BARUNG OR BADUNG?

[Ian]

I hope you don't mind but I edited your pictures a little to highlight some of the features. I need to check some reference books to comment further. While I do that, perhaps someone else may like to comment on the pommel and scabbard decorations.

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[Battara]

I'm thinking that the barong itself is not Palawano like the scabbard.

[Ian]

Hello again Yves,

The scabbard is Palawano. I have checked some aspects of the carving at the throat and it is certainly Palawano. A further picture is attached of this area. There are horizontal linear elements of triangle and diamond shapes (black arrows) intersected by similar vertical lines (white arrows) that segment the carvings into squares containing similarly carved motifs. Above that are further carved vines and leaves, but if one looks closely the carving is asymmetrical.

The segmented elements are typical Palawano work, as shown by the second attached picture which is from a Palawano bangkung scabbard. My sword and scabbard are of mid-late 20th C. manufacture and the carving is not as detailed as on your barung scabbard.

The asymmetric areas on the barung scabbard are not typical of Sulu carvings, so I don't think this scabbard started out as Sulu. Yakan carvings can be asymmetrical, as can those from Zamboanga. However, given the other features that I described earlier that clearly point to Palawano work, I think we can say that the entire scabbard is Palawano work.

As I mentioned previously, I am confident the blade is Sulu (most likely Tausug) in origin and made by a Chinese smith. There are numerous examples of such blades, some of which appear to be from the 19th C. or even earlier. The pommel is made from banati wood, with its typical "striped" appearance. This is a common and prestigious wood used for pommels on Sulu barung, and I have not seen it used on Palawano weapons. The carved kakatua hilt also strikes me as Sulu, probably Tausug, although there may have been some recarving of the beak and crest--hard to say. The punto looks typical Sulu work: silver or silver wash over brass, uniform width, and simple circumferential line decoration. Many Palawano ferrules are brass and have a fluted "bell" shape at either or both ends. There appears to be a plaited silver wire ring at the end of the punto, again a common finding on higher quality Sulu barung. Plaited rings on Palawano hilts tend to be hemp or rattan, although I imagine silver could be anticipated also on higher quality pieces.

So, I come back to my original thoughts--a Sulu (Tausug) barung in a Palawano scabbard. The barung is a higher end piece, datu quality perhaps, and the blade may be 100 years or so old. It's small size may mean it was a child's or woman's barung, or perhaps made for concealment.

Thanks for showing this interesting piece.

Ian.

[tanaruz]

Hi Sir,

Thanks so much for the information. Now I rest content knowing what my blade is and probable history/provenance.

A Sulu blade(tausug probably). Scabbard lost in time or broken, and a new scabbard was made by those who migrated to the southern part of Palawan (which was a part of the Sulu sultanate then).

Note: In addition, I've read an article on chinese-marked blades, to quote:'Some barong blades were made by Chinese smiths (due to the similarity in style to certain Chinese cleavers) for import into the Sulu sultanate. These blades tended to be of EXCELLENT QUALITY and often feature Chinese characters stamped into the forte'.

Kindest regards,

Yves

[Battara]

I agree with Ian on everything but one. The chop marks on the blade need to be checked out by someone who knows Chinese. There have been several times when such chop marks are actually nonsense to look Chinese to sell the blade easier at a higher price.

[tanaruz]

Hi,

My father had it translated. They are Chinese characters which means 'MEMORY' OR 'SCRIBE."

Regards

[Battara]

Great!