Filipino swords and axes in the 13th Century?

[migueldiaz]

Originally Posted by Steven C.

Hello all, I was wondering if you might know what swords and axes were used by Filipino wars during the 13th century, contemporary with the Song Dynasty? xxx

Hi Steven,

David's remarks would be right on the money.

And so would the replies of Nonoy and Vandoo, of course.

Originally Posted by fernando

When i grow up, i want to react to people's good will in such manner and still get such a diplomatic second answer.
Bless you David.

Amen, Fernando! And if all people were like David, I'm sure this world would be a better place

Here's my little contribution, and it won't be much, given the dearth of info on this particular subject as already mentioned:

[1] your best bet would be the Boxer Codex, as far as researching for images of prehispanic Filipinos is concerned;

[2] said illustration-rich manuscript was done in the 1590s, but the 15 plates depicting Filipinos all pertain to the manner of dressing and the tools & weapons used before the Spanish influence set in;

[3] unfortunately once again, so far I haven't seen a book that contains all the said color plates on prehispanic Filipinos;

[4] but the Boxer Codex is there in the US, so maybe you can find a way to access the same;

[5] as far as archeology is concerned, there's a newly opened permanent exhibit at the Ayala Museum in Manila (Ayala Museum would be the best museum in the Phils.), in which 10th to 12th century (if I recall the timeframe correctly, but it's definitely pre-16th cent.) gold artifacts are displayed;

[6] there's a lot of artifacts on decorative personal accessories, but once again when it comes to weapons, I can recall seeing just two to three items -- they are golden hilts of daggers, and most probably they would be exactly like the one Pigafetta noted as strapped in the waist of one datu [leader], and this would be at the time of course when he and Magallanes [Magellan] first made contact with Filipinos (1521):

"And he [Rajah Calambu, of what is now Agusan del Norte province in Mindanao island] was the most handsome person we saw among those peoples. He had very black hair to his shoulders, with a silk cloth on his head, and two large gold rings hanging from his ears. He wore a cotton cloth, embroidered with silk, which covered him from his waist to his knees. At his side he had a dagger, with a long handle, and all of gold, the sheath of which was of carved wood. Withal he wore on his person perfumes of storax and benzoin. He was tawny and painted all over. His island is called Butuan and Calaghan."

[7] finally, you should also check out the two books of one of the experts in Philippine history, William Henry Scott -- Prehispanic Source Materials for the Study of Philippine History and Looking for the Prehispanic Filipino: And Other Essays in Philippine History.

I have both books. I'll post here later excerpts which I hope can also be "slightly helpful"

Regards