Something New

[Robert]

Hello,
I just picked this up off of ebay. A Visayan piece but with this blade style I'm not sure whether to call it a tenegre or not? Below are the auction pictures. It does look to have small metal plates attached to the hilt that could be silver. I will know more after it arrives. All comments are welcome.

Robert

[Battara]

According to recent research on Iloilo (Nacho and Migueldiaz) this would be called a tenegre and called this and used by the lowlanders of Iloilo.

Also I looks like silver and brass are combined, but you can tell better after you clean them. What is nice is that it looks like silver is used for on the eyes and perhaps other parts of the head. Will look great after it is all cleaned up.

[Robert]

Thank you Jose for the information and for confirming that this is a tenegre. Like I stated earlier I have never seen one with a blade in this style. I am really looking forward for this to arrive so I can find out how many silver and brass plates that there are on the hilt. The second picture down on the left seems to indicate that there could be quite a few. I am also very interested in the throat piece on the scabbard and if this sword has a guard or not.


Robert

[migueldiaz]

Hello. Yes, it's a tenegre (pronounced, tee-NEE-greh).

Nacho is the expert on this. Earlier, he told us that --

"The Iloilo Museum has identified 5 hilt variants of the Panay sword: 1) the classic short nose tenegre (found all over lowland Panay); 2) the long-nosed sanduko of the Panay Bukidnons/Mundo; 3) the Open Mouth/crocodile Mouth pommel (made until now in Antique, particularly the town of Adiong), which some people say is Negros (it is not); 4) the human monster face with large eyes and menacing teeth ,sometimes made of bone (made in the vicinity of Cabatuan, Iloilo; and : 5) the plain rounded/pistol grip found in binangons from Iloilo Province (older ones made of carabao horn). [item] 1) has a sub-variant that looks like it has two horns in addition to the short nose."

As to what they look like, I've blogged about them here(1), here(2), here(3), here(4), and here(5).

The variant of (1), the three-horned fellow, is here.

[Sajen]

Hello Robert,

let me add that it is a beautiful sword and I hope that you will post better pictures when you received it.

Regards,

Detlef

[Robert]

Migueldiaz, Thank you for your interest and for the links that you posted. I am a very frequent viewer of your web site and had already seen all of the information that you referred to in the links. I was just concerned because of the blade shape that this sword might be a variant and have a different name. Again my thanks for your help.


Detlef, Thank you for your kind words and I will be more than happy to post more pictures of this sword as soon as it arrives and I have a little time to clean it up a bit.

Again, my thanks to everyone who has commented on this and for all their help.

P.S.
Nacho, If you have the time I would really like to have your thoughts on this piece.

Robert

[Nonoy Tan]

Excellent information by migueldiaz!

[Battara]

Oh Kamagong is so very hard - it is also called Makassar Ebony. Tough stuff and harder than narra or paduk wood, and dulls your tools!

Beautiful wood though, especially the subtle grains in some pieces. Makes great contrast to ivory or bone inlays.

[Robert]

Hello Migueldiaz, You would never need to worry about my wife ever thinking about using a sharp pointy object on any guest. It would be my hide that would be it danger if I wasn't to give her advanced warning of their arrival. We are both looking forward to your visit.

Robert

[migueldiaz]

Originally Posted by Robert Coleman

Hello Migueldiaz, You would never need to worry about my wife ever thinking about using a sharp pointy object on any guest. It would be my hide that would be it danger if I wasn't to give her advanced warning of their arrival. We are both looking forward to your visit.

Robert

Thanks, Robert! ... I feel better already Am looking forward to meeting your wife (am traveling with my wife by the way - we will be attending a wedding). On second thoughts, do you think it's a good idea to let our wives meet?

For the others' academic interest, here are some more blade-related terms from that 1934 dictionary:

baláraw, Dagger, poniard, stiletto, knife. (cf. dága, punyál).

punyál, (Sp. puñal) Dagger, poniard, stiletto. (cf. íwà, dága, súndang, etc.).

bángkaw, A lance, spear. Ang kílid sang Aton Ginóo hinandusán sang bángkaw ni Longíno. The side of Our Lord was pierced by the lance of Longinus.

dáldag, An adze; to use or apply an adze. Daldagí ang káhoy. Use an adze to trim the wood. (cf. wásay—hatchet).

lánsa, (Sp. lanza) Lance. (cf. bángkaw).

bidyíw, A spear, harpoon. (cf. bángkaw—lance).

sibát, A spear, a kind of barbed lance. Palayógi siá sang sibát. Throw the spear at him. Sibatá ang talunón. Throw a spear at the wild boar. Spear the wild boar.

sumbilíng, (H) Any missile in the nature of a javelin, spear, lance or the like.

túmbak, A harpoon, barbed spear or javelin, prong, fork. (cf.bángkaw—lance).

kinabasî, kinabásì, Like—, in the form of—, a kabásì-fish; sharppointed. Bángkaw nga kinabasî. A lance with a straight, sharp point. (cf.kabásì, pinángdan).

pinángdan, Like a—, in the form of a—, screw-pine; twisted like a screw-pine. Bángkaw nga pinángdan. A lance with a long drawn and twisted point.

kinúgon, Made as pointed or as sharp as cogon-grass; the point of a spear, lance, arrow, etc. (cf. kógon).

lántip, The double-edged point of a lance, spear, or the like.

orongán, The (wooden) shaft of a lance, spear, etc. (cf. unungán, ulungán).

parakól, An axe, hatchet, chopper. (cf. wásay).

kalólot, To apply any sticky, viscous material. Ginakalólot sa ápal sang binángon ang tagók sang kamánsi. The juice of the bread-fruit is used for fastening the handle of a bolo.

kalásag, Shield, cover, protection, defense; escutcheon.

tamíng, Shield, buckler. (cf. kalásag; panamíng—to use a shield).

súdsud, A scraper; to scrape off, rub off, erase. (cf. hódhod).

Incidentally, in the olden times (and perhaps even up to now) one of the fiercest adversaries of the Moros are the Panaynons. If the latter have specific names for various spearheads (e.g., kinúgon, pinángdan, kinabasî) chances are the former have their own terms, too.

I hope someday, someone will write about 'Moro Spears & Other Weapons'