Lew Waldman's Ethnographic Arms & Armour Collection Archive


248 - Moro Punal or Gunong Dagger

A fine quality punal or gunong dagger, double edged and nearly straight along the back side edge and convexly curved on the forward edge. The laminated 8¼ inch (21 cm) steel blade has a cross section of a flattened diamond and is about a maximum of ¼ inches (0.7 cm) in thickness approaching the hilt. A few patches of mild to very focally moderate pitting are noted, more so on one side of the blade than the other and are associated with minor losses (irregularities) of both edges near the center of the blade. The curved hilt is formed of well-figured wood coming to a low ridge on both sides along the midline. A long ferrule of low grade silver allow has the typical widened area with applied granulation work; a couple of the small applied silver discs have been lost. A guard of the same alloy, engraved on one side is present. The figured wooden sheath has a chape and a wide ferrule with a belt loop, again of low grade silver alloy, with decorative applications at either end; the inner one of the chape is loose and that which should be at the inner end of the ferrule is absent (lost). The overall sheathed length is just over 13 inches (33.5 cm) with a weight of about 17½ ounces (491 grams) overall and just under 11 ounces (304 grams) excluding the sheath. Lew regarded this dagger as being of chief's (datu) grade and he dated it as circa 1900 to 1920.


Moro Punal or Gunong Dagger

Moro Punal or Gunong Dagger

Moro Punal or Gunong Dagger

Moro Punal or Gunong Dagger

Moro Punal or Gunong Dagger

Moro Punal or Gunong Dagger

Moro Punal or Gunong Dagger



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