Moro Kampilan. Opinion needed

ariel · 24th March 2005, 03:26 PM

The pic of the tip looks as if a motorized implement had been used for cleaning.
Horror, horror.....

Conogre · 24th March 2005, 03:37 PM

Since you're fairly new to collecting, Ariel's comment was also possibly in way of a subtle warning...many beautiful antiques are all but destroyed by using a Dremmel, sander or such to remove rust, which can mar a blade almost beyond repair.
Many use a liberal application and soaking with WD40 or a similar good rust inhibitor, followed by removal with a cloth or other non-abrasive material until you have considerable experience.
Mike

Bill · 24th March 2005, 03:57 PM

Nice old Kampilan, also nice restoration project. The white metal seems quite odd, your pics look like mine so its hard to see detail. While it has "Moro" design on the white metal, it doesn't look typical. It also seems to be cut from thin sheet metal but it is hard to tell. Is it holding the hilt together or covering up damage? Plenty of advise in the old forums on restoration, Good luck with a nice old sword.

philkid · 24th March 2005, 04:43 PM

What do you think the age is on this item? Thanks for the info about restoration although I did not restore it. Left it as it is. The metal doesn't hold the hilt together and I don't see it covering up any damage. What do you think the metal was for? Is it for decoration? Thanks

philkid · 24th March 2005, 04:55 PM

By the way, can someone give me the basics on what to use on cleaning blades? Thanks.

Conogre · 24th March 2005, 05:01 PM

Again, silver was often used as a display of wealth, rank or status on many swords, particularly as it's regarded as a "clean" metal, spiritually, in the Muslim faith.
Many warriors added to their swords as their station in life improved, so it's not unusual to see silver newer than the rest of a sword, and keep in mind that swords were also often passed down from generation to generation as well as being highly regarded battle trophies.
I would suspect that more than one klewang was retired back to field chores when its owner was fortunate enough to come out the victor in a battle or war, aquiring a weapon that would otherwise be far beyond his means.
As to age, at least as early as the late 19th century and possibly as new as the early to mid 20th century, but would hesitate to state anything more than that, other than it's a very nice weapon.
Mike

Ian · 24th March 2005, 05:27 PM

Congrats on finding a nice old example of a kampilan, probably 19th C., that has some features which make me think it is probably Maranao.

The Maranao features are the style of the hilt with a prominent round disk at the junction of the two "jaws," as well as the use of a silver band at the end of the grip decorated with ")" marks which are still seen today on pieces coming from the Lake Lanao region. Similar silver bands can be seen on some Maranao kris.

I do think this is silver from the appearance in the pictures. Pure silver was used on many early Moro weapons, as well as coin silver from melting down Spanish and later American silver coins. Silver (or any other precious metal) decoration is uncommon on kampilan, and perhaps indicates ownership by someone of higher rank, as Mike has indicated. It is unusual to see such ornamentation on kampilan, perhaps because these were exclusively weapons and were not worn for display (although some dignitaries did have large, unusual examples carried by attendants as a symbol of rank or power).

It is likely that the grip on this one was wrapped with rattan strips or cord during its earlier life, and these have been lost with time.

There are many posts about kampilan on this web site, and I would encourage you to use the search function for "kampilan" to learn more about them.

Ian.

Federico · 25th March 2005, 12:25 AM

I agree with Bill, there is something funky going on with the "silver" decor. Very aftermarket, and has the appearance of very modern sheet metal. Just to clarify, modern rolled sheet, not that it is not necessarily silver, but more modern in its production.

One note with Maranao theories on Kampilan, the idea of the hilt as swiflet tail has Maranao origins.

tom hyle · 25th March 2005, 06:23 AM

The ring does bind the handle, of course (not neccessarily as a repair for an existant split, but it helps prevent and contain any that do occur), as does the guard, as did the grip wrap. Precious metal is usually seen on kampilan in the form of nailed on coins on the pommel, or inlays in the blade. The toothbrush looking metal part that covers the "croc jaw" is certainly unusual though. I'm not sure why people are fascinated by the thinness of the metal in a way that seems critical of age or authenticity; many old ferules etc. are quite thin, including Moro ones; I'm not real nuts about the phenomenon,but I actually see it more on old pieces, with the exception of Chinese. The silver does not look ground upon to me, and a soft-buff would've hit the wood [

] which I don't see; I think it was cleaned with a chemical wipe, such as Tarnex, etc. As to kampilan being plain users without decoration; I really don't agree; I'm not saying they're not badass fighting blades, but the hilts are often highly carved, and while the hair tufts may have some religio/magical purpose, they've always mostly seemed like showy decoration to me; not dis-similar to a Lakota's leather fringed garments, or a Zulu soldier's feathers, etc.

