Mystery knife

[Ian]

Detlef, thanks for finding that old post. Yes, definitely the same style of knife and correctly identified as "Negrito," although the geography is a little off. As Nony suggested in that post, that knife was probably mid-20th C in manufacture although the style clearly goes back to at least the early 20th C.

Ian.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Ian

As Nony suggested in that post, that knife was probably mid-20th C in manufacture although the style clearly goes back to at least the early 20th C.

Hello Ian,

I personally would place this one a little bit more early, the good workmanship, the small aluminium(?) nails at the handle, the used wood (looks like a very nice grain) and the patination let me guess a birth around the 1930s but like always I could be wrong.

Best regards,
Detlef

[Ian]

Hi Detlef:

Could be, although aluminum ornamentation would date it to WWII or later. The aluminum came from downed aircraft.

Ian

Originally Posted by Sajen

Hello Ian,

I personally would place this one a little bit more early, the good workmanship, the small aluminium(?) nails at the handle, the used wood (looks like a very nice grain) and the patination let me guess a birth around the 1930s but like always I could be wrong.

Best regards,
Detlef

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Ian

Hi Detlef:

Could be, although aluminum ornamentation would date it to WWII or later. The aluminum came from downed aircraft.

Ian

Hi Ian,

I think that aluminium was used a little more early by recycled drinking bottles from US soldiers, just a guess!? Otherwise you are correct, the 1940s is also a very good guess.

Regards,
Detlef

[Royston]

Came across this recently. It would appear to be the same.
O/A length is 14"
Blade is 8 1/4"
Not full tang.
collar is aluminium.
The letters on the blade look like ADG but they are very unclear.
Regards
Roy

[Ian]

Hi royston:

Yes, definitely in the same group.

I am attaching a picture from the web of a chief of the Pinatubo Negrito who lived near the US Clark Air Force Base. He was reportedly the last surviving member of a group of Pinatubos who fought the Japanese during WWII--he was 19 at that time. The picture was taken in the 1970s by a US serviceman.

Ian.

[Sajen]

Great picture Ian!

[Ian]

Hi Detlef:

Aluminum cans are also a possibility, but use of aluminum to make cans was only introduced in 1957, and I don't know when that invention found its way to the Philippines. In any case, I think the knife is probably older than the late 1950s/1960s.

Ian.

Originally Posted by Sajen

Hi Ian,

I think that aluminium was used a little more early by recycled drinking bottles from US soldiers, just a guess!? Otherwise you are correct, the 1940s is also a very good guess.

Regards,
Detlef

[Ian]

In the original post in this thread I mentioned that I owned a second of these knives, but at that time it had been misplaced in moving house twice in the last ten years. That knife has now been rediscovered, and I post this picture of the two of them. The smaller one on the bottom of the picture is the one added to this thread for the first time. The shape of the scabbard is different, and more closely resembles the traditional Pinatubo Negrito form as described by Fox and shown in the picture above of the Negrito man and young boy.

I post this other example because these knives and their scabbards are seldom seen and appear not to have been made for the tourist trade.

Ian.


Pair of Negrito hundang
.

[Sajen]

Thank you for showing this two rare examples Ian!

Regards,
Detlef