copper alloys (brass, bronze)

[Richard Parker]

David Mead <david_mead at sil.org> wrote, and so did Chris Sundita http://salitablog.blogspot.com 

  'Tunbak' doesn't sound like a very Spanish word to me. Perhaps it came from ISEA in the first place.
   
  We have here a banana variety called 'Tumbaga'. Its skin is a rich bronze red colour, and it is very tasty indeed.
   
  There is a distinct lack of available igneous rocks around here in SE Asia, so not a lot of available metallic minerals. The first people who found any of them at all probably confused those with zinc in them, and those without.
   
  Could anyone enlighten us on the difference between bronze and brass?
   
  best regards
  
Richard Parker
Siargao Island, The Philippines. 
  
I have started a weblog - Notes From a Small Island, at http://smallislandnotes.blogspot.com/ about the island, Austronesian languages and customs, etc.
  
My website at www.coconutstudio.com is about the island and its people,  coastal early humans, fishing, coconuts, bananas and whatever took my fancy at the time.
   
  - By the way, Christopher, you've been sadly neglecting your blogspot lately. Let's hear some more from you.
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