Bag Lady Kampilan

[Spunjer]

ever seen them bag ladies pushing their carts with their worldly belonging in it? not making fun of them by any means, but that image is the first thing that crossed my mind when i came across this kampilan.
this particular piece carried more historical artifacts with it than any other pieces i've ever owned. what's amazing is the majority stayed with it.
first of, it came with that rare scabbard, and i believe this one is original to it. the scabbard was even carved and painted. it has ukkil carvings on both sides, and get this; i'm pretty sure it's Sulu as compared to my photo collection of barung sampirs, and pictures from Ligaya Amilbangsa's book, Ukkil. looking at the pattern of the ukkil as well, you will notice that the top part is carved, middle part untouched, and carved again at the tip, similar theme to a barung's scabbard.
one of the first things that caught my eyes is the hair. we normally see the hair attached on the ridge of the handle. in this instance, the hair was sewed on a piece of cloth and tacked on the front of the handle, giving it a beard as oppose to the mohawk that we normally see. so this made me think what's the significance of those hair on the kampilan? why do some kampys have hair, and some are bald? why the need to add hair on this particular piece. i don't think it's just for decoration, there's gotta be a meaning behind it.