maranaw kris with Tiboli scabard?

kai · 14th July 2008, 09:36 PM

Hello Nacho,

Interesting kris - thanks for sharing it! Could you please post dimensions like length without hilt, etc.?

The hilt is indeed ivory (possibly antique but this is hard to ascertain). The ensemble doesn't look Maranao to me though or did you mean something else?

What material is the grip wrapping made of? Despite it being quite worn it looks like a vintage replacement to me. What material was used for the asang-asang? (Aluminium would fit a WW2 period restoration.)

The blade looks Sulu to me - I assume the gangya is separate? I'd guess that the blade got refitted in Maguindanao which also would explain the scabbard.

Is the shiny pink band close to the scabbard mouth some sort of plastic fabric? Any other hints of the cloth being added later? Maguindanao would be close enough to the T'boli that one could imagine an old cloth being utilized to "upgrade" a piece for more recent selling (I've seen a few pieces like that coming out of Mindanao...). Otherwise, this kris may have found its way into T'boli ownership and possibly got personalized. Other than the cloth it seems to be pure Moro work though; I don't see any additional features which might support a T'boli association.

Regards,
Kai

14th July 2008, 09:36 PM	#3
kai Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3,255	Hello Nacho, Interesting kris - thanks for sharing it! Could you please post dimensions like length without hilt, etc.? The hilt is indeed ivory (possibly antique but this is hard to ascertain). The ensemble doesn't look Maranao to me though or did you mean something else? What material is the grip wrapping made of? Despite it being quite worn it looks like a vintage replacement to me. What material was used for the asang-asang? (Aluminium would fit a WW2 period restoration.) The blade looks Sulu to me - I assume the gangya is separate? I'd guess that the blade got refitted in Maguindanao which also would explain the scabbard. Is the shiny pink band close to the scabbard mouth some sort of plastic fabric? Any other hints of the cloth being added later? Maguindanao would be close enough to the T'boli that one could imagine an old cloth being utilized to "upgrade" a piece for more recent selling (I've seen a few pieces like that coming out of Mindanao...). Otherwise, this kris may have found its way into T'boli ownership and possibly got personalized. Other than the cloth it seems to be pure Moro work though; I don't see any additional features which might support a T'boli association. Regards, Kai