Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - Southern Indian swords and The Moro Kris is there a Connection?

Jim McDougall · 5th July 2008, 02:45 PM

This is an excellent topic Lew! and well placed questions. I have never really studied the weapons development in Indonesia and the Philippines in depth, but have always considered that migration and colonization from the subcontinent would have carried the weapons of the period to those regions. I believe Alan Maisey has written on the heritage of the keris with some important perspective dealing with this, and seems it is linked here. For information on the Moros, I would presume the book by Cato probably a good reference, but Rick will be the key source around here.

I think the key to ethnographic weapons diffusion is most always trade routes, and seems to be universally applied. As I have travelled through the Southwest and visited American Indian sites, it is amazing to see items from incredible distances that clearly show trade from far away. Tribes in the Four Corners traded not only with the west coast tribes, but from tribes deep in Mexico and Central America. In Mississippi, there was ancient trade between those tribes and those in the northeast as far as Canada.

With the depth of knowledge here on the weapons of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, I'm sure there will be some outstanding discussion on this subject, and RhysMichael is right on track!!!!

5th July 2008, 02:45 PM	#4
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,738	This is an excellent topic Lew! and well placed questions. I have never really studied the weapons development in Indonesia and the Philippines in depth, but have always considered that migration and colonization from the subcontinent would have carried the weapons of the period to those regions. I believe Alan Maisey has written on the heritage of the keris with some important perspective dealing with this, and seems it is linked here. For information on the Moros, I would presume the book by Cato probably a good reference, but Rick will be the key source around here. I think the key to ethnographic weapons diffusion is most always trade routes, and seems to be universally applied. As I have travelled through the Southwest and visited American Indian sites, it is amazing to see items from incredible distances that clearly show trade from far away. Tribes in the Four Corners traded not only with the west coast tribes, but from tribes deep in Mexico and Central America. In Mississippi, there was ancient trade between those tribes and those in the northeast as far as Canada. With the depth of knowledge here on the weapons of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, I'm sure there will be some outstanding discussion on this subject, and RhysMichael is right on track!!!!