Luzon or Panay?

RobT · 15th December 2024, 06:36 PM

Ian,

Your point about the Bowie knife nomenclature being overused in the US is well taken, especially when you consider that exactly what the original Rezin Bowie produced item looked like is unknown and that many British made blades with spear points were sold in 19th century America as “Bowies”. About all you can say is that a Bowie is a large fixed blade knife with a cross guard (of various configurations) and very likely also has a blade with a clip point.
That the clip point has been around for a long time is also indisputable. For example, the Laguiole was first produced at around the same time as the first Bowie and clip point navajas go back further than that.
All of the above notwithstanding, I don’t have any fixed blade/cross guard/clip point knives from the Philippines in my collection (about 20 all toll) that I would date to before WWII nor have I ever seen any. Does anyone have an example to show us? What I would like to know is whether the so called Philippine Bowie style knife was a native development made prior to WWII or whether it was just a marketing ploy designed to sell knives to US troops.

Sincerely,
RobT

15th December 2024, 06:36 PM	#9
RobT Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 548	Developed in the Philippines? Ian, Your point about the Bowie knife nomenclature being overused in the US is well taken, especially when you consider that exactly what the original Rezin Bowie produced item looked like is unknown and that many British made blades with spear points were sold in 19th century America as “Bowies”. About all you can say is that a Bowie is a large fixed blade knife with a cross guard (of various configurations) and very likely also has a blade with a clip point. That the clip point has been around for a long time is also indisputable. For example, the Laguiole was first produced at around the same time as the first Bowie and clip point navajas go back further than that. All of the above notwithstanding, I don’t have any fixed blade/cross guard/clip point knives from the Philippines in my collection (about 20 all toll) that I would date to before WWII nor have I ever seen any. Does anyone have an example to show us? What I would like to know is whether the so called Philippine Bowie style knife was a native development made prior to WWII or whether it was just a marketing ploy designed to sell knives to US troops. Sincerely, RobT