Bagobo sword

Battara · 8th February 2005, 01:53 AM

Yes Naga, that was me and that would be fine, I had plans to restore the missing brass nubs on the pommel and scabbard anyway.

Ian, I have a question. I have seen now a fair number of these that are missing the bottom and pommel brass nubs. Could they have come off over the years?

Ian · 8th February 2005, 02:06 PM

Battara:

They could have come off with handling or use, but I think many never had those brass ornaments in the first place. It may be a trend over time. The older ones, as seen in a number of older pictures of Bagobo warriors held by the Field Museum in Chicago, do show more brass on the hilts than what we see coming up on eBay and other sites today.

When swords do have the full complement of brass, they are usually higher end pieces with well forged blades. It could be that the level of ornamentation reflects the overall quality as well, which would not be not surprising.

Good Bagobo pieces are very elusive and we do not see them nearly as frequently as higher quality Moro or Visayan swords. I can see why the fairly ordinary Bagobo weapons attract substantial interest, although that interest is rather recent (and may relate somewhat to discussions on this Forum). Up until a few years ago, Lumad weapons were not very popular and as a result were inexpensive. These days in Manila the Lumad swords are more frequent and the asking prices have gone up considerably. Of course, this could reflect the scarcity of good Moro pieces coming out of Mindanao, and people are turning to the swords of other groups for their collections.

I have a nice older example and will take some new pictures to post here in a few days .

Ian.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Battara

Ian, I have a question. I have seen now a fair number of these that are missing the bottom and pommel brass nubs. Could they have come off over the years?

Ian · 12th February 2005, 08:33 PM

This one is at least 100 years old and is the best quality Bagobo sword I have handled. Note the precision with which the brass ferrule/guard has been fitted to the wood pommel; the decoration of the brass "nub" at the end of the hilt with the presence of small beads within the "nub" (a favorite Bagobo decoration); the excellent quality blade with fullers and a partly sharpened back edge; and the elaborately decorated scabbard with metal inserts, bifurcated toe, abaca textile wrap (worn smooth from handling), and bead decorations. The scabbard closely resembles examples shown in Krieger's plates, and the hilt is very similar to that of a Bagobo datu's sword shown in Dean Worcester's National Geographic (1913) article on Non-Christian Peoples of the Philippines Islands.

Battara · 13th February 2005, 01:24 PM

W

W! Beautiful puppy. Thanks Ian. I am looking for a similar piece. Not seen one since the last 2 on ebay. But this one is a great example. Good pictures.

mmontoro · 13th February 2005, 02:42 PM

Very nice, Ian. Great blade and scabbard. Is the false edge very sharp? I haven't seen an example whose blade wasn't the usual kampilan or deep-bellied bolo type.

Ian · 13th February 2005, 08:50 PM

Manny:

The partly sharpened back edge is indeed very sharp (as sharp as the primary edge). I think this is basically a variation on the kampilan blade -- definitely forward-weighted and designed for the same chopping action, although the sharpened back edge and tip would be effective for stabbing too.

Ian.

Ian · 25th February 2005, 07:46 PM

Pictures are now gone, but this was another one that sold recently on eBay. It was not 19th C. IMHO. These are just pouring out of Mindanao in the last few years.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=6512899028

8th February 2005, 01:53 AM	#1
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,272	Yes Naga, that was me and that would be fine, I had plans to restore the missing brass nubs on the pommel and scabbard anyway. Ian, I have a question. I have seen now a fair number of these that are missing the bottom and pommel brass nubs. Could they have come off over the years? Last edited by Battara; 8th February 2005 at 02:06 AM.

12th February 2005, 08:33 PM	#3
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,361	An old Bagobo sword This one is at least 100 years old and is the best quality Bagobo sword I have handled. Note the precision with which the brass ferrule/guard has been fitted to the wood pommel; the decoration of the brass "nub" at the end of the hilt with the presence of small beads within the "nub" (a favorite Bagobo decoration); the excellent quality blade with fullers and a partly sharpened back edge; and the elaborately decorated scabbard with metal inserts, bifurcated toe, abaca textile wrap (worn smooth from handling), and bead decorations. The scabbard closely resembles examples shown in Krieger's plates, and the hilt is very similar to that of a Bagobo datu's sword shown in Dean Worcester's National Geographic (1913) article on Non-Christian Peoples of the Philippines Islands. Attached Images Last edited by Ian; 13th February 2005 at 07:29 AM.

25th February 2005, 07:46 PM	#7
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,361	Another one Pictures are now gone, but this was another one that sold recently on eBay. It was not 19th C. IMHO. These are just pouring out of Mindanao in the last few years. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=6512899028

13th February 2005, 01:24 PM	#4
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,272	W W! Beautiful puppy. Thanks Ian. I am looking for a similar piece. Not seen one since the last 2 on ebay. But this one is a great example. Good pictures.

13th February 2005, 02:42 PM	#5
mmontoro Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 91	Very nice, Ian. Great blade and scabbard. Is the false edge very sharp? I haven't seen an example whose blade wasn't the usual kampilan or deep-bellied bolo type.

13th February 2005, 08:50 PM	#6
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,361	Manny: The partly sharpened back edge is indeed very sharp (as sharp as the primary edge). I think this is basically a variation on the kampilan blade -- definitely forward-weighted and designed for the same chopping action, although the sharpened back edge and tip would be effective for stabbing too. Ian.