Moro kris or sundang?

[kai]

Hello Dave,

Yes, the scrollwork does look more moro than malay, but the pamor just doesn't look moro to me at all. I think this is a definite hybrid. Not surprising, given the close proximity of these two groups.

While I have seen many Moro kris blades in Malay fittings, I've yet to see a convincing case of a Malay blade in Moro dress. Sure, one might expect such piece given the close commercial and cultural ties between these groups, but the rarity of any examples is notable.

As stated above, my main point is that Malay sundang also don't show this controlled surface-manipulated pamor any more often than Moro kris; even if we move into keris of that region, this is not a type of pamor that is regularly utilized. Thus, I believe this makes it a bit tough to argue that this blade was influenced by Malay sundang or even that it must be a kind of hybrid.

Sure, the expertise originally came out of Indonesia; this is especially compelling for the twistcore pamor. Still, these are Moro twistcore blades (not hybrids, etc.). I'd posit the same for blades with this much rarer pamor type. What do you think of the example I just attached above, Dave?

Regards,
Kai