Two swords being repatriated to the Philippines

[Ian]

These two swords will shortly be making their way back to the Philippines for further study.



Bonifacio bolo (Tagalog: sangbartolome)

The top one is a large version of the sword attributed to Andres Bonifacio. His story as a Katipunero can be found elsewhere on these pages (search for Bonifacio or Bonafacio). That sword is based on one being wielded by S. Bartolome (St Bartholomew) in a statue housed in a local church. Hence the name sangbartolome (like St Bartholomew). This story has also been told elsewhere on the forum.

The example shown here is one of several forms of sangbartolome swords found in the Metro Manila area and nearby provinces. This one is large and has a heavy blade. The blade edge has a bevel on the obverse side and is flat on the reverse side. The spine of the blade is "double-clipped" (i.e. has two curved "dips" before coming to a point). The spine of the blade is also beveled (but not sharpened) in the two clipped sections. The horn hilt has a septagonal cross section with a small, similarly septagonal, brass ferrule. The pommel is a slightly swollen, down turned version of the grip. The full length tang is peined over a brass plate and washer.

The soon-to-be owner of this piece believes it was made in Laguna Province. There is a stamped mark on the blade: B5M : BAYAN