Featured This is a kris…. right?

Discussion in 'Militaria' started by TanyaG, Nov 24, 2021.

  1. TanyaG

    TanyaG Active Member

    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! :)
    IMG_1196_jpg.jpg IMG_1197_jpg.jpg IMG_1196.jpg IMG_1203_jpg.jpg IMG_1204_jpg.jpg
     
  2. Bronwen

    Bronwen Well-Known Member

  3. TanyaG

    TanyaG Active Member

    Thank you - I meant to tag her :)
     
  4. Bronwen

    Bronwen Well-Known Member

    She can tell you more than you ever knew there was to know about these.
     
  5. Roaring20s

    Roaring20s Well-Known Member

  6. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    Not really.:sorry: 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.
     
    Last edited: Nov 24, 2021
  7. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

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

    TanyaG Active Member

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

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    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.
     
    Last edited: Nov 24, 2021
  10. TanyaG

    TanyaG Active Member

    How interesting, thank you!
     
  11. komokwa

    komokwa The Truth is out there...!

  12. Firemandk

    Firemandk Well-Known Member

    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
     
  13. Firemandk

    Firemandk Well-Known Member

    Last edited: Nov 25, 2021
  14. TanyaG

    TanyaG Active Member

    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….
     
  15. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    Boland, TanyaG, komokwa and 1 other person like this.
  16. TanyaG

    TanyaG Active Member

    Any Jewelry likes this.
  17. komokwa

    komokwa The Truth is out there...!

    no harm , if it's a tight fit !
     
    Gus Tuason, Any Jewelry and TanyaG like this.
  18. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    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.:mad:
     
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