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#1 |
Member
Join Date: Apr 2021
Posts: 26
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Hello Everyone,
Brand new member here and thank you for approving my account! I'm quite new to collecting so I appreciate everyone's knowledge here and input. Here is my Barong with silver hilt and ivory pommel. The scabbard seems to have been made later than the blade since it has a 1937 US coin. It is held together by nickle bands. Would love to hear any feedback on where this Barong originated from on from what year. Thanks! |
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#2 |
Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,252
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Welcome to the forum!
More pics and specs of the blade would be good. The hilt and scabbard are likely Maranao work from after WWII. The blade might also be Maranao but difficult to tell from the limited pics. Regards, Kai |
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#3 |
Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Room 101, Glos. UK
Posts: 4,167
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Dimensions (length, width, thickness of blade and weight help too. Please show both sides of the blade/grip. and scabbard
Blades are often older than scabbards as they tended to drop their scabbards before a battle, and recover them after victory. If they lost, they didn't need it, the new owner could either get a new one made, or have a look to see where the previous owners dropped them & find one that fit. Even if the old owner won, he may have had a new one made if it were damaged or worn, or he wanted a more decorated one. |
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#4 |
Member
Join Date: Apr 2021
Posts: 14
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Hello everyone.
I’m new to the forum, this is my first post. I’ve been collecting barungs for a while, here are a few pics I’d like to share. Hope everyone has a great weekend! |
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#5 |
Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,252
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Welcome to the forum!
That's a neat collection for a start - especially the series of slender barung which all seem to hail from the first half of the 20th century. The first looks like an antique blade in recent scabbard; some more pics would be good. Do you know the maker of the last example? Regards, Kai |
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#6 |
Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Germany, Dortmund
Posts: 8,732
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Also from me a welcome to the forum Pindang!
![]() Nice collection of barungs. ![]() Regards, Detlef |
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#7 |
Member
Join Date: Apr 2021
Posts: 14
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#8 | |
Member
Join Date: Apr 2021
Posts: 14
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#9 | |
Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,252
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Thanks! Another nice example from the first half of the 20th century; the blade seems to be of above-average quality and could be an older, antique piece that got rehilted. The scabbard does seem to show some wear; it clearly exhibits modern craftsmanship though and will be a later replacement.
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Regards, Kai |
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#10 | |
Member
Join Date: Apr 2021
Posts: 14
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#11 |
Member
Join Date: Apr 2021
Posts: 14
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Here are a few barungs from my collection.
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#12 |
Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Room 101, Glos. UK
Posts: 4,167
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#13 |
Member
Join Date: Apr 2021
Posts: 14
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#14 |
Member
Join Date: Apr 2021
Posts: 26
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Sorry all for the late reply on this.
But had to move across the coast and then work occupied my time. Here's more photos and specs: Blade length - 13 1/2inches Thickness - 3/16 Hilt - close to 6 inches Total length - 19 inches from tip of the blade and tip of the ivory hilt. Perhaps that'll help to determine the provenance of it. Thank you all! |
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#15 |
EAAF Staff
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 7,200
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This is a nice ivory Maranao barong. I did some restoration work on this. Glad it went to a loving owner!
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#16 |
Member
Join Date: Oct 2018
Posts: 640
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Among us Filipino collectors, it's Mr pindang that has the most barungs, I'm betting
![]() Here are my latest barungs...a Sama barung with some initials on the scabbard plate and well-preserved rattan ferrule. 16in blade, hollow ground edge. Then a barung entrusted to me by Ian, probably the best among my barungs right now...20.75in blade with sandigan edge. Wields really well, but with a beastly momentum on every cut. |
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#17 |
Member
Join Date: Apr 2021
Posts: 26
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#18 |
Vikingsword Staff
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: The Aussie Bush
Posts: 4,167
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Xas,
You are accumulating quite a collection of barung! I'm pleased you like the shandigan blade. As you say, it is quite a beast and longer than most shandigan. Look forward to hearing how it cuts for you. |
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#19 | |
Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,252
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Hello Jose,
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Regards, Kai |
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#20 | |
Member
Join Date: Apr 2021
Posts: 26
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Please let me know what other photographs does the forum need to better help identify my blade? I'll be more than happy to take them for everyone so it can be evaluated. Thanks Ira |
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#21 |
Member
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 701
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first time I read the title "Go on... show us your Barung!!! "....
my first thoughts where, where did a decent christian guy like me end up...? between a bunch of perverts.... or ruffians....? luckily I recognized a few names of decent lads and the pics shown were OK ! ![]() Question I have is : what attracks you to a barong ? why do you like it and what about it you like ? FYI: I am from the Netherlands or Holland if you like and by tradition or better due to historical ties we do have a certain affinity with the kris. Both peoples : Indonesian decent and also Dutch, us Cloggies thus ![]() Not only as a cold weapon as such and the historical part, but also due to its mystical, spiritual nature. Noticing that most of you do not have that personal and or historical tie with the barong country/ countries, I am curious what attracts you to it? No disrespect nor offence intended ... BR Gunar |
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#22 |
Vikingsword Staff
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 6,287
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Hi, US here,
Have you forgotten the Philippine Revolution at the end of the Span-AM war? ![]() IIRC America was quite involved in the Philippines during that time; and shortly thereafter in WWII. Americans have those historical ties to the Islands. Three of my ancestors were there over that span of time; one died there somewhere in the wilds of Mindanao. Fatal beauty. A Barung is a very efficient tool for separating people from their limbs; they were used for that purpose back then. Some of the simple real antique ones have a certain feeling when you hold them, almost like they're old veterans that have stories to tell could we only hear them. Last edited by Rick; 4th September 2021 at 10:29 PM. |
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#23 |
Vikingsword Staff
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: The Aussie Bush
Posts: 4,167
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Gunar,
Rick has pointed to the historical connection between the US and the Philippines. The US had a lot of trouble with the Moros in the southern parts of the country after "inheriting" ownership of the islands in 1899. Not just the Moros, but with unhappy residents throughout the islands. However, the Moros were the most troublesome and conflicts continued for another 15 years or so. There was a respect for the Moros and their weapons. The barung was perhaps the most feared weapon as it was more easily concealed than the kris, and often used by juramentados for magsabil or "honor attacks" against the enemy. Many Moro and other Philippine weapons have found their way to the US, often brought back by US servicemen who continued to be stationed in the Philippines after Philippine independence following WWII. The eruption of Mt Pinatubo in 1991 damaged Clark AFB and the neighboring Subic Bay Naval Base, and finally led to US military withdrawal from the islands. Much like the Dutch experience in Indonesia, there remains an interest in things Filipino in the US, and of course we have a sizeable Filipino community living here. As Rick noted too, the barung is of interest to collectors for its functional aspects. When wielding it, it is easy to feel the power that a blow from one of these blades would unleash, while some simple cutting tests reveal it to be an awesome weapon. |
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#24 |
Vikingsword Staff
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 6,287
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Yes, I have a vintage photo of the loser of a fight which I will spare the membership from seeing, he looks like a doll that has been disassembled.
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