Philippine Axe

[Tim Simmons]

Frenzy. These are far from common in the Uk so I was over the moon when I got one some years ago. A lot of you seem to known so much about Philippine arms almost to the name of the village of origin I was wondering if we could have a teach in.As long as it was not made recently Your cooperation would be greatly appreciated.Tim PS I love the roll of steel round the haft.

[Lew]

Tim

It looks like a Bontoc head hunters to me.



Lew

[Ian]

Hi Tim:

Lew is correct, I believe, in stating this axe comes from the Bontoc. I'm not sure whether it is a "head axe," implying a weapon used for beheading a victim, or more of a utility axe or tool. There are apparently distinctions, and one of my dealer acquaintances in Manila noted that the axes with convex edges (as your example has) are tools, while those with concave edges are weapons. I don't know how true this information may be because I have only heard it from a single source (although he is a well informed Filipino with many years of dealing in edged weapons).

Ian.

[tom hyle]

The collectors' tale (weigh accordingly) is in line with that; the beaknosed ones that look like wayang puppets' heads almost are the ones for headtaking. On the other hand, there is variation between tribes, too. The head taking ones are called pinagas.

[Naga Basuki]

How about this one? Comments?

[tom hyle]

Now that's a classic pinagas, with a nice handle, since ye ask, and the "finger" (my own term) that I think you wrap with your index finger in the manner famous with a quillon, for control; believe me, it makes a big difference on the ones I've handled. Someone else can probably tell you what tribe.

[Federico]

In the book Death Stalks the Philippine Wilds, Letters of Maud Huntley Jenks who was married to Dr. Albert Jenks, there are neat little hand drawings that distinguish Bontoc and Kalinga weaponry. According to these drawings, if I remember correctly concave heads were Kalinga and convex heads were bontoc. So that would make the 1st one Bontoc and the second Kalinga.

[Tim Simmons]

Hello, Bontoc,thank you, which part of the Philippines do they inhabit,how varied are these axes?Tim

[Battara]

Federico is right on the money. The first one is Bontoc and the second is Kalinga. They and other Igorot tribes are in the central highlands in the middle north part of the island of Luzon. Nice Bontoc piece. The Kalinga piece I believe is a datu ceremonial piece with the bottom white brass ferrule missing along with parts of the yellow brass missing on the rest of the stem.

[tom hyle]

Luzon.
Extremely varied, in size and shape of both blade and handle, with similar forms to the convex edged ones occuring on other islands nearby, and shading over eventually into Naga dao.

[Tim Simmons]

Hello.Thats very helpful but I was hoping for a few more pictures to help get the feel of these axes.The Philippines, for a fairly small group of islands have an amazing range of weapons.I very much like the Panaba but I have only seen one for sale in the UK,it was good and alas the price was too high for me anyway.Tim

[Conogre]

Here's my contribution, Tim.
Simple, plain and fairly late manufacture.
Besides the obvious head taking attribution, the difference in cultural uses by shape becomes obvious when I see these referred to as "tools" because the tang arrangement wouldn't stand up for almost anything that I would use an axe for by US standards.
Mike

[tom hyle]

For the most part I see your point about these and other tangs in this regard. Some of the tangs themselves are quite sturdy at like 3/8" thick, but still short, no? and I don't know that the thicker ones were ever standard. Not only that, but tha amount of wood that fits inside that long ferule is not that much, and that can seem unsturdy (more at the blade than at the handle end, where the swept swell gives it decent strength). They handle well, and one can use one (in good shape) to cut briars and light vines for practice; if they're a tool I agree it'd be more machete than axe. I wonder about the more tooly back-curved one though; same tang? I know it doesn't seem a strong arrangement (I wouldn't design it and think it sturdy), but also some consideration must be given (as with thin swords, brass blades, thin African axes, etc.) to how flimsy a lot of old stuff seems to us now, and the degree to which traditional people were just much more appreciative of, and loving and careful toward their possessions than modernes seem to be. A nice feature in these axes? Some of them have a "shandigan" type reinforced edge.

[Ian]

Mike:

I think your example is also Bontoc, but with the concave rather than convex edge. Don't see many in this style around. Congrats.

Ian.

[Conogre]

Thanks Ian.....that was my basic assumption as to origin as well, while I sat here wondering as the discussion deepened.
Of course, it stands to reason that mine would end up being slightly odd (I sometimes feel that I have an entire collection of "almosts"**grin**).
I drool over the "fingered" hilt pieces whenever I see one as they always seem to have an elegant air to them, those with exceptionally thin and elongated heads in particular.
Is there any special significance to those?

Mike

[Ian]

Mike:

I think yours is a good "odd." Most of the Bontoc axes we see are of the standard tool/utility variety. Nice to see the weapon-grade version.

Ian.

[Federico]

Mike got an axe almost exactly the same as yours (a little longer ferrule). Which when I got it, it screamed bontoc, but then it had the concave head. Im wondering if the distinction has to be more complete between bontoc and kalinga, involving more than concave and convex, to include shaft (little finger on Kalinga no finger on Bontoc), and head shape (Ive noticed the kalinga heads are longer/thinner). Does this strike everyone as a decent distinction between the two? Any other oddities that throws this off? In Krieger's plates there is a Bontoc warrior with a concave head axe, but then Ive seen other plates (eg. the earlier book that I mentioned) with the convex head. Im wondering if some convex heads were not just utilitarian. Anyways, like you Ive always drooled over the kalinga heads, definitely seen more fancier Kalinga axes (more brass decor, etc...) whereas almost all the Bontoc axes Ive seen have been far more utilitarian in look.

[tom hyle]

We discussed this on the old forum (hey, the search function works for me there.....); I'm not sure what the outcome was, but I THINK it was that the convex ones are tools, and all Igorot tribes had different versions (length to height ratio for blade, "nose" length.....). Maybe I'll try to check. How do I find the old forum? I forget.......Mike, the finger is great; you gotta grab the finger; you'll love it

[Ian]

Tom:

Go to our new Home Page and click on UBB Forum at the bottom.

Ian.

[tom hyle]

Thanks.

[tom hyle]

I read some interesting old threads, some of which hinted at there being a system of tribal distinguishment to do with straighter/more beaked cutting edge, shape of backspike, height and length of blade, but not the one I was looking for where someone actually kind of layed out at least their theory of it......

[Battara]

Don't forget that there were areas of overlap and adjacent territories had some mixing of tribes and styles from what I understand. I believe that this is infact mentioned in Jenks' The Bontoc Igorot.