There Will Be Piras

Rick · 10th September 2011, 12:13 AM

n/t

ThePepperSkull · 18th September 2011, 08:52 PM

Thanks for the visual reference, rick!

The pira came in yesterday. Will take pics when I have time, but quickly came to post a few notes:

- The blade is tapered. at the base it is 6.5mm thick, and tapers to less than 2mm thick near the tip. Seems a tad slim for a non-modern/old moro piece, but my frame of reference is mainly from Kris. Is this common for Pira of this shape? I have another pira of the "newer' blade shape that is thicker. Would thickness be any indication of age or quality? It definitely feels good in-hand and is not whippy. Very solid.

- Length of the blade is a whopping 20 inches (51cm)

- Upon closer inspection, the blade seems to be laminated in a low contrast pattern, as kai predicted. I was thinking about doing a light citric etch as someone seems to have polished it almost to a shine at one point.

- As Kai also said, it turns out the patina on the handle is shiny rather than there being some type of laquer on it.

- Length of the handle is 6.5 inches (16.5 cm) but was probably longer orginally due to the broken crest

- The patina at the butt end of the hilt is lighter and does seem to me to indicate that the crest was broken off and then smoothed out at one point. I will post pictures of this.

- There are filings at the base of the spine that we see in many philippine/moro blades. The familiar ||X| pattern is filed in.

- there are scratch marks on the wood from the shaping of the handle. This and the next bit are why I believe this to belong to someone who was not necessarily of status.

- The brass punto (metal hilt collar/sleeve) is significantly less wide than the handle it is on. Is this indicative of any particular group's style of assembly? I know that the Pira have been attributed to the Yakan and Samal, but what are the differences between piras made by each group? This Punto style seems new to me, as most of the ones I see on other pira are silver and have the look similar to most Barung (i.e. longer slength in the punto, lined up well at the base with the wooden hilt, tapering out in 'rings' once it gets closer to the blade). Then again, it could be because of its owner. It does not seem to me like a status piece.

Battara · 18th September 2011, 09:53 PM

Congratulations - sounds like the real deal, especially with the "X" marks on the spine.

Rick · 19th September 2011, 12:27 AM

The laminated blade on my example is not all that thick at the forte; possibly 3/16" .
Light = fast .
(Combat)* Pira, (IMO) is a slasher .

*Is there even a antique agricultural version ?

harimauhk · 19th September 2011, 01:22 AM

I believe piras and barungs have always come in a variety of thicknesses and lengths. Hand forging steel is far from an exact process, and yes, lighter blades are of course faster, so the thickness might vary depending on the needs of the user and the materials the smith started with. I had the good fortune of handling dozens of well-made barungs and piras last week. While newer pieces (1940s up), there was quite a variety of blade thicknesses.

As for agricultural piras: I believe there have always been agricultural barungs, and I just picked up an interesting itak that resembles a pira (I bought it in Zamboanga, a stone's throw from Basilan). It also resembles a Malay parang lading to some extent. Definitely an interesting piece! I believe the smiths that crafted it are Tausug since they do turn out a lot of barungs (agricultural and combat use versions).

KuKulzA28 · 19th September 2011, 01:29 AM

Dave thats awesome! Hope you find the time to post up pictures soon!

harimauhk, I can't comment on Moro agricultural blades specifically, but don't the Visayan islands have their own barong which (at least today's examples) seem a lot more agricultural? They look almost like chubby garabs with a little more weight forward, but the barong's leaf-shape is present...

or maybe I am just getting confused..

harimauhk · 19th September 2011, 01:37 AM

Hi Kuk,

Yes, there are agricultural barungs in the Central Visayas, but I believe that came about through cultural exchange between the Bangsamoro tribes and the Bisaya/Cebuano. BTW, I also picked up an agricultural barung crafted by the same Zamboanga smiths, and a karit (sickle) I saw used for slicing through banana stems.

It would definitely allay all doubt if someone had an antique version of an agricultural barung/pira, but I guess farm tools wouldn't be cared for and passed down in the same manner.

ThePepperSkull · 19th September 2011, 05:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick

The laminated blade on my example is not all that thick at the forte; possibly 3/16" .
Light = fast .
(Combat)* Pira, (IMO) is a slasher .

*Is there even a antique agricultural version ?

Definitely. It's got a deep distal taper as well which also makes it feel lighter. I find that many SEA blades that are specifically made as weapons have a more profound distal tapering than the SEA blades intended for agriculture or general bushtool use, which have an almost uniform blade thickness.

harimauhk · 19th September 2011, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThePepperSkull

Definitely. It's got a deep distal taper as well which also makes it feel lighter. I find that many SEA blades that are specifically made as weapons have a more profound distal tapering than the SEA blades intended for agriculture or general bushtool use, which have an almost uniform blade thickness.

