Weird Philippine sword/bolo

[Robert]

Seeing as it can refer to a knife, tool, other implement or pot being worked (possibly at a certain stage) could it just be a term for heat treated ??

Robert

[migueldiaz]

This Bicol blade is from Vandoo's collection.

The engraved "duggan" text on the blade can mean two things once again - either the family name of the former owner, or the name of a process in making the blade. On the latter, we see this definition of duggan or dugang from the Bicol-English dictionary by Mintz:

dugang - 'to cool and harden (metal after it has been cast) [MDL]'. 'MDL' refers to Marcos de Lisboa's 1754 Bicol-Spanish dictionary.

[VANDOO]

I JUST PICKED UP THIS LITTLE GEM. IT HAS A VERY WELL CARVED HORN HANDLE WITH A BRASS POMMEL CAP, BRASS FERRULE AND BRASS THROAT ON SCABBARD AND ONE BRASS BAND. NICE CARVED WOOD SCABBARD AND A CHISEL GROUND BLADE WITH FLORAL DESIGN ENGRAVED ON BLADE. 13 INCHES LONG IN SCABBARD, 7.5IN. BLADE. SOMEONE CRUDELY SCRATCHED IN "MADE IN P.I." ON SCABBARD WW2 BRING BACK.

[Sajen]

Nice one Barry. Maybe our new member Bangkaya will be able to tell us more about this small bolos!?

Regards,

Detlef

[Bangkaya]

Hello,
Though are a number of variations of blade style in Bicol, there are basically 4 prevalent types:

Minasbad
Dinahong-palay
Ginunting
Sinampalok

This was all explained to me by a panday from Tabaco, Albay in Bicol. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take photos since I left my camera at my friends house (we were in search of pili nuts and just happened to run into the panday.) Most of the swords pictured on this thread are sinampalok or dinahong-palay (dahon palay in tagalog=rice leaf.) The minasbad is the long sword sometimes with an elaborate guard. The ginunting has a blade that is recurved but not hooked down like the modern Ilonggo or Marine Recon ginunting. The dinahong-palay and sinampalok are similar, however, the blade on the sinampalok tapers towards the hilt where the dinahong-palay maintains a constant width then abrubtly tapers usually with a hook like projection or goosenecks to the ricasso (much like a tinamban sansibar from Leyte.) As for the figural carving, he described this type seen on this thread as inaso or aso (dog) faced carving. The other figural style is called sawa which I believe is more of a crocodile or naga form.

Regards,
Bankaya

[Sajen]

Thank you very much!
So when I understand correct is mine a sinampalok and the one from Barry (Vandoo) a dinahong-palay.

Regards,

Detlef

[Bangkaya]

Hello Sajen,
From what was explained to me is that your bolo is a sinampalok since it gradually tapers towards the hilt. Vandoo's bolo is a dinahong-palay since his blade doesn't taper much but goosenecks at the ricasso with sort of a hooklike projection. Both are really nice examples from around WWII and both have the inaso carved pommel. They were probably both made in either the Rinconada or Tabaco in Albay, Bicol. Hope this helps.

Regards,
Bangkaya

[migueldiaz]

The comments of (Datu) Bangkaya are very edifying indeed.

The only thing I can add is that according to one of my favorite historians, William Henry Scott, a study of ancient local vocabularies in our country reveals that the Bicolanos had the most number of terms for warfare and fighting (including sea raiding).

For instance in the well-studied Chinese account of southeast Asian sea raiders (from "Pisheya") that routinely attacked southern mainland China in the 12th century, these "Visayans" are being thought to be either from Samar or from Bicol. And the narrowing down to these two groups had something to do with the ocean jet stream that these sea raiders use to facilitate the going in and out of southern China.

And my own speculation is that Bicol swords are usually short and stubby precisely because of this naval or 'piratical' roots ...

PS - Goegraphically, Bicol is attached to Luzon. But ethnographically and historically, the Bicolanos are more of Visayans. The seas that separate Bicol from the Visayas actually link the two. Because for southeast Asians, waters connect while land masses (mountain ranges) divide.

[Nonoy Tan]

Here is the Chinese text regarding the Bisayan raiders of China which migueldiaz mentioned.