A Good Malay Sundang With One Piece Carved Horn Hilt

[Spunjer]

i have a badik (?) in my collection that has a similar motif, but one can clearly see a parrot.

Now I don't know how old these two pieces are, and I don't think we will be able to find out their relative ages, but it seems reasonable to me to think that the more realistic representation preceded the more abstract form which is common today.

question is, which came first? the Moro sundang, or the Malay sundang? if it's the latter, then we can safely assume what you have stated. now if it's the former then there's a possibility that it could be a case of pareidolia, in this instance a non-Moro's impression of the pommel is that of a birdhead as oppose to what it actually represents especially for a someone that uses parrot as a motif, this would be their first impression
just my two cents...