Twist Core "18th Century" Moro Kris/Kalis

[F. de Luzon]

I’m sharing photos of a twist-core Moro kris/kalis that I recently repatriated to the Philippines. It had been part of the collection of a European gentleman who once lived in the islands and went back to his homeland, Austria in the 1980s.

Robert Cato in his book Moro Swords (1996) claimed that such design represented typical 18th century examples, and thus the moniker "archaic" Moro kris. There are also claims that the angle at the end of the dividing line that separate the blade and gangya is indicative of the age of the blade. However, both are unsubstantiated claims.

I do not dismiss their possibility and I hope that definitive evidence to prove the claims will eventually be discovered. At the moment however, all that is certain is that this is a rare example of the Moro kalis/kris.

Your comments and insights are most welcome.