Weapons of Moroland

"Weapons of Moroland" is a plaque or crest containing miniature models of weapons used by warriors from the indigenous peoples of Mindanao in the Philippines. As a souvenir, it is fairly common in gift shops, and is considered a pop culture icon.^[1] Displaying the plaque in one's home is one of several indications of "how Filipino" one is. It is jokingly used as a description of resistance to colonialism.^[2]

The weapons on the wooden plaque include spears, shields,^[3] and a wide range of swords or knives such as the kris, barong and the kampilan,^[4] while the plaque itself is usually shaped like the Coat of arms of the Philippines, and is often though not always painted in the colors of that seal.

The quality of the models varies from case to case, usually reflecting the general shape of each weapon but not usually accurately showing the scale of blades with their hilts, nor the scale of weapons relative to each other.

Typically featured weapons

Blade weapons

Balasiong
Bangkung (Bangkon)
Banjal
Barong
Budjak
Gunong (Punyal)
Janad
Kalis
Kambang
Kampilan
Kapa
Kris
Lahot
Laring
Gayang
Panabas
Pirah
Punyal
Susuwat
Utak

Shields

Karasak
Sangkil
Taming

Spears

Budjak

Others

Agung - A musical instrument of the Kulintang ensemble, used as a signal to relay commands in battle.

Sources

^ "Are You Really Filipino? 115 Ways to Find Out". The Philippine Review. August 1995.
^ Ignacio, Emily Noelle (2005). Building Diaspora: Filipino Community Formation on the Internet. Rutgers University Press. p. 126. ISBN 978-0-8135-3514-2.
^ González, N. V. M. (1960). The bamboo dancers. Alan Swallow. p. 14. ISBN 9780804000185. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
^ Caruncho, Eric S. (2007-09-07). "Home is where the 'art' is". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on 2007-09-11. Retrieved 2016-12-26.

External links

Message board topic showing images of actual swords portrayed in the plaque -- "Filipino Martial Arts Forum" (message board forum). Weapons of Moroland Revisited. fmaforum.org. Retrieved 29 July 2008.

Filipino weapons

Edged weapons