Those "Negrito bolos" are actually Ilocano knives

[Ian]

I'm bringing this one back up to highlight another common blade form seen on Ilocano knives. This type has a "double-clip" profile on the spine of the blade: the spine starts out straight from the guard for a few inches, then has a distinct concave curve, followed by another concave curve that extends to the tip. In addition, the knife shown below has many other characteristic Ilocano traits: a full tang hilt with the tang peined over a plate (*), the carved out "pinky notch," the multifaceted grip (usually made of horn), a small metal ferrule and cross guard (usually brass), and a small bulge adjacent to the guard on the cutting edge.

This "double-dip" or "double-clip" feature on the back of the blade is not unique to Ilocano knives. It is seen quite commonly, for example, on knives from old European carving sets. A similar blade is present on a 19th C. Sheffield carving set shown below for comparison.

This blade form is seen not just on small Ilocano knives but also on sword length blades, an example of which is also shown.

Ian.

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