Luzon bolo (itak?) for comment

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Ian

Sajen:

This is my first post in several years--illness and work have kept me sidelined and away from this board, but I hope to be back here more frequently.

Nice knife. I think a more precise term for this knife might be Luzon matulis (matulis = "pointed") rather than the more general term of itak which simply means bolo or knife. I'm not a Tagalog native speaker, but that's what I've gleaned over the years from people who are.

As to the age of this knife, that's hard to say. Certainly it was a style of knife used by the katipuneros during the uprising against Spain in the late 19th C, and is still being made today. Where it was made on Luzon is even harder to say--could be within the area from Ilocos norte down to Batangas.

As for the vertical marks at the forte, I'm afraid they are not helpful in determining age.

Ian.

Welcome back on board Ian! Hope that your health is good again.

Thank you for your thoughts about this blade; I would call it sword instead of knife, the length is 24 inch, the blade is nearly 1/2 inch thick near the handle.
When I understand you correct it would be called matulis when it is a Tagalog blade. But wouldn't it be called different when it is a Ilocano or a Batangas sword?

Regards,
Detlef