Tboli sudeng - vintage photo

Ian · 6th June 2021, 12:41 AM

Great set of pictures and excellent comments!

I notice that the man brandishing his kris (also Maguindanao in origin) is holding it backwards. Those holding their sheathed kris have the hilt inverted. Perhaps it is the preferred manner for the T'boli to use the kris upside down. Or maybe they don't use them any more and this is just a pose for the camera. Those holding/wearing a tok have it correctly oriented.

I see too another man wearing a similar style of shirt/jacket as the man in the original post.

These folk all look like poor peasants who maybe put on their best shirt and pants for the visit of a dignitary. Their traditional weapons may be the best piece of "male jewellery" they own, hence the display of swords and one spear.

JeffS · 6th June 2021, 04:17 AM

In some of the photos they are inspecting US military rifles (M14 and M16), how do you suppose they got their hands on those in such a remote location?

Marbel · 6th June 2021, 05:43 AM

Hi Jeff,
Weapons like those you noted made their way to the mountains in a variety of ways. Throughout the lowlands and less rural areas, these weapons were not rare. While the local Tboli people may have owned a few, it’s likely that most in the photos were owned by Elizalde’s entourage which would have been large and very well armed. You probably also noticed Charles Lindbergh in the photos as well, creating the need for an even larger amount of security.

During that time (and continuing until today) the mountains could be a dangerous place with various groups of roaming bandits and rebels, all armed with M16s, etc. In addition, groups affiliated with mining and lumber interests would always have plenty of armed security. It’s my understanding that Elizalde wasn’t against ‘helping’ the Tboli by supplying them with a few rifles and machine guns for their protection against these problematic groups.

6th June 2021, 12:41 AM	#1
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,396	Great set of pictures and excellent comments! I notice that the man brandishing his kris (also Maguindanao in origin) is holding it backwards. Those holding their sheathed kris have the hilt inverted. Perhaps it is the preferred manner for the T'boli to use the kris upside down. Or maybe they don't use them any more and this is just a pose for the camera. Those holding/wearing a tok have it correctly oriented. I see too another man wearing a similar style of shirt/jacket as the man in the original post. These folk all look like poor peasants who maybe put on their best shirt and pants for the visit of a dignitary. Their traditional weapons may be the best piece of "male jewellery" they own, hence the display of swords and one spear.

6th June 2021, 04:17 AM	#2
JeffS Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 427	In some of the photos they are inspecting US military rifles (M14 and M16), how do you suppose they got their hands on those in such a remote location?

6th June 2021, 05:43 AM	#3
Marbel Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 67	Hi Jeff, Weapons like those you noted made their way to the mountains in a variety of ways. Throughout the lowlands and less rural areas, these weapons were not rare. While the local Tboli people may have owned a few, it’s likely that most in the photos were owned by Elizalde’s entourage which would have been large and very well armed. You probably also noticed Charles Lindbergh in the photos as well, creating the need for an even larger amount of security. During that time (and continuing until today) the mountains could be a dangerous place with various groups of roaming bandits and rebels, all armed with M16s, etc. In addition, groups affiliated with mining and lumber interests would always have plenty of armed security. It’s my understanding that Elizalde wasn’t against ‘helping’ the Tboli by supplying them with a few rifles and machine guns for their protection against these problematic groups.