EARLY SKETCH OF LUTAO SPEARDANCE

tom hyle · 4th April 2005, 05:36 PM

Well, they tend to be small guys, but yeah, even in absolute terms the Moro roundshield is big; fairly comparable to the hoplon, probably as large as any shield for hand-to-hand fighting, and seems fairly distinct within the region; all the other oceanic SE Asian shields I can recall are either long or else small. The shield is shown with straps, while those I've seen had wooden grips, though they do go on the arm similarly. How much direct trading have Moros traditionally done with Muslim E Africans? The use of the barbed spear for hand-to-hand combat is interesting (presumeably this dance is an imitation of combat), and is also seen out of Luzon. The kris both seem rather small, and the tips of their sheaths don't look right. Some of these features may be fanciful, and that's always a greater danger with drawings than photos. Thanks for the pic.

fearn · 4th April 2005, 09:18 PM

Hi Tom,

If you have Donn Draeger's Weapons and Fighting Arts of Indonesia (or whatever the title is), check out the picture of the warriors from Nias. They have pretty large shields as well, although they aren't as large as these Moro monsters.

Fearn

tom hyle · 4th April 2005, 11:09 PM

I don't have it, but thanks for the info. The Nias shields are round?

Battara · 5th April 2005, 02:23 AM

Zamboanga, what is a sangkil-sulayang spear?

zamboanga · 5th April 2005, 03:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Battara

Zamboanga, what is a sangkil-sulayang spear?

A sangkil is the rarer spear compared to the budiak. It comes in two versions, the ordinary sangkil which has one side barbed (thanks for the term, tom) and the sangkil-sulayang which comes with both sides barbed.

To the tausugs and samals the sangkil can be both a fishing tool (both tribes lived off the sea) and a weapon. To the yakans, who were land-based, the sangkil is said to be the favored weapon for ambush because of the barbs.

I posted this picture of samal sangkils (the two at the bottom) in another thread:

zamboanga · 5th April 2005, 04:11 AM

part of the digitized narratives:

fearn · 5th April 2005, 06:17 PM

Hi Tom,

Nias shields are leaf shaped (literally), with a long stem on the bottom and a wooden boss for punching out their opponents. From the pictures, they reach roughly from shoulder to ground and are several feet across.

Hi Zamboanga,

From your picture, it looks like the Sangkil-sulayang is a harpoon, meaning that the head is detachable from the shaft and attached to a line that is attached to the shaft. Is this correct?

Fearn

4th April 2005, 05:36 PM	#1
tom hyle Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston, TX, USA Posts: 1,254	Well, they tend to be small guys, but yeah, even in absolute terms the Moro roundshield is big; fairly comparable to the hoplon, probably as large as any shield for hand-to-hand fighting, and seems fairly distinct within the region; all the other oceanic SE Asian shields I can recall are either long or else small. The shield is shown with straps, while those I've seen had wooden grips, though they do go on the arm similarly. How much direct trading have Moros traditionally done with Muslim E Africans? The use of the barbed spear for hand-to-hand combat is interesting (presumeably this dance is an imitation of combat), and is also seen out of Luzon. The kris both seem rather small, and the tips of their sheaths don't look right. Some of these features may be fanciful, and that's always a greater danger with drawings than photos. Thanks for the pic. Last edited by tom hyle; 4th April 2005 at 05:58 PM.

5th April 2005, 04:11 AM	#6
zamboanga Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: zamboanga city, philippines Posts: 132	part of the digitized narratives: Attached Images

4th April 2005, 09:18 PM	#2
fearn Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,247	Hi Tom, If you have Donn Draeger's Weapons and Fighting Arts of Indonesia (or whatever the title is), check out the picture of the warriors from Nias. They have pretty large shields as well, although they aren't as large as these Moro monsters. Fearn

4th April 2005, 11:09 PM	#3
tom hyle Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston, TX, USA Posts: 1,254	I don't have it, but thanks for the info. The Nias shields are round?

5th April 2005, 02:23 AM	#4
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,280	Zamboanga, what is a sangkil-sulayang spear?

5th April 2005, 06:17 PM	#7
fearn Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,247	Hi Tom, Nias shields are leaf shaped (literally), with a long stem on the bottom and a wooden boss for punching out their opponents. From the pictures, they reach roughly from shoulder to ground and are several feet across. Hi Zamboanga, From your picture, it looks like the Sangkil-sulayang is a harpoon, meaning that the head is detachable from the shaft and attached to a line that is attached to the shaft. Is this correct? Fearn