Ancha/Nimcha

[Jim McDougall]

Chevalier, thank you for posting this most unusual 'machete' which seems to correspond loosely in some respects to long straight bladed weapons which typically have hilts with the nimcha like nock and fingerstalls. These were a puzzle for some time until we finally resolved they were actually associated with Cuba and the Philippines and often bringbacks from Spanish American War. The doghead hilt is extremely atypical for anything I've seen from Mexico
but the squiggled motif repeated in motif are the same as on many of the Cuban/Filipino examples.

David, you're really getting good at this 'out of the box' thinking! You bring up great points which are key particularly in studying Indian weapons, where the peacock was extremely important in regalia and other symbolic factors. I'm still not sure of the 'evil eye' association on this hilt, though there is a compelling free association to a human eye (reminding me of the old private eye sign of early detectives). While I have seen the brass stud/nail motif often used on Spanish colonial hilts, and generally in Moorish material culture, I do not recall the eye shape. This seems to be a fixture for holding some type of decorative element in that shape.
As I'll say again, I really like your way of thinking, and openly expressing observations in the true sense of weapons research. It seems that too often there is too much attention to auction and acquisition issues.