Archaic Moro barung

[Ian]

Here are pictures of an earlier non-junggayang form. The "crest" is barely apparent and the beak is a simple "point." Compare the width of the proximal part of the hilt where the palm of the hand would sit. In this case and in the original post, that area is unusually wide compared with later hilts. In part, this has to do with the manner in which the beak is carved on later hilts, with the hook of the "beak" being longer and going deeper into the pommel on later examples.The change on later hilts may have had something to do with martial art styles, because the longer hook enables the little finger to engage the hilt more securely, facilitating a long-handle swing and thereby offering greater angular momentum for a blow. The slight change in pommel width for subsequent hilts might also have offered a different form of grip for the hand, but a Moro martial arts person may have some ideas on this.


.