Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Ian · 24th February 2005, 06:05 PM

Spunjer:

I have seen quite a few of these over years in the store of Manong Ven and other antique shops in Manila.

He gets them via longstanding contacts in Davao City, and other dealers (from Zamboanga, Basilan, Jolo, etc.) who visit his shop. Some of them have brass decorations that are the same as on your panabas. I have talked with Ven about these types of pira, and based on his information each of the examples you have was probably made in the second half of the 20th C. They are well made pieces in the traditional style.

The brass "B'laan" hilt sems to have some surface rubbing (from age?) and its style is consistent with a B'laan attribution, but I think this is a recent addition to the pira blade, and I have doubts that the B'laan ever used such a weapon. Most B'laan swords are similar to the small kampilans used by the T'boli, Bagobo, and Kaolo; it is possible that some Mandaya swords were used also. Like many of the Lumad groups, the B'laan would occasionally use, or adapt for their use, various Moro swords. I have seen a number of kris variants attributed to the B'laan, one barung with a B'laan style hilt, and a few B'laan-modified kampilan. These are weapons that could have been obtained easily through trade or battle with neighboring Moro groups. It is possible that a B'laan warrior may have had a pira blade in his arsenal, but the Yakan are quite remote geographically from the B'laan which makes me doubtful about this combination.

All of these are well made pira. hard to say exactly where the blades and hilts were produced, or exactly when. My best guess is that they come from Mindanao some time within the last 20 years.

24th February 2005, 06:05 PM	#8
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,362	Three pira Spunjer: I have seen quite a few of these over years in the store of Manong Ven and other antique shops in Manila. He gets them via longstanding contacts in Davao City, and other dealers (from Zamboanga, Basilan, Jolo, etc.) who visit his shop. Some of them have brass decorations that are the same as on your panabas. I have talked with Ven about these types of pira, and based on his information each of the examples you have was probably made in the second half of the 20th C. They are well made pieces in the traditional style. The brass "B'laan" hilt sems to have some surface rubbing (from age?) and its style is consistent with a B'laan attribution, but I think this is a recent addition to the pira blade, and I have doubts that the B'laan ever used such a weapon. Most B'laan swords are similar to the small kampilans used by the T'boli, Bagobo, and Kaolo; it is possible that some Mandaya swords were used also. Like many of the Lumad groups, the B'laan would occasionally use, or adapt for their use, various Moro swords. I have seen a number of kris variants attributed to the B'laan, one barung with a B'laan style hilt, and a few B'laan-modified kampilan. These are weapons that could have been obtained easily through trade or battle with neighboring Moro groups. It is possible that a B'laan warrior may have had a pira blade in his arsenal, but the Yakan are quite remote geographically from the B'laan which makes me doubtful about this combination. All of these are well made pira. hard to say exactly where the blades and hilts were produced, or exactly when. My best guess is that they come from Mindanao some time within the last 20 years.