Barong Classification

[Federico]

Ok, I hate to be a naysayer here, but particularly the classification between Samal and Tausug barong, just does not hold up when you start to study period pics. Bob Cato lists both styles as variations of barong, but doesnt draw a tribal distinction. Part of the reason for this, is if you do a large survey of period pictures, you will find many period pics in which you will have a group of Tausug wearing both styles of barong, or a group of Samal, etc.... Of note are plates 70 and 71 of D. Encinas book "Moros as seen in Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago", featuring the Sultan of Sulu and his retainers (all Tausug). Also, one will see the "Tausug Crest" (according to this classification scheme) often on barong that have a "Samal" (again according to this scheme) scabbard and vice versa. Now if this was rare occurances, they could be seen as exceptions (possible swaps in scabbards, taste of owner, etc...), but the frequency is quite high. I did not see Banati listed as a pommel material, and at least in my experience this is the most common even amongst Jungayan, and then there generally are no spacers, so that would be in contradiction to the classification of Jungayan as mostly having spacers. I have also seen a high incidence of solid puntos on both middle and fighting barong, so I would be hesitant to say most have interspersed puntos. Finally there are a few of variations left out, such the no metal punto barong with only jute wrap, horn ferrule variations, horse hoof pommels, ball pommels, naga pommels, etc....