Sorry Robert,
As I am new here my replies are not posted until they are reviewed by a moderator. Until I reach a certain number of posts or time, I don't have the privileges of a full member that can respond quickly. I apologize for being the neophyte here. And thank you, Sajen, for posting the original thread.
I still believe that Robert's sword is of a Waray origin. After looking at the pictures more closely on this thread and the original thread. Nothing on the sword points to a Panay or Negros origin. Even though the hilt has a figural carved pommel, stylistically it isn't consistent with a tinegre hilt of Panay. Nor does the scabbard have any similarities to scabbards in Panay. With the exception of the unique Ilonggo scabbard with its leather wrapped throat, all other scabbards from Aklan, Capiz, and Antique have flat scabbards with the exception of the hanger block. Also, rattan bindings on swords of Panay are wrapped, not braided. It does resemble the inaso (aso=dog) hilt of Bicol, but if it was from Bicol the tang would normally be peened at the end. Bikolano swords also almost always has a ferrule made of metal. And their scabbards are normally bound with metal strips as well although I've seen plainer examples with rattan binding. Bikolano scabbards also normally have an enlarged flared toe similar to a barung scabbard. The blade is also rather unique and not typical of a Bikolano minasbad, dinahong-palay, or sinampalok.
A Waray sword on the other hand typically has the hilt attached with pitch or glue and not peened on the end like a Bikolano sword. They normally don't have a ferrule of any sort and if it did it was usually braided rattan. Their pommels also have the greatest latitude for variances from the plain knob hilt to the more traditional tri-corn floral design found on the large fighting garabs of the Pulajan found on Samar and Leyte. Figural hilts are common with faces of dogs, monkeys, people, etc. and even the dragon hilt varieties found on some modern sansibars. The blade itself is unique, but any sort of blade shape can be made to order by any panday for the original owner. Blades are either straight (sundang) or curved (garab.) Typically a garab is more crescent shaped but this would fall into the garab category. The scabbard also looks more typically Waray with its braided rattan wrap, but more importantly how the hanger block grows out organically from the scabbard, unlike the hanger block from a Panay sword that looks like it was placed there and is separate. It's also more ovoid in profile with a raised cemter section usually found on larger Waray swords.
The monkey skull? Again look at the patina difference and the way the rattan is braided on it. That's more of an Igorot style. And it looks like it was smoked to get it to that color which I've seen on those pinahigs from that area of N. Luzon. It also looks like it was bound with twine to the scabbard and the same twine was used to bind it as well where the original rattan was lost or broken off.
Finally, look at the similarity of the carving and the style of the sword that migueldiaz posted on the last post of the original thread. That is a typical garab from Leyte or Samar. Sometimes they are called "talibons" but I can't confirm validity of that namesake. You see a lot of those as bring-backs from WWII, some even with "Victory 1945", written on the scabbards mainly because MacArthur and the U.S. invasion force landed first on Leyte or the re-liberation of the islands.
Hopefully, this helps if not confused you anymore.
Regards,
Bangkaya
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