excellent Barung, brother Charles!
the motif on the handle is totally un-Islamic (from the Moro's perspective at that time period), given actual floral patterns. on the other hand, five petal flowers in ukkil fashion is common among Suluanos' arts and crafts. understand as well that there's a large chinese population in Sulu, making me think this particular piece is Sulu, most likely crafted/owned by a chinese Joloano...
|