Cleveland Museum of Art

Sword (Barong)

Date

before 1918

Medium

Blade: metal; grip: silver; handle: wood with ivory inlay

Culture

Philippines, Mindanao

Department

Oceania

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This sword has a broad, leaf-shaped blade characteristic of the Sulu Archipelago. Its profile suggests it was used for powerful cut-and-slash fighting. The hilt, carved from kamagong hardwood, terminates in an elongated ivory cockatoo ( kakatua ) pommel. Decorative ivory inlay is embedded into the kamagong surface, forming geometric and dotted patterns that follow the natural curves of the hilt. This object’s ivory inlay is unusual—bone or mother of pearl were more common.

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