KRIS FOR IDENTIFICATION

[Rick]

Honestly; it looks like something made for sale to 'those who travel for pleasure' and a rather poor example of such an object to boot.

[Ian]

Hi Yves,

Your kris is definitely a modern Maranao style which can be traced back to at least the 1990s, perhaps a little earlier. Some of these small-bladed kris can be decorated in an expensive manner with silver, and even gold on one piece I have handled, but the vast majority have more base metals. The blades appear to have been forged but not tempered in my experience. There are longer versions also, that sometimes appear to have better quality blades.

How it ended up in Palawan is anybody's guess.

Ian

[Rafngard]

I am far from an expert, but my first impression is definitely that this is recent, made in Tugaya, and made for those who travel.

Have fun,
Leif

[tanaruz]

Hello,

Many thanks for the info. Appreciate it.

There's a bit of a story (unverified) behind this piece (that's why it caught our attention and now it's in our collection).

This exact piece was used by one of 2 warring moros in Southern Palawan. The holder of this piece came out alive. I would not go into the gory details as was shared to me.

The blade, as expected, did what is expected of it.

Yves

[xasterix]

Originally Posted by tanaruz

Hello,

Many thanks for the info. Appreciate it.

There's a bit of a story (unverified) behind this piece (that's why it caught our attention and now it's in our collection).

This exact piece was used by one of 2 warring moros in Southern Palawan. The holder of this piece came out alive. I would not go into the gory details as was shared to me.

The blade, as expected, did what is expected of it.

Yves

Interesting story. Unfortunately such stories are usually embellished in order to romanticize or add a provenance of sorts to the piece.

If it's true, and if the kris was used in the battle, then it's impressive that it managed to perform despite its design-only purpose.