My first barong!

Battara · 7th October 2014, 06:34 PM

I agree with Charles, this is not quite a shadigan blade.

Regarding origin, I too first thought Borneo due to the scabbard. Maybe somewhere near there?

On the topic of etching, Detlef is right - please etch away! (but not in the Indonesian style however).

And some scabbards, especially when it came to the kris, actually were pegged. Other barony scabbards were pieced together so that you couldn't cut the rattan bands away from what I can see.

Finally, the tip of the "nose" of the "beak" on the pommel looks like it may have been a little longer but was reshaped early on. These were often broken.

A nice piece.

Shakethetrees · 9th October 2014, 04:11 AM

Thanks, everyone for the comments!

As a newbie in this field, every bit of help and insight is greatly appreciated!

I re-examined the pommel with a glass, and I don't see any evidence of any re shaping, sanding or other alteration, just a couple of dings I would expect on a piece with the sharp, thin edge after a hundred years.

I have three or four Moro weapons that I got out of an estate auction ten or twelve years ago. The family was an old family with a lot of military service going way back. Several generations saw service in the Philippines from the Spanish-American War through WWII and maybe later, so as far as age, theres a pretty long time line from which they could have come from.

There is another one with a couple of mother of pearl inlays that I cleaned today that I will post sometime tonight. It's still a work in progress, though!

7th October 2014, 06:34 PM	#1
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,310	I agree with Charles, this is not quite a shadigan blade. Regarding origin, I too first thought Borneo due to the scabbard. Maybe somewhere near there? On the topic of etching, Detlef is right - please etch away! (but not in the Indonesian style however). And some scabbards, especially when it came to the kris, actually were pegged. Other barony scabbards were pieced together so that you couldn't cut the rattan bands away from what I can see. Finally, the tip of the "nose" of the "beak" on the pommel looks like it may have been a little longer but was reshaped early on. These were often broken. A nice piece.

9th October 2014, 04:11 AM	#2
Shakethetrees Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Louisiana Posts: 363	Thanks, everyone for the comments! As a newbie in this field, every bit of help and insight is greatly appreciated! I re-examined the pommel with a glass, and I don't see any evidence of any re shaping, sanding or other alteration, just a couple of dings I would expect on a piece with the sharp, thin edge after a hundred years. I have three or four Moro weapons that I got out of an estate auction ten or twelve years ago. The family was an old family with a lot of military service going way back. Several generations saw service in the Philippines from the Spanish-American War through WWII and maybe later, so as far as age, theres a pretty long time line from which they could have come from. There is another one with a couple of mother of pearl inlays that I cleaned today that I will post sometime tonight. It's still a work in progress, though!