Moro Kris new purchase

[tom22]

This is a very recent purchase and hasnt arrived yet,
Im thinking of etching the blade to see if it might has a twist core !
ive seen a few threads on etching , so may give it a go with lemon juice and salt , would this be the best first try?

[Rick]

Sometimes running very hot water over an section of the core may give you a non-invasive peek at a pattern that may be present.

[kino]

Congrats on a nice get.
Household vinegar is pretty safe.

[Sajen]

I am with Kino, I've etched my Moro kris all with vinegar and with good results. But I would clean the blade before! Congrats, a nice one!

Regards,
Detlef

[tom22]

Originally Posted by Rick

Sometimes running very hot water over an section of the core may give you a non-invasive peek at a pattern that may be present.

Thanks rick , i will give that a try first

[tom22]

Thanks , i will try vinegar first then , i will give to blade a light clean first ,
im a bit wary when it comes to cleaning blades like this ,i dont want to over do it and make it look too new

[Ian]

Hi Tom,

Very nice "archaic" style kris. There is a reasonable chance that this one has a twist core blade and the anting is a good find. The hilt lacks a crest to its kakatua pommel; while not an uncommon finding, I tend to see this more on Malay style kris. Also the rattan wrap is plain rather than something more interesting (silver, horn, etc.).

Lastly, the blade has a long tapering point and seems more slender than many 19th C kris. The tapering to an acute point is, I believe, a throwback to the stabbing function of the keris carried over to this style of kris. Two possibilities arise: (i) this is a very old kris (very unlikely from the general condition of the blade), or (ii) this is a 19th C kris from western Borneo or Brunei (much more likely).

I have a well documented Brunei kris that dates to no later than the mid-1840s with a very similar shaped blade and a twist core panel. In Brunei culture it would be called a sundang or a kris sulu. I believe yours may be of similar origin. There was a long association between Brunei and the Sulu sultanates, so the Moro kris was well known in Brunei. Similarly, the Sulu sultanate held territory in northern Borneo well into the 19th C until somewhat displaced by the British. Moro kris would have been well known in those areas also. Such knowledge likely extended south of Brunei to Sarawak.

Brunei, together with North Borneo and Sarawak (both parts of Malaysia), seem the most likely sources for Melayu swords that resemble Moro kris but also retain some of the features of keris (narrower blade, acute stabbing point). It is my suspicion that the substantial majority of "archaic" kris that appear on the market today originated in these areas of Borneo where the keris is still produced. As such, it is possible that Melayu swords produce in the 19th C and later may have resembled much earlier transition swords used in Sulu and other Moro settings. However, just because they have an "archaic" appearance does not mean they are all pre-1800. That would require much more rigorous evidence to establish.

It is a very interesting piece. Good find.

Regards, Ian

[Sajen]

I strongly doubt a Malay origin!

[Sajen]

Tom,

May I ask how long the kris in question is?

Regards,
Detlef

[Ian]

Hi Tom:

You can find pictures of the Brunei kris that I mentioned in this thread where it is shown in post no. 4. At that time I had not yet purchased it from its then long time owner. I shall post more pictures and dimensions shortly.


Hi Detlef:

We keep returning to this question of early Moro versus Melayu kris. It is frustrating not to have better data, and particularly the ability to date these swords. I now have the Brunei kris and have done some further research on it, including X-raying the hilt to look at the tang, which is interesting. More pictures and that sword's provenance coming shortly.

Regards, Ian