A group of brass artifacts were found together in the Texas Panhandle (sorry, no better contxt/provenience at this time). The two larger items were once united as one solid molded piece (you can see the breaks where the decorative front piece broke-away from the buckle mechanism ... see pix links pasted below). The scale is centimeters. 

It is clearly some type of sliding adjuster buckle (sometimes referred to as a "release buckle" or "weblock"), probably for a woven or web belt, or perhaps for a wide leather strap with pre-punched rows of holes for the detents or teeth on the release bar of the buckle mechanism. 

The adjuster looks like it might work on something like a military equipment belt, a sword belt adjustment strap, or more likely (my guess) on the sword regalia of some fraternal organization (though it does not look like any of the several examples of the regalia for the Scottish Rite Freemasons 25th degree, known as "Knight of the Brazen Serpent," that I've been privileged to view). 

I also see an amalgam of complex symbologies in the shield-knotted (?) 

http://altreligion.about.com/library/glossary/symbols/bldefsshieldk... 

entwined pair of snakes guarding the Orphic egg, which is the sort of mixed-metaphorical hodge-podge of scrambled ancient symbologies rampant in the late 19th-century fraternal organizations. 

So far, folks have suggested a fancy adjuster for the belt for the medical corps of a Scottish dress military kilt (yeah riggghhhhtttttttt!) and a cinch buckle for a saddle. I don't think it's heavy enough to have served on a cinch, but perhaps would have worked for adjusting some other harness strapping? 

Any help identifying the organization this symbology belongs to, and the specific function of this buckle (and the related tubular items) will be most appreciated. 

Thanks,
Bob Skiles

Pix here: 

http://skiles.net/snake1.jpg 

http://skiles.net/snake2.jpg 

http://skiles.net/snake3.jpg