Moro Kris with Atypical Blade And A Borneo Kris For Sharing

[Ian]

Originally Posted by Sajen

Have a look to this thread: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ght=kris+saber

Thanks Detlef. Yes, I recall that discussion and that sword. The one I have in mind had the same shaped blade as the subject of this post and was shown by Justin on the old UBB forum. It was so similar it could have come from the same panday. Unfortunately, that forum is damaged and unavailable at present.

Kai, your classification looks good to me. The traditional straight-bladed kris (a sundang or other local names--see Cato, etc.) has a spear point that distinguishes it from these other variants. On some late 19th C and later examples of the traditional straight form (usually Mindanao kris in my experience) the spear point is less rounded and more V-shaped, as if it were intended for a stabbing action.

Attached are pictures of a 20th C Mindanao sword. It is partly waved and mostly straight. My reasons for posting it are the similarity in hilt style and components—bone or stag kakatua, cord-wrapped hilt—to one in the original post, and the V-shaped tip I mentioned above. This one does not have a separate gangya.

The vendor's tag from 20+ years ago was still attached. It came from an arts and crafts store in Intramuros, Manila. Although advertised as "Maranao" this one would fit more closely with Cato's classification of Maguindanao.

Ian.