Ethnographic Arms & Armour
 

Go Back   Ethnographic Arms & Armour > Discussion Forums > Ethnographic Weapons
FAQ Calendar Today's Posts Search

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Old 1st November 2021, 03:27 PM   #1
kino
Member
 
kino's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 1,001
Default Sulu / N. Borneo sword

A sword that has an uncommon blade form. I don’t know what it’s called. It resembles a Barung in a few ways (handle, pommel, scabbard). The ferrule is horn. The tip could have broken off and re-shaped. If I were to hypothesize on its age…mid 19th to early 20th century. Blade length ~13 inches.
Thoughts?
Attached Images
   
kino is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 1st November 2021, 03:52 PM   #2
drac2k
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,230
Default

Some time ago I posted a barong with a similarly modified tip; it was the only one that I had seen prior to yours. One is an oddity, two or more is interesting.
drac2k is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 1st November 2021, 04:27 PM   #3
kronckew
Member
 
kronckew's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Room 101, Glos. UK
Posts: 4,178
Default

There was a Spanish law at one point that prohibited blades with points, those that had them, had their points snapped off to make them legal. Didn't do the Spanish any good.


Not sure when that was, in the 19c, but this, like others, may have been among the victims.
kronckew is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 1st November 2021, 05:46 PM   #4
Sajen
Member
 
Sajen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Germany, Dortmund
Posts: 8,761
Default

Beautiful sword Albert! Could it be Yakan? When it has a tip it doesn't have a barong blade form, so I guess it's the original blade shape.

Regards,
Detlef
Sajen is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 1st November 2021, 07:22 PM   #5
kai
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,254
Thumbs up

Congrats, Albert!

That's a nice piece and I agree with Detlef that it isn't a modified barung blade. If just clipped under imposed law (much of Sulu never was under real colonial control during most of the Spanish period), no major re-profiling would be likely.

Moreover, the blade length fits almost perfectly in the scabbard as is and any hollowed-out endpieces/chapes are extremely rare. If any serious extension to allow for a pointed blade would have been present earlier, I'd expect the same sturdy mode of attachment with pins as seen with the crosspiece (no remnant holes present near the foot though).

Stylistically, the crosspiece seems to vibe well with Tausug or northern Borneo (not mutually exclusive, anyway). A horn ferrule seems rare with Tausug pieces while quite common with Borneo origins. Thus, I'd lean towards Sulu-influenced coastal areas on northern Borneo. An established US colonial context may hint at a Philippine origin though...

Regards,
Kai
kai is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 1st November 2021, 07:23 PM   #6
kai
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,254
Default

Albert, could you also post a pic of the "face" of the pommel, please?
kai is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 1st November 2021, 09:04 PM   #7
kronckew
Member
 
kronckew's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Room 101, Glos. UK
Posts: 4,178
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by kai View Post
Congrats, Albert!

... If just clipped under imposed law ...
Moreover, the blade length fits almost perfectly in the scabbard as is and any hollowed-out endpieces/chapes are extremely rare. ...

.... An established US colonial context may hint at a Philippine origin though...

Regards,
Kai
The horn part, of the fairly decent scabbard, tip end looks like it was sawn off (somewhat crudely) to match the blade, so any matching hollow made for the original unclipped blade tip would have been lost. scabbards were also frequently replaced over the life of a knife/sword and a new one may have been made for it that fitted the new tip.Speculation on ours parts is just that, speculation.
kronckew is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2nd November 2021, 12:18 AM   #8
kai
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,254
Cool

Thanks, Wayne,

That's certainly a possibility. The damage along the rim looks more like expected wear to me though. Maybe Albert can confirm if the patina shows any major difference?

These are hints which may point at probabilities; rigorous scientific testing might. allow to exclude some possibilities (possibly at the cost of destructive testing and/or high expenses ).

Regards,
Kai
kai is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2nd November 2021, 02:14 AM   #9
Battara
EAAF Staff
 
Battara's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 7,217
Default

The Yakan often use a horn ferrule on their weaponry, especially their barongs. I wonder if this could be an unclassified and very rare Yakan piece. Rare even for Moro peoples on Borneo.
Battara is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 3rd November 2021, 01:48 AM   #10
kino
Member
 
kino's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 1,001
Default

Thanks guys.

I tend to agree with Sajen about the shape with the bunt tip being original.

Kai and Wayne, it certainly is a rough cut along the scabbards end. There isn’t much difference in the patina. Photo of the pommels face added.
Attached Images
 
kino is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 8th November 2021, 12:04 PM   #11
CharlesS
Member
 
CharlesS's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Greenville, NC
Posts: 1,857
Default

What a lovely unique piece! I agree with the others, while it is tempting to want to call this a "clipped" barung, the curvature clearly makes that unrealistic. It's just a very unique piece! Congrats!
CharlesS is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 01:48 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Posts are regarded as being copyrighted by their authors and the act of posting material is deemed to be a granting of an irrevocable nonexclusive license for display here.