Sulu / N. Borneo sword

[kronckew]

Originally Posted by kai

Congrats, Albert!

... If just clipped under imposed law ...
Moreover, the blade length fits almost perfectly in the scabbard as is and any hollowed-out endpieces/chapes are extremely rare. ...

.... An established US colonial context may hint at a Philippine origin though...

Regards,
Kai

The horn part, of the fairly decent scabbard, tip end looks like it was sawn off (somewhat crudely) to match the blade, so any matching hollow made for the original unclipped blade tip would have been lost. scabbards were also frequently replaced over the life of a knife/sword and a new one may have been made for it that fitted the new tip.Speculation on ours parts is just that, speculation.

[kai]

Thanks, Wayne,

That's certainly a possibility. The damage along the rim looks more like expected wear to me though. Maybe Albert can confirm if the patina shows any major difference?

These are hints which may point at probabilities; rigorous scientific testing might. allow to exclude some possibilities (possibly at the cost of destructive testing and/or high expenses ).

Regards,
Kai

[Battara]

The Yakan often use a horn ferrule on their weaponry, especially their barongs. I wonder if this could be an unclassified and very rare Yakan piece. Rare even for Moro peoples on Borneo.

[kino]

Thanks guys.

I tend to agree with Sajen about the shape with the bunt tip being original.

Kai and Wayne, it certainly is a rough cut along the scabbards end. There isn’t much difference in the patina. Photo of the pommels face added.

[CharlesS]

What a lovely unique piece! I agree with the others, while it is tempting to want to call this a "clipped" barung, the curvature clearly makes that unrealistic. It's just a very unique piece! Congrats!