"Bagobo Golok"?

[VVV]

Back home again and recieved this eBay sword that probably some of you recognise?
It resembles the Bagobo Golok pictured in Stone p. 249, except missing the large cast brass piece on the handle.
Searching old forum threads it also resembles the Mandaya/Manobo swords that Ian and Rick has posted.

http://www.vikingsword.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000548.html
http://www.vikingsword.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/001052.html

The seller, who is a member of this forum, wasn't convinced that the scabbard matched the sword.
But I find some of the patterns on the blade similar to those on the scabbard? And the blade fits the scabbard.

Look forward to all comments.

Michael

[Rick]

This looks very much like the sword that the unknown native was holding in a picture that Ian posted asking for identification and tribe .
I can't remember the thread title but I copped the picture to try a photoshop for more detail (sorry Ian) .
Anyway here's the picture ; maybe it will jog someones memory ; I also recall that someone weighed in on this thread many months later offering an answer .

[VVV]

Thanks Rick,

I remember that thread. Here is the link:

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=235

Maybe I am wrong but I don't think it's the same sword.
Actually that bolo's blade resembled more the strange Y-bolos found in old
Filipino collections as well as in Hein's Indonesische Schwertgriffe?

Michael

[Rick]

Yes , you're correct ; plus the spine on the example you show is straight .

[Ian]

Michael:

I'm confident your sword is not Bagobo. Apart from the fat bellied blade, it has no features of Bagobo work and the scabbard is wrong.

I'm going to suggest N. Borneo for this one, primarily because of the blade decoration. An old thread on the previous Forum included examples of N. Borneo blades that had similar dot designs. These were recently made blades for the most part, but they seem to resemble the designs on your blade. That thread is here: http://www.vikingsword.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/001304.html

John might have some further thoughts.

Ian.

P.S. Does that disk guard look a little like the guard on a pakayun?

[ibeam]

Hello VVV,

Here is a very similar piece to yours with a kampilan style blade.

[VVV]

Ian,

The guard is separate from the ferrule and also the shape of the guard is different from a Murut Pakayun. Probably hard to see on the pictures but the guard of the "X-Golok" has a more oval shape.

I have visited the Kota Belud market myself but didn't see anything that resembled this Golok in shape as well as size?
Neither have I seen any pictures from museums or Borneo reference litterature of resembling swords collected in Borneo?

Actually the Muslim Bajau tribe in Kota Belud have their roots from the southern Philippines. They arrived in Sabah/Borneo only about 200 years ago. That's probably why the swords found in the Kota Belud market looks more Moro than Borneo?

Ibeam's kampilan is interesting because of the similarity of the hilt.
What tribe is it?

If you are confident that it's not Bagobo - could it be any other neighbouring tribe or is Philippines out of the question according to your experience?

Michael

[Ian]

Originally Posted by VVV

If you are confident that it's not Bagobo - could it be any other neighbouring tribe or is Philippines out of the question according to your experience?

Michael

Michael:

There are many tribal groups in the Philippines so it is very difficult to say that an origin in the Philippines is out of the question. I can say that I have not seen this style of sword/scabbard/decoration attributed to any of the major Lumad groups -- Bagobo, T'boli, Mandaya, Manobo, Kaolu, B'laan -- but there are other smaller groups and information on their weapons is almost nonexistent. I don't think your bolo fits any well known examples from these Lumad groups.

There are some features of your sword that are unusual for a Philippines origin.

The blade decorations, extending the full length with geometric designs and dots, are the most troubling to place in the Philippines. While there are elements of these designs seen in Moro work, the particular designs on your blade do not strike me as Moro. They lack the flowing lines and vegetal influences typical of Moro okir designs. Certainly, there are other Moro designs that are more angular (as seen in their textiles -- see Hamilton: From the Rainbow's Varied Hue), but not quite like the ones on your blade.

Moving further north to the Visayas and Luzon -- again, the blade decoration seems very uncharacteristic.

The down turned hilt is also a challenge to place in the Philippines as well as the carved pommel (I'm assuming this is a blind tang hilt). While there are some notable examples of down turned hilts (some Yakan hilts come to mind) most Philippine hilts are straight or even uptilted (e.g., kampilan). The carved pommel on your example and the one on ibeam's klewang remind me of a simple depiction of the open-mouthed lasara, as seen on Nias swords. The thin disk guard is unusual, but at the same time could be consistent with the Visayas or even Luzon. The same might be said of the brass ferrule.

The scabbard, at first glance, looks like something from the Visayas, but then it does not on closer inspection -- the carved decorations are atypical and there is no drilled "hanger" for suspension (although not all Visayan scabbards have a wooden block with a hole through it). The scabbard also does not match any that I know from Luzon.

In short, if this is a Philippine sword it probably comes from a small group in an obscure area, or is a rare variant from one of the better known groups. Perhaps some of our experienced Filipino collectors can provide more help.

Ian.

[VVV]

Ian,

Thanks for your explanation.
I hope some of the other forum members recognise from where this sword origin?

Michael