Dave, virtually all of the Filipino agricultural blades I've handled over the last two years have distal tapers: go figure! Interestingly, the two modern piras I picked up do not taper much.

ThePepperSkull · 20th September 2011, 04:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by harimauhk

Dave, virtually all of the Filipino agricultural blades I've handled over the last two years have distal tapers: go figure! Interestingly, the two modern piras I picked up do not taper much.

d'oh! wrong again!

Yeah, my pira made in '92 has no distal taper either.

10th September 2011, 12:13 AM	#1
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,339	n/t Attached Images

19th September 2011, 12:27 AM	#4
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,339	What's In A Name ? The laminated blade on my example is not all that thick at the forte; possibly 3/16" . Light = fast . (Combat)* Pira, (IMO) is a slasher . *Is there even a antique agricultural version ?

19th September 2011, 01:22 AM	#5
harimauhk Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 88	I believe piras and barungs have always come in a variety of thicknesses and lengths. Hand forging steel is far from an exact process, and yes, lighter blades are of course faster, so the thickness might vary depending on the needs of the user and the materials the smith started with. I had the good fortune of handling dozens of well-made barungs and piras last week. While newer pieces (1940s up), there was quite a variety of blade thicknesses. As for agricultural piras: I believe there have always been agricultural barungs, and I just picked up an interesting itak that resembles a pira (I bought it in Zamboanga, a stone's throw from Basilan). It also resembles a Malay parang lading to some extent. Definitely an interesting piece! I believe the smiths that crafted it are Tausug since they do turn out a lot of barungs (agricultural and combat use versions). Last edited by harimauhk; 19th September 2011 at 01:41 AM.

18th September 2011, 08:52 PM	#2
ThePepperSkull Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 338	Thanks for the visual reference, rick! The pira came in yesterday. Will take pics when I have time, but quickly came to post a few notes: - The blade is tapered. at the base it is 6.5mm thick, and tapers to less than 2mm thick near the tip. Seems a tad slim for a non-modern/old moro piece, but my frame of reference is mainly from Kris. Is this common for Pira of this shape? I have another pira of the "newer' blade shape that is thicker. Would thickness be any indication of age or quality? It definitely feels good in-hand and is not whippy. Very solid. - Length of the blade is a whopping 20 inches (51cm) - Upon closer inspection, the blade seems to be laminated in a low contrast pattern, as kai predicted. I was thinking about doing a light citric etch as someone seems to have polished it almost to a shine at one point. - As Kai also said, it turns out the patina on the handle is shiny rather than there being some type of laquer on it. - Length of the handle is 6.5 inches (16.5 cm) but was probably longer orginally due to the broken crest - The patina at the butt end of the hilt is lighter and does seem to me to indicate that the crest was broken off and then smoothed out at one point. I will post pictures of this. - There are filings at the base of the spine that we see in many philippine/moro blades. The familiar \|\|X\| pattern is filed in. - there are scratch marks on the wood from the shaping of the handle. This and the next bit are why I believe this to belong to someone who was not necessarily of status. - The brass punto (metal hilt collar/sleeve) is significantly less wide than the handle it is on. Is this indicative of any particular group's style of assembly? I know that the Pira have been attributed to the Yakan and Samal, but what are the differences between piras made by each group? This Punto style seems new to me, as most of the ones I see on other pira are silver and have the look similar to most Barung (i.e. longer slength in the punto, lined up well at the base with the wooden hilt, tapering out in 'rings' once it gets closer to the blade). Then again, it could be because of its owner. It does not seem to me like a status piece.

18th September 2011, 09:53 PM	#3
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,280	Congratulations - sounds like the real deal, especially with the "X" marks on the spine.

19th September 2011, 01:29 AM	#6
KuKulzA28 Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: between work and sleep Posts: 731	Dave thats awesome! Hope you find the time to post up pictures soon! harimauhk, I can't comment on Moro agricultural blades specifically, but don't the Visayan islands have their own barong which (at least today's examples) seem a lot more agricultural? They look almost like chubby garabs with a little more weight forward, but the barong's leaf-shape is present... or maybe I am just getting confused..

19th September 2011, 01:37 AM	#7
harimauhk Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 88	Hi Kuk, Yes, there are agricultural barungs in the Central Visayas, but I believe that came about through cultural exchange between the Bangsamoro tribes and the Bisaya/Cebuano. BTW, I also picked up an agricultural barung crafted by the same Zamboanga smiths, and a karit (sickle) I saw used for slicing through banana stems. It would definitely allay all doubt if someone had an antique version of an agricultural barung/pira, but I guess farm tools wouldn't be cared for and passed down in the same manner.