Thread: Valiant Swords?
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Old 2nd July 2006, 11:39 PM   #7
kai
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are they reproductions? i'd say not, they are just new, but are tools and weapons of a style that have been made in the past and like these , are still being made and used. that's one of the joys of this area of the world, you can go into a general store in indonesia out in a village and pick up a parang which is just like one you would have got 100 years ago
Yeah, but don't try to get a Sumatran piece from a Central Javanese blacksmith. The Madurese pande are getting better at imitating non-Madurese (and possibly non-Javanese) keris; while some are obviously skilled enough to produce very nice pieces, those blades from outside their own culture are mostly unconvincing repros.

And that Kampilan does not even pass as a repro with a blade that needs to be 50% larger. Try to sell that in Mindanao...

Even within the Moro tribes, you can't just order any Moro blade even from a skilled panday: I'm not sure wether the Maranao craftsmen ever ventured to make a Tausug Barong 100 years ago but nowadays they evidently suck at it. Same-o with a Yakan Pira. OTOH, I wouldn't have much hopes for a Kampilan made in Sulu much less on Luzon or even somewhere in Indonesia...

Regards,
Kai
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