Bidspirit auction | RARE 19TH C. PHILIPPINE MINDANAO

RARE 19TH C. PHILIPPINE MINDANAO DATU'S MORO TWISTCORE KRIS SWORD WITH NICELY CARVED POMMEL - This is a classic sword of the Moro people of the southern Philippines and of the Sulu Sea area called a kris. The classic Moro kris is based heavily on the Indonesian keris but is distinctly larger and made purposefully for fighting. The kris has always been the most famous of all Moro weapons and there are a wide set of variation of blade types, handle forms, and materials. Generally all kris blades are wide at the base, double-edged, and can be waved, half-waved half straight, or straight in which case they were more practical in combat. Especially high quality kris for Datu's, would have been made of rare materials and had blades of especially fine construction with lamellar steel or in some rare cases twist core blade forms. Datu's would have wielded these in battle against Americans during the successive (pacification) campaigns the American carried out following the Spanish American War. The Moros armed resistance took several forms. Some Moros, especially on heavily forested Mindanao, practiced guerrilla warfare, raiding U.S. encampments for weapons and setting ambushes on jungle trails. The most unnerving form of Moro resistance was the juramentado, or suicide attack. A juramentado attacker would seek to reach paradise by slaying as many nonbelievers as possible before being killed himself. Older kris before the 19th century tended to be smaller in size. Laminated steel patterns are sometimes evident. One of the other key defining features of almost all kris blade is the ganja, or the portion of the blade at the base which on genuine antique examples is welded on, has opposite the hook like fretwork, a cavity in the form of an elephant, eagle, or the mouth of a naga (a mythical snake). Circa 19th Century.Total length (inside scabbard if present) : 30 3/8”, Blade length : 25 5/8”. ~ . Detailed condition reports are not included in this catalog. For additional information, including condition reports, please contact us at info@sofedesignauctions.com