Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - Difference between a Klewang and Bangkung

zelbone · 24th December 2004, 05:53 PM

It's really not that difficult to tell a bangkung from a klewang if you are familiar with any Moro or more specifically Sulu weapons. However, I've heard bangkungs referred to as Moro klewangs (confused now

?) The blades are similar and as Ian mentioned just a difference in name. Klewang is more of a Indo/Malay term than Filipino. Now to confuse you even more, I heard that a long slender barong is sometimes referred to as a parang...and this was from a Moro...and the short, fat barongs as badi.

Anyways, back to the bangkung. As Ian stated the blade form is common throughout the Philippines...and Indonesia and Malaysia as well. It's a good chopping design as Vandoo points out and he should know since I've seen his bangkung as well...as well as his jimpul, gayang, janap, etc. Anyways we see this basic blade form in the bangkung as well as the T'boli tok or pa-is and Bagobo and B'laan sundang in Mindanao (I believe the bangkung is a Yakan weapon...Zamboanga could probably confirm this.) Furthermore, you see this form in the binangon and ginunting of the Visayas as well as the binakoko of Batangas. All share in common a blade with a straight flat spine and edge that gets wider from hilt to tip with a drop point tip...much like a sheepsfoot blade on a pocketknife. What separates the bangkung from the binangon, ginunting, tok, pais, klewang, etc. is the way the blade is dressed. Sure the Visayan weapons will most likely be chisel-edged while the bangkung will be bevelled on both sides and may be laminated like most other Moro weapons, but the style of the hilt and scabbard is what will give it away. The bangkung will have a hilt similar to most other Moro weapons. It could have the "Naga" hilt like my example or the one in Cato's book, or it could be dressed in the typical Sulu horsehoof fashion as found on the kalis (I think Ian and Ibeam have examples with horsehoof hilts.) I've also seen them with barong type kakatua hilts. Now if you put a cast brass hilt on it with little hawkbells attached to the pommel, I'd call it a T'boli tok. Replace that hilt with a Visayan Deity hilt, and I'd call it a binangon. Put an octagonal hilt with a small ferrule on that blade and peen the tang on the end of the hilt, and you have a binakoko. Basically, the same blade, but different hilts. Same goes for the scabbard, if it looks similar to a barong, pira, or even a kalis scabbard, then you have a bangkung. Tooled leather scabbard with an attached belt...binakoko. Wood scabbard bound in brass bands with a leather wrapped throat...binangon. Wood scabbard covered in woven abaca fiber with brass projections and horsehair at the toe...tok or pais. See where I'm getting at

?

24th December 2004, 05:53 PM	#5
zelbone Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: VISAYAS and MINDANAO Posts: 169	It's really not that difficult to tell a bangkung from a klewang if you are familiar with any Moro or more specifically Sulu weapons. However, I've heard bangkungs referred to as Moro klewangs (confused now ?) The blades are similar and as Ian mentioned just a difference in name. Klewang is more of a Indo/Malay term than Filipino. Now to confuse you even more, I heard that a long slender barong is sometimes referred to as a parang...and this was from a Moro...and the short, fat barongs as badi. Anyways, back to the bangkung. As Ian stated the blade form is common throughout the Philippines...and Indonesia and Malaysia as well. It's a good chopping design as Vandoo points out and he should know since I've seen his bangkung as well...as well as his jimpul, gayang, janap, etc. Anyways we see this basic blade form in the bangkung as well as the T'boli tok or pa-is and Bagobo and B'laan sundang in Mindanao (I believe the bangkung is a Yakan weapon...Zamboanga could probably confirm this.) Furthermore, you see this form in the binangon and ginunting of the Visayas as well as the binakoko of Batangas. All share in common a blade with a straight flat spine and edge that gets wider from hilt to tip with a drop point tip...much like a sheepsfoot blade on a pocketknife. What separates the bangkung from the binangon, ginunting, tok, pais, klewang, etc. is the way the blade is dressed. Sure the Visayan weapons will most likely be chisel-edged while the bangkung will be bevelled on both sides and may be laminated like most other Moro weapons, but the style of the hilt and scabbard is what will give it away. The bangkung will have a hilt similar to most other Moro weapons. It could have the "Naga" hilt like my example or the one in Cato's book, or it could be dressed in the typical Sulu horsehoof fashion as found on the kalis (I think Ian and Ibeam have examples with horsehoof hilts.) I've also seen them with barong type kakatua hilts. Now if you put a cast brass hilt on it with little hawkbells attached to the pommel, I'd call it a T'boli tok. Replace that hilt with a Visayan Deity hilt, and I'd call it a binangon. Put an octagonal hilt with a small ferrule on that blade and peen the tang on the end of the hilt, and you have a binakoko. Basically, the same blade, but different hilts. Same goes for the scabbard, if it looks similar to a barong, pira, or even a kalis scabbard, then you have a bangkung. Tooled leather scabbard with an attached belt...binakoko. Wood scabbard bound in brass bands with a leather wrapped throat...binangon. Wood scabbard covered in woven abaca fiber with brass projections and horsehair at the toe...tok or pais. See where I'm getting at ?