Polearms - Glaives, Halberds, Lances, Pikes, Spears, and Related

Budiak Spears and Lances

In the days when war was waged at close quarters, the Muslims of the Southern Philippines were among the greatest warriors the world has known. The combative prowess of the Moro warriors was fueled with a volatile elixir of religious piety, fearlessness, tenacity, and patriotism, making them unconquerable for nearly four hundred years. The weapons of the Moros possess their own intrinsic value as superior weapons and works of art. However, the mystique that surrounds them results not from the substances or methods employed in their manufacture, but rather from the civilization and exploits who used theses weapons. The spear is considered by some (the sword by others) to have been the primary weapon of a Moro Warrior, with some warriors having the ability to loft multiple spears at a time thereby confusing/scattering the enemy. Spears were kept in excellent condition (in excellent polish and keen-ness of edge), and were prized implements in a Moro Warrior's arsenal. Spears/lances were used for war, hunting, and fishing. Lance heads tended to be made of high-quality pattern-welded steel (though some were made of bamboo, particularly those found in the extreme past), and had iron and/or brass ferrules. Some feature metal butt caps as well. They were often mounted on hardwood shafts or bamboo. Many spear-head variants existed, from the curvy kris to straight fullered [grooved] and/or paneled heads.

Oddly enough – even with these primitive weapons – the Moro made a significant enough impression to cause the United States to rethink the weapons used by the Army after the Philippine Insurrection of 1899-1902. During the time of unrest in the Philippines, while the famed John M. Browning was working on many of his 128 patents, a tribe of warriors, the Moro, were giving the U.S. Army a very hard time in the Philippines. To prepare for battle, the Moro would bind their limbs with leather, take narcotics, and use religious ritual to gain an altered state of consciousness, this turned them into virtual Supermen. The .38 Long Colt pistol round the U.S. soldiers had used, simply would not stop the Moro. Of note is the fact that the Krag-Jorgensen rifle the U.S. issued was also barely more than useless. Remembering this experience with the Moros, Colonel John T. Thompson (inventor of the Thompson sub-machine-gun) and Colonel Louis A. LaGarde, of the Army Ordnance Board, determined that the Army needed a .45 caliber cartridge to provide adequate stopping power. At this time Browning was working for Colt and had already designed an autoloader pistol, around a cartridge similar in dimension to the .38 Super. Hearing of the Armys request for designs for a new handgun, Browning re-engineered this .38 autoloader to accommodate a .45" diameter cartridge that he designed and submitted the pistol to the Army for evaluation. The rest is military history.

This polearm is known as a Moro "Budiak" Spear and was used by the fierce, warlike Morosans of the Phillipines. The Moro was the last tribe of peoples to be subdued during the Phillipine Insurrection by "Black Jack" Pershing.
Overall length example is ~7'1" and the head is ~14" including the attaching ferrule; intricate wrapping of the attaching rope/string. Brass upper reinforcing ferrules and pommel/end cap.

Budiak Spears and Lances

In the days when war was waged at close quarters, the Muslims of the Southern Philippines were among the greatest warriors the world has known. The combative prowess of the Moro warriors was fueled with a volatile elixir of religious piety, fearlessness, tenacity, and patriotism, making them unconquerable for nearly four hundred years. The weapons of the Moros possess their own intrinsic value as superior weapons and works of art. However, the mystique that surrounds them results not from the substances or methods employed in their manufacture, but rather from the civilization and exploits who used theses weapons. The spear is considered by some (the sword by others) to have been the primary weapon of a Moro Warrior, with some warriors having the ability to loft multiple spears at a time thereby confusing/scattering the enemy. Spears were kept in excellent condition (in excellent polish and keen-ness of edge), and were prized implements in a Moro Warrior's arsenal. Spears/lances were used for war, hunting, and fishing. Lance heads tended to be made of high-quality pattern-welded steel (though some were made of bamboo, particularly those found in the extreme past), and had iron and/or brass ferrules. Some feature metal butt caps as well. They were often mounted on hardwood shafts or bamboo. Many spear-head variants existed, from the curvy kris to straight fullered [grooved] and/or paneled heads.

