Visayan, with T’boli - Moro influence?

[kino]

Any thoughts on this sword.
Visayan blade, chisel ground, Visayan scabbard.
Cast hilt (T’boli lost wax method?), Moro style kakatua.
Chromed!!

[Spunjer]

wow!
is it chromed, or aluminum?
i'm guessing here.. lots of visayans in Mindanao, so i would say originally a visayan blade and had a T'boli handle attached to it? looks like an older piece based on the patina on the scabbard, so it looks like this was done awhile back; maybe turn of 20th century.
still a pretty cool crossover piece tho!

[Sajen]

Hello Albert,

interesting piece but let me add some doubt which come to my mind. It seems that handle and blade both chromed so possible done in the States like some other old/antique blades from the Philippines. So it could be a that a Western has put together what don't belong together. It's for sure a thought that you need to keep in mind. :shrug: We just don't know!

Regards,
Detlef

[kino]

Spunjer - not aluminum, I can see the brass poking out from the uncovered areas.

Sajen - it could we’ll be a married piece. Yes, we just don’t know..

[kahnjar1]

I am certainly no expert on either Philippines or T'Boli weapons BUT I believe that T'Boli decorate with little bells/ tassles. The up turn of the hilt on this piece has rows of holes which would perhaps suggest that there was some sort of hanging decoration present at some stage.
Stu

[CharlesS]

That's one strange 'bird', but fascinating!

[kino]

[QUOTE=kahnjar The up turn of the hilt on this piece has rows of holes which would perhaps suggest that there was some sort of hanging decoration present at some stage.
Stu[/QUOTE]

Good eye Stu. You’re correct on this, unfortunately, I would never know if this one the small bells suspended from the hilt.

[Ian]

This piece is most likely from Davao City or thereabouts--a major melting pot for Visayan/Lumad/Moro cultural influences. After market treatments may well have occurred in the U.S. A major fraction of the population of Davao City are Visayans.

It is uncommon but not rare to see T'boli hilts on Moro weapons--I have several kris and "kris-like" swords with T'boli hilts and scabbards. Similarly, Bagobo hilts on Moro weapons are also found with some frequency, especially coming through Davao City and neighboring areas.

The topic of this thread appears to be T'boli/Visayan to me, and I don't see much Moro influence apart from the kakatua hilt which is T'boli in origin and well made (many of these hilts were carved in wax by women). It might well be a custom-made piece. I doubt that it is older than mid-20th C.--most of these cross-cultural pieces made for commercial purposes seem to have been produced post-WWII.

Ian.

BTW, Diltiazem is used for treating hypertension and heart problems :)