Two old Maguindanao kris--with some differences related to age

[David]

Originally Posted by Ian

Yes, it would be nice to have more information about local terms and interpretations. I would use such terms if I could find them. However, I'm aiming for clarity and how to communicate the features of these swords in a way that can be understood widely. The Javanese naming system seems a place to start until more accurate terms are available.

Ian, please understand that i was not criticizing your usage of these Javanese terms in this regard, simply making a call for more vigorous research to discover the proper names for these features in at least one, if not more, of the Moro languages. We do have at least a few native Filipino members here who may be able to make some inroads on this study. It just seems that we have for some time assumed that this knowledge is not available, which i suppose could be the case. But i would hate to see Moro collectors give up on this search altogether because language is such an important part of any culture and understanding deeper or hidden meanings that might be lurking there. Despite the obvious fact that the Moro kris descended from the Indonesian keris, clearly these two weapons were treated in very different ways by these respective cultures and the specific names used for the various features can help us understand better how these people related to these weapons.