A sword design theory (Phil., Indonesia, & Malaysia)

[migueldiaz]

In one of our local museums (Ayala Museum), there is an illustration of a Kalimantan woodcut (pic is below). I've reproduced also below the caption on the same.

Please note that the Austronesian concept of the tripartite cosmos (and their attendant symbols or gods), of course predates the region's contact with Hinduism, Buddhism, etc.

And the establishment of the above via linguistics as noted is very important. Because whereas finding archeological proofs is a hit-or-miss thing sometimes, linguistic evidence tends to be more robust and more traceable over time.

The other thing worth noting is that the Austronesian tripartite view of the cosmos finds itself in the design of many things. In the example below, we can see that our traditional house-on-stilts is actually a mirror of how our forefathers viewed the universe.

For instance, in the traditional Igorot houses the carved wooden deities (bulul) would be found on the attic of the houses, given that the attic represents the Upperworld. I think the exhumed bones of departed ancestors are also kept there.

Finally, I'd just like to point out that the veneration of the serpent, sun, bird, etc. are not exclusive to Austronesians, as we also all know.

Additional illustrations to follow ...