Oddly enough – even with these primitive weapons – the Moro made a significant enough impression to cause the United States to rethink the weapons used by the Army after the Philippine Insurrection of 1899-1902. During the time of unrest in the Philippines, while the famed John M. Browning was working on many of his 128 patents, a tribe of warriors, the Moro, were giving the U.S. Army a very hard time in the Philippines. To prepare for battle, the Moro would bind their limbs with leather, take narcotics, and use religious ritual to gain an altered state of consciousness, this turned them into virtual Supermen. The .38 Long Colt pistol round the U.S. soldiers had used, simply would not stop the Moro. Of note is the fact that the Krag-Jorgensen rifle the U.S. issued was also barely more than useless. Remembering this experience with the Moros, Colonel John T. Thompson (inventor of the Thompson sub-machine-gun) and Colonel Louis A. LaGarde, of the Army Ordnance Board, determined that the Army needed a .45 caliber cartridge to provide adequate stopping power. At this time Browning was working for Colt and had already designed an autoloader pistol, around a cartridge similar in dimension to the .38 Super. Hearing of the Armys request for designs for a new handgun, Browning re-engineered this .38 autoloader to accommodate a .45" diameter cartridge that he designed and submitted the pistol to the Army for evaluation. The rest is military history.

This polearm is known as a Moro "Budiak" Spear and was used by the fierce, warlike Morosans of the Phillipines. The Moro was the last tribe of peoples to be subdued during the Phillipine Insurrection by "Black Jack" Pershing.

Basically the same as above Moro Budiak Spear #1, but with an ~7'2" overall length, tip slightly bent, slight variation in shaft style; brass upper reinforcing ferrule, no end-cap. Spear head is ~15-1/2" including the attaching ferrule; intricate wrapping of the attaching rope/string, but less than the previous example.

As you might guess, we receive a large amount of requests for identification and appraisal of various arms and armor. I urge you in advance to peruse the Arms Identification pages on that section of the website; this may save you some money. Many common weapons and related can be found there. If that does not work for you, I will try to help directly, but at a fee. I will also buy your items if you wish to sell after identification or informal appraisal. If you decide to sell, I will credit or refund you the total amount of the identification or appraisal fee, once the item for sale is received in-house and a price agreed upon.



Please note:

• This is the price for the identification of one item. I will supply a basic identification and a basic value (if requested).
• I will not specifically name the variations in a particular model, only the variant model designation. This is a basic service.
• I will need one overall image, generally no larger than a 8x10 desktop type photo in jpg/jpeg format and cropped to the subject matter only. I will not accept any other format or compressed/zipped images. I will ask for additional photos if necessary. E-mail these to Identify; your order number must be included in the subject line.
• Please do not e-mail single image files larger than 250kb, no more than 500kb total for multiple images; I will not open them if they exceed these limits.
• If you E-mail or snail-mail any images to me for use in identification of an item, I reserve the right to use - without further contact - those images on my website, without compensation to you (other than my efforts to assist you, however minimal the result may actually be).
• If you choose to snail-mail images, please make sure you have copies or your originals retained for yourself. We do not return images in any format and they become the property of Arms to Armor - The History Store without compensation to you for any use - past, present, or future.
• I will also need basic dimensions and description of the item being identified. Please add these to the text box in the shopping cart or e-mail as above.
• Be sure to put your order number in the subject field of any e-mails pertaining to the identification request.
• Fee must be paid in advance and is nonrefundable; if sending a check, make payable to The History Store and state Identification Service in your memo field; mail to the address below. Payment must accompany any request.
• We will not be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Once again, this is a very basic service.
• Research materials I have available are quite substantial; however, on some items, information within those materials might be quite sparse.