Hello Ray,
It seems to me that Ian was referring to the triangular extensions of the brass grip rather than the wooden pommel. Not sure what the Bagobo view is - it easily could be a tumpal motif.
Ian, I'm pretty sure I have seen quite a few Bagobo swords without these brass triangles - always thought these triangular extensions to be mainly found on datu-level pieces.
Albert's example certainly has an unusual pommel configuration though: While it starts out with the typical concave curved facets (which usually extend downwards to the tip of the curved pommel), this piece exhibits a kind of horizontal separation with a considerably thicker part of the wood at the lower end of the pommel. While there appear to be minor losses or wear to the wood, the additional material can't result from smoothening things out (it doesn't appear to be be a separate piece of wood added during a restoration attempt). A Bagobo variant or from one of the neighbouring groups?
Regards,
Kai
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