Putting together a museum exhibit linking Java keris to Philippine kris

tom hyle · 25th June 2010, 01:52 PM

Moro swords (including bangkungs sometimes for instance) are sometimes bound to their handles by metal or fiber bindings that cross hooks or holes in the blade. These bindings are called asang or baca, and have long tangs themselves that are bound between the handle surface and its wrapping.
On kris sundang these are said to be to secure the ganga to the blade rather than the blade to the hilt. This does not seem correct to me though. Why the tangs? What about when they're on bangkungs? (bangkungs have no seperate ganga) other kris do not AFAIK have bacas/asangs. It is not a kris feature IMHO, but a Mindinao feature.

25th June 2010, 01:52 PM	#5
tom hyle Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston, TX, USA Posts: 1,254	Moro swords (including bangkungs sometimes for instance) are sometimes bound to their handles by metal or fiber bindings that cross hooks or holes in the blade. These bindings are called asang or baca, and have long tangs themselves that are bound between the handle surface and its wrapping. On kris sundang these are said to be to secure the ganga to the blade rather than the blade to the hilt. This does not seem correct to me though. Why the tangs? What about when they're on bangkungs? (bangkungs have no seperate ganga) other kris do not AFAIK have bacas/asangs. It is not a kris feature IMHO, but a Mindinao feature. Last edited by tom hyle; 26th June 2010 at 05:06 AM.