Mixed-age and mixed-ethnicity kampilan

[xasterix]

It's pretty rare for a well-preserved piece to pop up in the Philippines (most of the nice pieces are in US, EU, etc) so I jumped at this opportunity. This kampilan is a good example of how a Moro traditional blade can have mixed components.

I believe the Maranao-made blade is mid to late 1800s, while the hilt is late 1800s to early 1900s (either a replacement or an upgrade). The postwar scabbard is Lumad-made, possibly T'boli. There's a 1903-S US-Philippine one peso silver coin pinned to the "eye" of the pommel, and a square silver insert on the blade part towards the hilt, a talismanic protection against black magic or hostile spells. Blade length is 30.5 inches, overall length is 41 inches.

I tested the kampilan on some soft targets using the proper one-handed wield: https://youtu.be/HUc8xdV3NLs?si=FHcobhjD3lkEUd1v

[wildwolberine]

I really like the carving & the grain on that hilt

[Battara]

The carving is truly wonderful and not like more recent mid 20c examples.

[Ian]

Very nice example! The hilt looks pristine.

Is there anything in particular that leads you to assign a Maranao origin to the blade?

Regards, Ian.

[xasterix]

Thanks for the kind words everyone!

Ian, I'm betting it's Maranao because I've been observing a trend of Maranao-provenanced blades (kris, kampilan, panabas, etc) having silver or brass inserts, sometimes in the form of okir or Koran verses. The design at the tip is also something that Maranao would do.

[drac2k]

Beautiful Sword;I really like the file work on the back of the tip of the blade.
Funny, I always assumed that the kampilan was a two handed weapon;seeing is believing,thanks for educating me.

[Sajen]

Hello Raymundo,

Congrats, a very nice kampi! Similar to others I like the beautiful hilt and also the scabbard is a nice vintage variation. Are the mounts from aluminium?

Best regards,
Detlef

[xasterix]

Originally Posted by drac2k

Beautiful Sword;I really like the file work on the back of the tip of the blade.
Funny, I always assumed that the kampilan was a two handed weapon;seeing is believing,thanks for educating me.

Thanks very much!

It's common to be confused regarding the kampilan's proper wield. I believe the mainstream depiction is the culprit- of course, these depictions were gleaned from pre-WW2 references from the Spanish and American POV, which usually described "campilan" as 2-handed.

However, I dug up some references which provide an interesting twist- from the Spanish POV, there were TWO species of "campilan." Check out this translated passage:

"After midday the Moro Bansil, who has recognized the Spanish government, also arrives: his intention is to confer with Señor Tenorio. He is accompanied by a group of three Moros, one of whom carries the tabas, a kind of campilan, with a silver handle, a sign of power among those people; the other carries in his hand his master's parasol, which is a simple colored umbrella with fringes decorated with many tassels; the third carries the petaqufa or copper box with different little drawers, where the various ingredients and utensils that the Moros use to prepare and consume the buyo are kept."

Mellado, F. (1863). El Christianismo
semanario religioso, cientifico y literario. Vol 2: Issue 49-100. Retrieved from https://www.google.com.ph/books/edit...?hl=fil&gbpv=0

In this instance, it's noted that "tabas" (which we now know of as "panabas") is a campilan species, and is 2-handed. But it doesn't stop there: here's another reference - possibly written by a Frenchman- which clearly describes two campilan species yet again:

"The campilan bears a great resemblance to the sabres of our hussars, and is shaped like a long thin lath, with a wooden handle, held by both hands, which like the sword of a knight, is without a guard; the blade is very long, and straight, and thin, of great strength, and should never bend. The instrument I have described, is called the two-handled campilan, but there are other varieties of this weapon, which are more easily wielded; they are, however, more for ornament than use- the handles of some of them are of coarsely-carved ivory, very often bearing the resemblance of some fabulous animal, such as a syren, or dragon."

Yvan. (1855). Six months among the Malays, and a year in China. Retrieved from https://www.google.com.ph/books/edit...?hl=fil&gbpv=0

Based on the description, the first campilan, the two-handed one, is the panabas; the second one- handle resembling syren or dragon- we already know.

Based on these findings, it would be interesting to go back across all historical references of "campilan" and try to guess which species was being described. Most importantly- in the Battle of Mactan, with Pigafetta noting that the campilan resembled a "cutlass," perhaps it's not the one-handed variant that was used- but rather the two-handed panabas!