24th March 2005, 05:27 PM	#7
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,398	Nice old kampilan Congrats on finding a nice old example of a kampilan, probably 19th C., that has some features which make me think it is probably Maranao. The Maranao features are the style of the hilt with a prominent round disk at the junction of the two "jaws," as well as the use of a silver band at the end of the grip decorated with ")" marks which are still seen today on pieces coming from the Lake Lanao region. Similar silver bands can be seen on some Maranao kris. I do think this is silver from the appearance in the pictures. Pure silver was used on many early Moro weapons, as well as coin silver from melting down Spanish and later American silver coins. Silver (or any other precious metal) decoration is uncommon on kampilan, and perhaps indicates ownership by someone of higher rank, as Mike has indicated. It is unusual to see such ornamentation on kampilan, perhaps because these were exclusively weapons and were not worn for display (although some dignitaries did have large, unusual examples carried by attendants as a symbol of rank or power). It is likely that the grip on this one was wrapped with rattan strips or cord during its earlier life, and these have been lost with time. There are many posts about kampilan on this web site, and I would encourage you to use the search function for "kampilan" to learn more about them. Ian. Last edited by Ian; 24th March 2005 at 10:01 PM.

24th March 2005, 03:26 PM	#1
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	The pic of the tip looks as if a motorized implement had been used for cleaning. Horror, horror.....

24th March 2005, 03:37 PM	#2
Conogre Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Clearwater, Florida Posts: 371	Since you're fairly new to collecting, Ariel's comment was also possibly in way of a subtle warning...many beautiful antiques are all but destroyed by using a Dremmel, sander or such to remove rust, which can mar a blade almost beyond repair. Many use a liberal application and soaking with WD40 or a similar good rust inhibitor, followed by removal with a cloth or other non-abrasive material until you have considerable experience. Mike

24th March 2005, 03:57 PM	#3
Bill Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Chicago area Posts: 327	Nice old Kampilan, also nice restoration project. The white metal seems quite odd, your pics look like mine so its hard to see detail. While it has "Moro" design on the white metal, it doesn't look typical. It also seems to be cut from thin sheet metal but it is hard to tell. Is it holding the hilt together or covering up damage? Plenty of advise in the old forums on restoration, Good luck with a nice old sword.

24th March 2005, 04:43 PM	#4
philkid Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Philippines Posts: 52	What do you think the age is on this item? Thanks for the info about restoration although I did not restore it. Left it as it is. The metal doesn't hold the hilt together and I don't see it covering up any damage. What do you think the metal was for? Is it for decoration? Thanks

24th March 2005, 04:55 PM	#5
philkid Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Philippines Posts: 52	By the way, can someone give me the basics on what to use on cleaning blades? Thanks.

24th March 2005, 05:01 PM	#6
Conogre Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Clearwater, Florida Posts: 371	Again, silver was often used as a display of wealth, rank or status on many swords, particularly as it's regarded as a "clean" metal, spiritually, in the Muslim faith. Many warriors added to their swords as their station in life improved, so it's not unusual to see silver newer than the rest of a sword, and keep in mind that swords were also often passed down from generation to generation as well as being highly regarded battle trophies. I would suspect that more than one klewang was retired back to field chores when its owner was fortunate enough to come out the victor in a battle or war, aquiring a weapon that would otherwise be far beyond his means. As to age, at least as early as the late 19th century and possibly as new as the early to mid 20th century, but would hesitate to state anything more than that, other than it's a very nice weapon. Mike

25th March 2005, 12:25 AM	#8
Federico Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Minneapolis, MN, USA Posts: 312	I agree with Bill, there is something funky going on with the "silver" decor. Very aftermarket, and has the appearance of very modern sheet metal. Just to clarify, modern rolled sheet, not that it is not necessarily silver, but more modern in its production. One note with Maranao theories on Kampilan, the idea of the hilt as swiflet tail has Maranao origins.

25th March 2005, 06:23 AM	#9
tom hyle Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston, TX, USA Posts: 1,254	The ring does bind the handle, of course (not neccessarily as a repair for an existant split, but it helps prevent and contain any that do occur), as does the guard, as did the grip wrap. Precious metal is usually seen on kampilan in the form of nailed on coins on the pommel, or inlays in the blade. The toothbrush looking metal part that covers the "croc jaw" is certainly unusual though. I'm not sure why people are fascinated by the thinness of the metal in a way that seems critical of age or authenticity; many old ferules etc. are quite thin, including Moro ones; I'm not real nuts about the phenomenon,but I actually see it more on old pieces, with the exception of Chinese. The silver does not look ground upon to me, and a soft-buff would've hit the wood [ ] which I don't see; I think it was cleaned with a chemical wipe, such as Tarnex, etc. As to kampilan being plain users without decoration; I really don't agree; I'm not saying they're not badass fighting blades, but the hilts are often highly carved, and while the hair tufts may have some religio/magical purpose, they've always mostly seemed like showy decoration to me; not dis-similar to a Lakota's leather fringed garments, or a Zulu soldier's feathers, etc.