Chromed Bagobo datu kampilan

[Ian]

Hi Xas,

I've been thinking about this one a bit before replying to your post. I've not seen chromium plating before on a Lumad piece. I have seen a nickel-plated kris blade, but not chromium. So that's a pretty unusual piece. The darker surface areas look like oxidized iron or steel to me--in other words rust--perhaps old and stabilized, or perhaps the reason why the blade was plated in the first place. Metal plating is an electrolytic process, and chromium plating usually requires a cyanide bath. Both of those features are fairly sophisticated (and dangerous) operations, not something you would find readily outside a major city or industrial area. I expect today you would find a chrome plating workshop in Davao City or perhaps Zamboanga, but going back to the 1970s or earlier I'm not sure. If you have a biker friend he might be able to tell you.

The form of the blade is one of the traditional fat-belly bolo shapes used by the Bagobo, and I think the shape goes back well over a hundred years and into the 19th C. As you note, it has a "distinguished" hilt with a decorative metal ferrule and a characteristic pommel with chains for hawk bells and perhaps a tiger bell, all of which indicate Bagobo datu status. The white metal could be aluminum (of WWII or later vintage), tin from biscuit containers or other similar sources, or various alloys of nickel, zinc and copper (white brass, a.k.a. nickel silver or German silver, is 60:20:20 of copper:nickel:zinc). I have found tin strips on the scabbards of both Bagobo and T'boli swords. These tribes are resourceful and waste nothing.

As to age, that's really hard to judge. The blade could be antique, but I think the scabbard and hilt may be WWII era, perhaps a little earlier or later. You know the piece was in its present form in the 1970s, so the ensemble predates then.

[xasterix]

Originally Posted by Ian

Hi Xas,

I've been thinking about this one a bit before replying to your post. I've not seen chromium plating before on a Lumad piece. I have seen a nickel-plated kris blade, but not chromium. So that's a pretty unusual piece. The darker surface areas look like oxidized iron or steel to me--in other words rust--perhaps old and stabilized, or perhaps the reason why the blade was plated in the first place. Metal plating is an electrolytic process, and chromium plating usually requires a cyanide bath. Both of those features are fairly sophisticated (and dangerous) operations, not something you would find readily outside a major city or industrial area. I expect today you would find a chrome plating workshop in Davao City or perhaps Zamboanga, but going back to the 1970s or earlier I'm not sure. If you have a biker friend he might be able to tell you.

The form of the blade is one of the traditional fat-belly bolo shapes used by the Bagobo, and I think the shape goes back well over a hundred years and into the 19th C. As you note, it has a "distinguished" hilt with a decorative metal ferrule and a characteristic pommel with chains for hawk bells and perhaps a tiger bell, all of which indicate Bagobo datu status. The white metal could be aluminum (of WWII or later vintage), tin from biscuit containers or other similar sources, or various alloys of nickel, zinc and copper (white brass, a.k.a. nickel silver or German silver, is 60:20:20 of copper:nickel:zinc). I have found tin strips on the scabbards of both Bagobo and T'boli swords. These tribes are resourceful and waste nothing.

As to age, that's really hard to judge. The blade could be antique, but I think the scabbard and hilt may be WWII era, perhaps a little earlier or later. You know the piece was in its present form in the 1970s, so the ensemble predates then.

Thanks for the very thorough assessment Ian - I was waiting for you to chime in! I agree with all your points - I too have a feeling that this was a remounted blade with relatively less bells and whistles, aesthetically speaking. I remember you describing how light and fast your piece is - and I finally understood that feeling, thanks to this sample, which is perfectly balanced and cuts swiftly.

Regards from the Philippines!

[Ian]

Originally Posted by xasterix

... I remember you describing how light and fast your piece is - and I finally understood that feeling, thanks to this sample, which is perfectly balanced and cuts swiftly. ...

That's a real bonus and makes me think that your blade is old. Of the dozen or so confirmed old Bagobo blades I've held, they all felt very light and "fast." I think this must come from the well-weighted hilt which balances the relatively light blade, creating a sense of wielding almost nothing in the hand. The blade is usually remarkably sharp and finely forged.

Perhaps this lighter type of weapon was favored by the Bagobo because they tend to be a small and slender race. Accounts by early U.S. anthropologists of the Bagobo noted the small and light frames of the men who had such fine facial features that they were hard to distinguish from women.

I've not studied systematically the balance points for older Bagobo swords, but I think it may be very close to the guard and therefore near the primary grip on the hilt between the forefinger and thumb. The shape of the hilt, which widens at the "pommel," encourages the gripping of the hilt to be close to the guard. The feel and balance is very different from a Moro barung, for example, which is distinctly blade heavy and has a more distal balance point. A barung can also be gripped further from the blade, accentuating the blade's weight and chopping power.

More recent Bagobo blades (WWII and later) that I have owned or seen generally had somewhat heavier blades than the antique forms. Whether this reflected a change in fighting style would be interesting to determine. I've not read or seen anything on the martial arts of the Bagobo.

[Battara]

T'boli pieces have a similar balance as well, like he Bagobo.

[Ian]

Originally Posted by Battara

T'boli pieces have a similar balance as well, like he Bagobo.

Oh yes. Just like the Bagobo blades, a heavy metal hilt and light, short blade.