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WABUKAN Arsenal · Knives and blades · Southeast Asia

Barong

A thick, heavy, leaf-shaped single-edged blade of the Muslim peoples of the southern Philippines, such as the Tausug, Sama-Bajau and Yakan; it is also on the list of eskrima’s edged weapons.

Barong
Barong WABUKAN illustration

Also known as

barong (Tausug, Sama-Bajau, Yakan)

Origin and history

The barong is the sword of the Muslim Filipino groups of the southern Philippines, especially the Tausug, Sama-Bajau and Yakan. Its form changed over time: newer blades are longer, and around the Second World War the cockatoo pommels took a new, more angular shape. Barongs of the upper classes had large, elaborately carved pommels, while fighting barongs had small, simplified ones.

Martial arts that use it

Arnis · Eskrima · Kali

Construction

Thick, very heavy blades whose weight helps them slice, 20–56 cm long with an average of about 36 cm (newer ones 46–56 cm). The hilt usually has a metal ferrule of about 8 cm, most often silver, with lacquered braided fibre rings for grip, and a pommel carved as a cockatoo (kakatua), typically of banati wood; noble hilts used ivory, carabao horn or kamagong (Philippine ebony).

Basic techniques

Training

Short-blade training starts with trainers made of wood, aluminium or rubber. Students drill angles of attack, grips (forward and reverse), checking the opponent’s arm and footwork, then flow drills with a partner. Live blades are kept for solo forms by experienced practitioners, if at all.

Safety

Use training knives for all partner work and eye protection for fast drills. Never mix live and training blades in the same session, store blades sheathed and out of reach of children.

Legality (general information)

Swords, knives and other edged weapons are regulated very differently from country to country (and sometimes from region to region): owning one at home is often allowed, while carrying it in public, buying it under a certain age or importing it may be restricted or banned. Practitioners usually transport them cased, out of reach and straight between home and dojo. This is general information, not legal advice: check the law where you live.

Did you know?

Older scabbards were only partly bound with large rattan lashings; after the Second World War they were fully wrapped in thin rattan and often decorated with mother-of-pearl.

More weapons

Seax Navaja Kris Golok Balisong Tanto

Sources

Original WABUKAN text, written from these cross-checked sources (facts, not sentences).

  1. Wikipedia — Barong (sword)
  2. Wikipedia — Eskrima