Some barong/barung

Timo Nieminen · 5th October 2014, 03:43 AM

#11: Copper collar. Scabbard is heavy and thick, with MOP. Neutral feel in the hand - a very MOR barong. Except for the copper collar. 6.05mm at the hilt, 4.3mm mid-blade. 656g, 1064g in the chunky scabbard.

#12: Another MOR-feeling barong. The tip is rounded, probably after the original tip broke off. Might have also been deliberately rounded for safety - it isn't sharp at the end. Considering the blade is quite a bit thinner than that of #11, the weights are surprisingly similar. 5.5mm at the hilt, 3.2mm mid-blade. 648g, 891 in scabbard.

#13: Decorated blade. Lightweight. Collar is flared, and appears to be aluminium. There's a crack on the edge of the blade at the middle of the blade. 5.0mm at hilt, 3.15mm mid-blade, 502g.

#14: Modern barong, came from Malaysia (don't know where it was made, probably made 2013). Blade is rather convex, so it's heavy for its size. Scabbard is fairly heavy - the wood is quite dense. Grip swells a lot towards the pommel. 6.0mm at hilt, 5.1mm mid-blade, 720g, 1010g in scabbard.

#15: Modern barong, the Cold Steel Moro Barong. I don't know where these were made. They were sold with a scabbard, but this didn't have one by the time it reached me second-hand. Enormous and chunky. Grip is fatigue-inducingly fat. I'm told this one is somewhat of a mutant, with the blade being thicker than usual; it doesn't thin as much as it should moving from spin to edge (apparently atypical of this Cold Steel model). As a result, it has a quite steep secondary grind at the edge, and doesn't look like it would cut terribly well. If the grip is thinned, and the blade thinned near the edge, and the blade given appropriate taper as it approaches the hilt, it would be improved. 6.8mm at the hilt, 5.5mm mid-blade, so the thickness at the spine is OK, and a chunky chunky 968g (according to the specs for the model, it should be 853g, so it's quite a bit overweight).

Sajen · 5th October 2014, 04:04 PM

Hello Timo,

by example #5 I would try to remove the plating. No. 6 could be a Palawan barong IMHO.

Regards,
Detlef

Ian · 5th October 2014, 05:05 PM

Hi Timo:

You have some interesting examples here and I would like to offer my two cents on a few of them.

No. 2 has a hilt very similar to the kakatua on a N. Borneo/Sabah barung that I posted some time ago. This may well be another example.

No. 6 has a scabbard that is definitely from Palawan. I have a similar scabbard on a nice bangkung (second half of 20th C), and if you search on this site for a "Palawan bangkung" I think you will find the name of the tribe that it came from. I don't recall who they are now.

No. 7 has a hilt similar to No. 2 and again I think this one is from N. Borneo/Sabah. Certainly the scabbard is atypical for Sulu Archipelago work. The Yakan, however, sometimes use similar geometric rattan wraps. But I would go with N. Borneo based on the kakatua.

No. 9 is an interesting arrangement with the hole through the blade and silver wire binding through the hole. I think this is likely to be Sulu Archipelago in origin. Zelbone has a bangkung with a hole in the same place and a wrapping that passes through it. Not a commonly found feature.

No. 10 has okir work on the blade that I again associate with N. Borneo/Sabah. I have a few barung decorated more crudely but in a similar manner that came from Kota Marudu in Sabah. There are pictures of these barung on this site.

No. 11 could be Yakan. Cato describes short ferrules as being a feature of some Yakan barung. The use of MOP on the scabbard is also common with Yakan work made for tourist consumption.

No. 13 again reminds me of N. Borneo/Sabah and the kakatua on this one is similar to the style of Sabah barung that I have shown previously here.

No. 14 is also likely to be N.Borneo/Sabah in origin based on the shape of the blade and a kakatua that are atypical of the Sulu Archipelago.

Just my personal views and I welcome the thoughts of others.

Ian.

P.S. Here is the link to N. Borneo/Sabah barung on the old web site: http://www.vikingsword.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/001304.html

Timo Nieminen · 6th October 2014, 12:50 AM

Thanks for comments/info. Looking at long slender Palawan barong, I think I want one. The carving on the scabbard of my #6 is nice, but the blade is but a poor shadow of what it should be.

