Featured This is a kris…. right?

Hello… found this at my neighbor’s estate sale. It’s about 3 feet long.

I’ve read a lot of the posts here regarding similar items, but I can’t find one that’s quite like this one. Any info would be appreciated!

 

@Any Jewelry

 

Thank you - I meant to tag her

 

She can tell you more than you ever knew there was to know about these.

 

Looks like ...
https://mandirigma.org/?p=284

 

Not really. This is a Moro kris, from the Philippines.
The Moro kris has its origin in the period when parts of the Philippines were colonized by the Majapahit Empire (1293-ca 1500) from East Java. Along with East Javanese culture came the East Javanese keris.
In the Philippines the kris came to be seen as a powerful symbol of status and magic and as a combat weapon, but it never had the profound spiritual background of the original.

My interest lies mostly in Javanese and Madurese keris, which still have that background. Javanese and Madurese keris are in the same category as other Asian religous symbolic weapons, with the added quality that they aid the personal and spiritual growth of the owner.
Besides the spiritual meaning, the Javanese and Madurese keris can be used as a 'last resort' weapon, but its primary use is not for physical combat.
I know something about other Indonesian keris, but not much about keris/kris from the former Majapahit colonies outside Indonesia, because they don't have the same meaning.

@Firemandk may be able to tell you more about this Moro kris.

 

Yes it is. There are quite a few mistakes in that article though. The information about Indonesian keris needs revision.

 

Are the words “kris” and “keris” interchangeable? I noticed that you use kris when speaking of the Philippines and keris for the Indonesian…

 

They are interchangeable in the West, although many collectors and 'kerisologists' make a distinction.
The Indonesian word for keris is keris, in the Philippines it is kris, kalis, and some local variations.

The word keris requires a specific pronunciation. The 'e' is often near silent in Indonesian, which is why the Dutch colonizers thought it was called a kris. That is how the name was introduced in the rest of the world.
A more correct spelling to indicate how to pronounce the word would be k'ris, with the 'r' sounding much like the Spanish 'r'.
The same near silent e is used in a place name like Semarang, which is almost pronounced like Smárang.

 

How interesting, thank you!

 

..

 

My semi-educated guess is this is a World War II era bringback: possibly older .... is that an aluminum ferrule ? the parts holding the blade also, they are separate from the blade ( I forget the actual name ) I have read that is a legit sign it is probably an older one, blade could be older than the handle , the decoration looks a lot like my punal daggers which I believe are WWII era bringbacks . My newer "Made to look old " tourist one has 1898 coins embedded and the metal work on the scabbard is reprosse , I have seen 100 of those hanging on the Moro "antiques" dealers wall in Davao. Many times the scabbards were lost or meant to be discarded in the "heat of battle" so often the scabbards are not original. @TanyaG , that's about all I got ...there are some good online sites if you search for Moro Kris sword.

Dan

 

Stabbing the Narrative: Mindanao Kris and Scabbard – Critical Filipinx American Histories and their Artifacts (pressbooks.pub)

Kalis - Wikipedia

Krieger philippines - Google Search (The Collection of Primitive Weapons and Armor of the Philippine Islands, Herbert Krieger wrote about Philippines weapons in the 1920's)

You can download a PDF of the book here free:

https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/10135/USNMB_1371926_unit.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

 

Thanks so much for the info, I’ll definitely check out those links.

My husband bought this for $100 - do you think he made a good deal? I’ve been skeptical of its monetary value, but swords are (obviously) not my forte….

 

The carving on the ship (top of scabbard) is really nice, and despite the missing bit the price seems to be good if you check ebay listings:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313&_nkw=moro+kris&_sacat=0

 

Nice! I still have the piece that broke off. I wasn’t sure if I should try to repair it or not.

 

no harm , if it's a tight fit !

 

By all means do.

And if it isn't, you can fill in the gaps with the right colour wood filler. I have used it on some of my keris sheaths.
If you ever sell it you should mention the repair, of course. Some sellers don't.