The Moro Sabre: Questioning the Reason for its Existence

[CharlesS]

Recently we have seen several examples of what has generally come to be called the "Moro sabre". There have been a couple of threads about this. Please see: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...brehlight=moro

These are shown with a variety(in size, width, and quality) of curved blades, including some foreign blades, and typically with a standard kriss style hilt. Their scabbards generally borrow from both the kriss and the pira(lower portion "shoe" style end).

Their blades have been "Moro-ized"(to borrow a term from Vandoo) with an added ganja and typically a baca-baca.

The example I have pictured below needed some restoration to its wood, rattan, and hilt wrap, but is ready for a more detailed look now.

I have to say from the start, that I am not impressed by the quality of the sword at all. The pommel sits at an odd angle on the hilt. The ganja is crudely attached to the blade(compare this to krisses whose ganjas are fitted so perfectly they are almost invisible!) The chiseled lower guard or "gandik"(Indonesian term for that area of the blade) is very poorly executed. The blade(of homogenous steel) has a shallow, moderately well executed, fuller to each side. There are what I believe to be talismanic punches and chiseling to each side.

The scabbard borrows an older style kriss wrangka of excellent quality and carving and adds it to a remainder that is much more lightweight wood with a pira scabbard style 'shoe' end. The scabbard is heavily bound with rattan.

This all brings me to my question for discussion: With an arsenal of other blades(the kriss; the pira; the barong; and the bangkung) that are clearly superior in quality and aesthetics...exactly what is the purpose of this lightweight curved sword??

It certainly seems to be a 20th century piece. As a stabber it is inferior to the barong, pira, and especially earlier krisses. As a slasher, or hacker, it is inferior to all Moro swords(consider the blade thickness is about 1/2 that of an average barong)! It is too light to be a good tool.

So...what does that leave us with??...perhaps a status piece?? Well, maybe, but with a scabbard from varied parts, and with a very average pommel and hilt??

Perhaps the influx of outside cultures with curved blades contributed to the need...more likely the desire...for something similar??

I realize that this sword is a rarer Moro type, but I do wonder about its purpose, as it seems to have no single advantage as a weapon, utilitarian or aesthetically, over any other Moro blade type. I would go so far as to argue it is the most inferior blade in the Moro arsenal, and, therefore, wonder about its reason for existence.

Hopefully we can begin a discussion on the origin of, and theorize on the reason for, these swords in the Moro arsenal.

(Side note: the baldric and tassels here do not appear to be born with the sword, but have clearly been with it a very long time, so I have left it undisturbed)

I look forward to your input.