited rattan, braided cord of various fibrous materials (hemp, piña, waxed cotton cord, etc.) or metallic wires (made from copper/brass, iron/steel, silver or other precious metals) come to mind.

It's my impression that these strips were much less common on Moro weapons before the late 19th C.

Ian.

[xasterix]

Originally Posted by Ian

Hello xasterix:

Thank you for this question about Moro hilts. I have to admit I've not heard the term "budbud" before. Perhaps you could tell us where you found it.

If I understand your question correctly, you are referring to the narrow braided strips that can be found on the hilts of some Moro barung and kris (and occasionally other Moro edged weapons). If so, then the materials contributing to these strips seems to be quite varied in my experience. Plaited rattan, braided cord of various fibrous materials (hemp, piña, waxed cotton cord, etc.) or metallic wires (made from copper/brass, iron/steel, silver or other precious metals) come to mind.

It's my impression that these strips were much less common on Moro weapons before the late 19th C.

Ian.

Thanks much for this info sir! I got it from sir Lorenz Lasco's infomercial posted on his FilHistory page. Attaching the pic where I got the term from. As a follow-up question- which budbud do you like best on your barungs?


Moderator's Warning: The site referenced in this response (filhistory.com) has been flagged as problematic by Google. Please exercise caution if you choose to enter the site as it may be malicious. Ian

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[David]

Originally Posted by Ian

Thank you for this question about Moro hilts. I have to admit I've not heard the term "budbud" before. Perhaps you could tell us where you found it.

Ian, you can find this word amongst a list of terms that Miguel brought to our attention some time ago. I am uncertain of his source for this list of terms and definitions.
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ghlight=budbud

[David]

The term can be found in a list of terms on this site as well.
http://atkinson-swords.com/nomenclat...ine-terms.html

[David]

The term is also mentioned in this Wikipedia page on the culture of Basilan.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Basilan

"An example of Tausug woodwork is the puhan (wooden handle) of bladed weapons which may be simple or decorated with gold or silver wires, strings, and rings. For the barong, the handle is wrapped in cord and metal at the far end, and carved and polished at the upper part. At the end of the grip is a protrusion carved with ukkil designs. The handle of the kalis, which the Tausug terms as daganan kalis, can also be profusely decorated, sometimes with mother-of-pearl. Taguban (scabbards) are beautifully carved and are covered with budbud (fine rattan). Other woodworks include kitchen utensils and furniture items like beds, chests, and wardrobes (Szanton 1973:51–54)."

[Ian]

David:

Thank you for noting your results for the term budbud in searches here and more widely on the internet. I had also performed the same searches and came up with similar results. The lists provided by both Miguel Diaz and the Atkinson web site are very similar and appear to come from the same primary source, namely the Tausug-English Dictionary (Kabtangan iban maana) by Irene Hassan et al. (1995).

The last attribution from Wikipedia states that budbud means "rattan." From my own research, the most common Tausug term for rattan is uway. (Languages of the Southern Gateway, The Summer Institute of Linguistics, 1979).

My reason for asking xasterix where he came across the term budbud was to see whether he had a source other than Hassan et al. (or someone quoting that source). I have had reason in the past to question some of the terms and definitions offered by Hassan et al. Looking at the list of terms provided on the Atkinson web site, for example, turns up some strange definitions. More importantly, when I consulted my Philippines' contacts a number of year ago about the accuracy of Hassan et al, they informed me that there were "many errors."

I was initially unclear what xasterix meant by budbud, although he seemed to be describing the rings of plaited material found on the hilts of some barung and kris. Whether these are called budbud in the native language is probably not particularly important because we now have a picture of what he was referring to, and they are indeed the plaited rings that Hassan et al. refer to as "shank collars." Again, this is not a term that I associate with edged weapons, but rather a plumbing term in relation to beer kegs.

But let's not get sidetracked into a pointless name game. Xasterix is asking what style of plaited rings do people prefer?

I don't really have a particular preference. Silver looks good with a silver punto, but that would be on higher end pieces. Waxed black cord is cheaper, easy to find, looks good, and is gentler on the palm and fingers than plaited wire.

Ian