New Ivory Hilt Kris

[Aslan Paladin]

I won this ivory hilt kris sword along with 2 other swords in an online auction last November and got to take pictures for sharing here in the forum just now (the sword arrived 2 weeks ago). It is 28.5 inches in overall length with a 22-inch blade. I removed as much rust as I could get off the blade and gave it a light etch with vinegar, revealing linear lamination patterns down the center. The blade edges have multiple small nicks. I think it is a Maranao kris. The first four images are from the auction site. Comments and opinions are most welcomed. Enjoy.

[Aslan Paladin]

Group picture with my other ivory hilt kris swords.

[mariusgmioc]

Great addition to your collection!

Congrstulations!

[Aslan Paladin]

Thanks!

[kai]

Hello Algelan,

Very nice family pic!
BTW, did you showed us the kris at the bottom already?

Congrats to the new addition!

I have a hunch that the blade might be Sulu rather than Marano - could you please add a close-up of the gangya area taken directly from above, please?

The cross-piece is definitely Sulu; the scabbard silver bands look restored to me from the pics (despite some dings).

I do wonder whether the hilt got married to the blade at a later time (maybe abroad)? The last band with okir seems a tad large, too. Any hints it might be an older replacement? (Looks like genuine Moro craftsmanship though.)

Just speculating a bit to hear your thoughts - pics can be deceiving.

Regards,
Kai

[Battara]

Aslan, I agree with you that the blade is Maranao. The okir on the hilt mounts also look Maguindanao or Maranao (sometimes difficult to tell being next to each other).

Kai, sometimes Maranao scabbard wrangka tops have this older form that is similar to the Sulu versions.

Congratulations on a great piece and growing family of great kris!

My request: would you post closeups of the 3rd and 4th kris hilts please? (3rd and 4th from the top)

[Aslan Paladin]

Originally Posted by kai

Hello Algelan,

Very nice family pic!
BTW, did you showed us the kris at the bottom already?

Thanks Kai.

The kris at the bottom was the first kris in my collection and the first bit of ivory I owned. I was lucky with that one as I got it cheap, the seller didn't know the hilt was ivory and probably mistook it for wood or something due to the dark patina. The blade was corroded all over so it took me a lot of effort to clean. It seemed it have undergone a lot of etching in the past thus the erosion of the edges as well as the laminations looking almost topographical. I think there appears to be faint talismanic symbols as well. I also think it is a Sulu kris. The pic of the kris with the dark, corroded blade is from the seller.

[Aslan Paladin]

Originally Posted by kai

I have a hunch that the blade might be Sulu rather than Marano - could you please add a close-up of the gangya area taken directly from above, please?

I don't know if this satisfies your request Kai but here it goes.

[Aslan Paladin]

Originally Posted by kai

I do wonder whether the hilt got married to the blade at a later time (maybe abroad)? The last band with okir seems a tad large, too. Any hints it might be an older replacement? (Looks like genuine Moro craftsmanship though.)

I wouldn't discount the possibility that the hilt could be later but I wouldn't know what to look for that could indicate an age difference between the blade and the hilt . I thought that the blade was Maranao based on the gangya and the hilt as Maranao as well due to the okir on the upper band. The scabbard I wasn't really sure but as Battara said a few Maranao scabbards possessed crosspieces similar to Sulu boat styles (I also crosschecked with Cato after the fact).