Moro Decoration
 

Here are a couple of barung handles I have seen recently. Both auctions are over. The question I have is these crescent moon shapes, are they a recent motif? My gut tells me they are, but I have been noticing them more and more. I keep seeing them. Oddly one of these is embossed the other is intaglio. So, the same punch but using deferent sides of the brass.

With a minimum amount of due diligence, I found this from p. 38 of Cato's Moro Swords. Interesting in that in this version the crescents go in, and the dots were punched from the other side and protrude out. Now we all know that Cato was not infallible in his opinions but let us assume that this example has age and represents a pattern with at least a little bit of history. All 3 have very similar ferules and sleeves. One has a junggayan pommel, and another seems to indicate that it at one time had type of pommel. BUT the original post items to me do not seem to indicate silver though the incomplete example's sleeve does have a rosy undertone which have made me wonder what alloy it is. I can't tell if the brass I smell is from the bands towards the pommel or from the whole ensemble. Are these dresses 1890, 1920, post WWII, or after 1970? What culture or ethnic group made this pattern of decoration. Both of the blades from the original post seem to have decent lamination. I will continue to look for more examples and information.

Thanks
IP

Hi IP,
Battara is our resident expert on silver decorations and he does a fair share of it himself. I hope he can chime in on this topic and elaborate on how the designs were made.

I believe it’s kianoko - fingernail impression.
You’ll see these repeated on Baka-baka’s and asang-asang’s
I’ve seen it on early 19th century Kris’

Is there a difference between asang-asang and baka-baka?

Only language/culture, Jeff.

The work I've seen him post is beautiful.

Thank you. So this is a style dating at least to the early 1800s. Is this date for the horizontal bands as in the diagram or the diagonal elements as in the three examples shown earlier, or both? Do you think it is called fingernail impression because of its shape or its method of manufacture? On baka-baka it would surely need to be a punch. Once I got looking and thinking I now see this basic shape as a ubiquitous element in Moro design being utilized in many different patterns. I appreciate you posting the diagram with the vocabulary.

Hi kids!

Yes this "fingernail" ukkil motif is very common in Sulu silver, wood, and stone work. It also exists in Maranao and Maguindanao work, but Sulu regional work uses this the most and even all by itself.

You'll see it more often on barung, but sometimes on kris/kalis hilts as well.

Hello Kino,

What book is this from?

Thanks,
Leif

Kianoko also appears on architectual elements of a Maranao Torogan (a Datu’s large house).
I don’t know if the horizontal predates the diagonal.
I leaning towards the shape of it being called kianoko, not the method.

Hey Leif, “The People and Art of the Philippines”