Is this even a Barung?
one of the more unusual filipino/moro weapons i ever came across. can't figure out how to categorize this particular piece. it has features from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao...
so let me start.
Scabbard
this one is easy. Moro. Tausug to be exact
Handle
this one is a head-scratcher. the overall feel is that of a barung. it has the typical weaved ferrule one normally sees on everyday kris or barung. handle is bunti, another common material used in olden Mindanao/Sulu, but what's unusual is the pommel, which is carved into a deity-like image similarly found in Panay/Negros area. it even has fang-like teeth fashioned in silver. the cap, i believe it's suppose to be the hair, is also silver. so are the bulging eyes.
the D-guard is made out of brass, more likely harvested from a European sword.
the ferrule is silver as well, and it's abbreviated, heptagonal in shape. reminds me of some of the swords found in Luzon.
The Blade
this is where i gave up.
it is laminated, as you can clearly see in the pictures. at first glance, the overall shape is that of a typical barung, but looking closely, it actually has a clipped point with false edge. it's about a quarter of an inch thick closest to the handle. total length of the blade is about 15.75". the blade has symbols on both sides, not sure if they are talismanic in nature since it's unlike any pattern i've seen before, although there are a few ukkil towards the tip symbolizing waves. the spine is covered with diagonal hash marks, and as it get closer to the handle these marks turns into multiple "x". the corner of these "x" continues to the flat part of the blade.
so what do i make of this? i have no clue. one possibility is that whoever originally owned this must have been a freed slave from the Visayan region that decided to stay in the area and became an accepted member of the tribe.
otherwise though, i thought it's a rather unique piece.
comments are welcome
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