At long last, Garabs!

[Ian]

Here are a couple of older ones for comparison. They were exhibited in the History of Steel Exhibition in Macau.

The one without a scabbard was said to be pre-1900, and the other one is probably 19th C. also. Plate 12 (no. 6) from Krieger's treatise on Filipino weapons (viewable on this site) also shows an older example similar to the HOS examples.

Both of yours are in the older style, and could have been be made in the 19th C. as Kai suggests. One of the distinguishing features of the old style was a concave spine of the blade, as seen in the HOS examples, whereas the more recent examples have a straight spine and often a straight tang (in line with the blade) rather than the angled tang seen in older examples. The more recent, altered alignment of the hilt in relation to the blade makes them a less effective "chopper" and more suited to stabbing or slicing.

Ian.


.