Mindanao kris, need help advise

[kai]

Hello Detlef,

The hilt wrapping is lost at some places; under the wrapping is red cloth and the seller (who is a member of this forum) stated that this is a sign that this kris was carried in the rebellion against the Spanish.

I'd love the seller to expand on this!

Red cloth is quite commonly utilzed in Moro culture and red munsala cloth attached to the hilt seems to have been in usage for an extended period.

Here we come to my question; do you would let the handle in this state or would you recruit the missing wrapping?

Since you have some more Moro kris in your collection, I'd be inclined to leave this piece as it is - as a kind of study/museum example.

Any repair will affect the visibility of the possibly authentic cloth. With the already replaced brass clamp and the remaining braiding (which seems to be done relatively poorly, especially for a kris supposedly from the Spanish period), no addition won't make it look complete, anyway.

OTOH, if you opt for a full restoration including a new (iron?) clamp, I'd suggest to completely rewrap the hilt in traditional Moro style and keep/display the carefully removed old hilt wrap together with the kris (I believe you can get braiding and cloth off intact if you carefully moisten it before trying to remove the blade).

Regards,
Kai

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by kai

Since you have some more Moro kris in your collection, I'd be inclined to leave this piece as it is - as a kind of study/museum example.

Any repair will affect the visibility of the possibly authentic cloth. With the already replaced brass clamp and the remaining braiding (which seems to be done relatively poorly, especially for a kris supposedly from the Spanish period), no addition won't make it look complete, anyway.

OTOH, if you opt for a full restoration including a new (iron?) clamp, I'd suggest to completely rewrap the hilt in traditional Moro style and keep/display the carefully removed old hilt wrap together with the kris (I believe you can get braiding and cloth off intact if you carefully moisten it before trying to remove the blade).

Regards,
Kai

Hello Kai,

a very good point! The remaining wrapping is done in the traditional way and not done poorly IMHO but very worn. I like the replaced clamp from brass, it's a tribal repair and a part of the history of this kris. So maybe I will let the handle in this state. By this handle you can see very good the construction and how the clamps are attached and like you I think that the red cloth is some sort of munsala. And this kris is for sure a old fighter and never have been a blinky status piece so the idea to keep it like this as museum piece appeals to me.

Regards,
Detlef