Kampilan with Bells
 

Greetings folks,

I got this kampilan off of ePrey with the blade on backwards (which put a split in the wooden guard), the bells re-attached with thin wire, and most of the hair missing.

So I replaced the missing hair with hair I dyed, reversed the blade, took the rust off the blade, and replaced the wire with thick brass rings (hammered from a brass rod) like the old ones had.

There are 2 plain bronze bells, and one with large okir swirls and one with small okir swirls.

You will also notice the great carvings and that it has an iron double guard.

According to the okir, my guess is this is Maranao and from the late 19th century.

Enjoy!

What a beautiful kampilan after the work you have done on it! :eek:
Can you show a close up from the hair attachment? The double guard, the beautiful old bells and the very nice carving at the handle make that it is an outstanding kampy! Congrats.

Best regards,
Detlef

Another wow as I wouldn't have known it was restored! :)

Very nicely done Battara! I know this was on your wish list for some time, so glad it found a good home!

Fantastic Kampilan!!!!!
It seems like Gav had one with a guard like this some years back. Also, the bells were I think imported from China (?) but I cant recall the idea or purpose of them.

Question: What was the symbolism/purpose of the wavy extension from the crossguard?

Lately it has been great around here with continued and dynamic discussions on the history and development of various weapon forms. It does not seem that of the kampilan has been attended to that much in recent discussions.

It seems further that the earliest recording of one was I believe Magellan (?) the famed explorer who was said to have been killed with one. The problem, as always, was it just the use of the word 'kampilan' describing an unspecified form of edged weapon.....or was it this form, in use at that early date (16th century)??

Jose:

Nice job on that one! I think you are right that this is most likely Maranao in origin. Do the bells resemble "tiger bells?"

A couple of years ago I picked up a very similar kampilan, also online, with several "tiger bells." There is an interesting site devoted to these bells, http://www.tigerbells.nl/intro.htm, that I think Gavin has mentioned here before. That same site has a page (here) about these bells on kampilan, and shows an example of a Maranao sword with tiger bells taken in combat by US Army Captain JJ Pershing (later General Pershing). Not all of the jingles on that sword were of the tiger bell form, however. Among Muslim groups, the occurrence of tiger bells is thought to be rare.

The significance of these bells on a Maranao sword is something I would like to learn more about. Anyone have any thoughts?

Ian.

Again, wonderful work Jose. I am very happy that you were able to acquire this very nice kampilan and put everything back in order. Congratulation on another great addition to your collection.

Best,
Robert

:eek: :eek: :eek: Beautiful Kampilan, the tiger bells are magnific !!
great work !!
Congratulations
carlos

Thank you folks! :D

Since we don't get many kampilans with bells, I thought it would be good to post this one for future reference and research. I did research (what little research that exists) and based my restorations on it.

I also get to strike this one off my wish list....

By the way Carlos, these are not tiger bells, but.....well..........bells (tiger bells have stylized tiger faces). These do seem locally made though.

Detlef, your wish is my command.

Ian, it seems to me that wherever these bells (including tiger bells) exist, they were to ward off evil spirits. In this I would include the Philippines. I can also see these as announcing the arrival of a datu when carried by the datu's sword carrier.

I have also seen more tiger bells on Moro and Bagobo stuff than one would think, also again, they must have been traded by way of China.

First Jim - wavy extensions? Do you mean the iron loops? My understanding that these are for hand protection.

To your second question, there were many forms of kampilan all over the islands. Even the Tagalogs up north had a kampilan version that is now lost. So the only kind left I guess are that of the Moro versions. Unfortunately, those 16th century chronicles do not give detailed description of the type of kampilan the Spanish encountered.

Clear as mud, right? :D

Thank you very much! Do you have the hair in the traditional style with wooden pins? Look's like this. :)

Best regards,
Detlef

A juramentado was not shy about his intents and purpose. Silence was not necessary. Could these be associated with them?

Good question Detlef:

Yes this is in traditional style. However there are several traditional styles from what I can gather. The range seems to be from this (and a little shorter) to very long. Hair also seems to be a variety of colors from black, to dark red/brown, to red, to orange, to mixed white/light brown.

As far as the pins are concerned, yes this is what I have seen over several years of both working on kampilans personally (including my own) and seeing pictures. I have observed remnants of wooden plugs with some hair left. In this case, I based my hair color and length on a couple of remnant plugs with the length intact.


Charles:

I suppose that a juramentado might have used bells, but I doubt it. A Moro who is performing magsibil would want to get as close to his target as possible before he starts killing. This might be a little different when facing an enemy during a battle.

Hi Charles,

As noted by Jose, the juramentado used stealth and deception to get as close to a crowd of victims as he could before running amok. The preferred weapon was a smallish barung that could be secreted in his clothing until it was time to use it. The arms and legs of the juramentado would often be wrapped tightly in cloth, and sometimes the torso as well. This was aimed at reducing blood loss from wounds so that the warrior could continue to fight as long as possible (and thereby inflict as much damage as possible). These wrappings were concealed by outer clothing so as not to give away the intent of the warrior. There were also special cleansing and spiritual rituals that prepared the juramentado for what was often a suicide mission because the warrior seldom survived attacking a much larger number of armed opponents.

Ian

Oh! I almost forgot - here are a couple of before pictures:

(BTW - notice the thin recent copper wires connecting the bells. They would have easily broken off!)

Guys, thank you all so much for the answers on these bells, and Jose on that wavy loop!
Ian, I had forgotten that sword connected to Pershing that Gav had, that was a fantastic piece, and the research he did on it was remarkable. It is great when an item can be connected directly to a historic figure. It seems the volume of Chinese trade in the Philippines may have been the source for such 'tiger bells' as noted by Jose.

Pretty scary stuff on those 'juramentado'. I also think though that the bells as noted were to ward off spirits, and not as features aligned with battle or combative use.