5th October 2014, 05:05 PM	#3
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,453	Nice examples and well presented Hi Timo: You have some interesting examples here and I would like to offer my two cents on a few of them. No. 2 has a hilt very similar to the kakatua on a N. Borneo/Sabah barung that I posted some time ago. This may well be another example. No. 6 has a scabbard that is definitely from Palawan. I have a similar scabbard on a nice bangkung (second half of 20th C), and if you search on this site for a "Palawan bangkung" I think you will find the name of the tribe that it came from. I don't recall who they are now. No. 7 has a hilt similar to No. 2 and again I think this one is from N. Borneo/Sabah. Certainly the scabbard is atypical for Sulu Archipelago work. The Yakan, however, sometimes use similar geometric rattan wraps. But I would go with N. Borneo based on the kakatua. No. 9 is an interesting arrangement with the hole through the blade and silver wire binding through the hole. I think this is likely to be Sulu Archipelago in origin. Zelbone has a bangkung with a hole in the same place and a wrapping that passes through it. Not a commonly found feature. No. 10 has okir work on the blade that I again associate with N. Borneo/Sabah. I have a few barung decorated more crudely but in a similar manner that came from Kota Marudu in Sabah. There are pictures of these barung on this site. No. 11 could be Yakan. Cato describes short ferrules as being a feature of some Yakan barung. The use of MOP on the scabbard is also common with Yakan work made for tourist consumption. No. 13 again reminds me of N. Borneo/Sabah and the kakatua on this one is similar to the style of Sabah barung that I have shown previously here. No. 14 is also likely to be N.Borneo/Sabah in origin based on the shape of the blade and a kakatua that are atypical of the Sulu Archipelago. Just my personal views and I welcome the thoughts of others. Ian. P.S. Here is the link to N. Borneo/Sabah barung on the old web site: http://www.vikingsword.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/001304.html Last edited by Ian; 5th October 2014 at 09:28 PM. Reason: Added link to earlier post

5th October 2014, 03:43 AM	#1
Timo Nieminen Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 422	#11: Copper collar. Scabbard is heavy and thick, with MOP. Neutral feel in the hand - a very MOR barong. Except for the copper collar. 6.05mm at the hilt, 4.3mm mid-blade. 656g, 1064g in the chunky scabbard. #12: Another MOR-feeling barong. The tip is rounded, probably after the original tip broke off. Might have also been deliberately rounded for safety - it isn't sharp at the end. Considering the blade is quite a bit thinner than that of #11, the weights are surprisingly similar. 5.5mm at the hilt, 3.2mm mid-blade. 648g, 891 in scabbard. #13: Decorated blade. Lightweight. Collar is flared, and appears to be aluminium. There's a crack on the edge of the blade at the middle of the blade. 5.0mm at hilt, 3.15mm mid-blade, 502g. #14: Modern barong, came from Malaysia (don't know where it was made, probably made 2013). Blade is rather convex, so it's heavy for its size. Scabbard is fairly heavy - the wood is quite dense. Grip swells a lot towards the pommel. 6.0mm at hilt, 5.1mm mid-blade, 720g, 1010g in scabbard. #15: Modern barong, the Cold Steel Moro Barong. I don't know where these were made. They were sold with a scabbard, but this didn't have one by the time it reached me second-hand. Enormous and chunky. Grip is fatigue-inducingly fat. I'm told this one is somewhat of a mutant, with the blade being thicker than usual; it doesn't thin as much as it should moving from spin to edge (apparently atypical of this Cold Steel model). As a result, it has a quite steep secondary grind at the edge, and doesn't look like it would cut terribly well. If the grip is thinned, and the blade thinned near the edge, and the blade given appropriate taper as it approaches the hilt, it would be improved. 6.8mm at the hilt, 5.5mm mid-blade, so the thickness at the spine is OK, and a chunky chunky 968g (according to the specs for the model, it should be 853g, so it's quite a bit overweight). Attached Images

5th October 2014, 04:04 PM	#2
Sajen Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Germany, Dortmund Posts: 9,272	Hello Timo, by example #5 I would try to remove the plating. No. 6 could be a Palawan barong IMHO. Regards, Detlef

6th October 2014, 12:50 AM	#4
Timo Nieminen Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 422	Thanks for comments/info. Looking at long slender Palawan barong, I think I want one. The carving on the scabbard of my #6 is nice, but the blade is but a poor shadow of what it should be.