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Lot 674
Sword "barong"
Estimated Value:
900 € - 1.500 €
Result:
incl. Premium and VAT
Description:
Philippines South, Mindanao, Tausug or Yakan, 19th cent.L. 62 cm
Steel, wood, non-ferrous metal, rattan. A good barong, the favoured fighting weapon of the Moro (probably Tausug) on Mindanao. The heavy, single-edged, willow leaf-shaped back blade has slightly concave flanks and a blurred cutting bevel. A steel core of high hardness is inserted in the cutting edge area. The body of the blade shows a clear refining structure (locally melted metal) with a wood-like grain. As spring steel was mainly used in the period before and during the Second World War, the blade can be dated significantly older. The weapon probably dates from the 19th century. The actual handle or grip is formed by a long conical silver ferrule, which is set off at the top and bottom by concentric rings or decorative grooves. The pommel is made of hardwood (banati) and depicts a stylised hornbill's head. This pommel shape is probably a stylised rudiment of a sword hilt shape dating back to very old models (Pinoy culture, 10th - 13th century). Basically, the pommel of the barong in this ‘cockatoo’ shape is very similar to T`boli and Bagobo swords, except that the shape of the Moro swords became more protruding over time. The scabbard is double-shelled and made of dark, hard wood. It is wrapped all over with fine rattan. The mouthpiece and base of the scabbard are widened and carved in relief. Old photos of Moro fighting or practising with weapons show that the scabbards were also used as makeshift shields. It is possible that this type of weapon, which has no other equivalent in Southeast Asia, was originally derived from badik (knives) from Sulawesi (Bugis). There are no known barong that can be proven to date from before the 19th century. The Moro themselves state that the smaller blades (similar to the kalis) tended to represent the older form. The elegance and beauty of this barong should not obscure the fact that it is a very feared and efficient weapon, which was probably only optimised in the 18th or 19th century due to the constant fighting. The barong is particularly common among the Tausug. In the fencing school (silatan), the barong is one of the main weapons. Datu (Prince) Unga (around 1900), for example, was known as a master of the barong. Despite its elongated tip, the barong is primarily regarded as a slashing weapon, which according to reports had a devastating effect.
Collected from an old German private collection since the 1950s - Handwritten collection number: 537
