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Tools 'N Tips: Historical Background on Edged WeaponsPlates from: Herbert W. Krieger's The Collection of Primitive Weapons and Armor of the Philippine Islands in the United States National Museum, Smithsonian Institution; United States National Museum, Bulletin 137 (1926) Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia have some of the most varied edge weapons in the world! Some historians have grouped these three countries into one: The Malay World. Similarities in language, culture and racial stock are sometimes not easily recognized due to the colonial influence of the past and the political boundaries that exist up to the present. Indonesia was occupied by Dutch colonizers; Philippines, by the Spanish conquistadors; and Malaysia by the British Empire. The subjugation of these countries resulted in bloodshed in some areas. In Sumatra, the Aceh and Menangkabaws had a long record of uprisings against the Dutch. The Bugis from Sulawesi also gave the colonizers a lot of trouble. In the Philippines, the battle with the Islamized Pilipinos (Moros) was endless. The Spaniards were relentless in waging wars with these "savage, heathens with krisses!" Finally after three hundred years of failure, the Spanish conquistadors had to leave for the next colonizers: the Americanos. The Moros favored bladed weapons. The most prestigious were the kris, barongs & kampilans. These bladed weapons were used for combat only. Blades vary in size and weight to suit the individual warrior. Handles were made of wood like bunti which is a hardwood from a root of a particular tree. Weapons like the kris, originated in Java and spread to different islands of Madura, Bali, Sumatra and Sulawesi...probably during the Majapahit Empire. The Southern part of the Philippines which is closest to Indonesia, picked up some cultural, religious, and social exchange early on. The Moros of Southern Philippines developed the Indonesian thrusting kris into a slashing combat sword. The Moro kris became a symbol of authority amongst the Sultanates that existed then . The Moro kris is an excellent sword in group fighting due to the fact that the double edge can be used in either direction. In Indonesia, the kris developed into a mystical weapon with complex association to power, magic, and wealth . Literally hundreds of blade forms and pamor (laminations on the blade) exist today and are some of the most beautiful work of art. Beras wutah or scattered rice grains is the most common pamor which we sometimes call a random pattern. The Indoneisan kris normally does not have an edge since it is a thrusting weapon. The Moro barongs have a different development. With no obvious popular prototypes in Indonesia, it is most likely that the barong took a later transformation into a combat sword than the kris. The barongs curve edge and relatively wide blade have made it a weapon with tremendous cutting power. It is an easy sword to maneuver compared to others. Barongs are found in Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu Islands, southern tip of Palawan and Sabah, North Borneo. It is the favorite weapon in one to one close combat amongst the Moros: Tausugs, Samals & Yakans. From: The National Institute for Nuclear Physics and High Energy Physics, The Netherlands |
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