Presumed Philippine?

[Ian]

Originally Posted by xasterix

...Anyway, to get back to the topic at hand- I believe "dipalata" may be an assembled/hybrid blade; the Aeta from Central Luzon, particularly Zambales, have been documented to buy or commission blades from pandays in lowland areas (especially Apalit, Pampanga). Afterwards, they may have dressed up these blades according to their tribe's aesthetic traditions. ...

I believe that this is correct, xas. IIRCC, Fox (1947) noted that the Aeta were an iron-poor culture and frequently re-used iron objects for spear and arrow heads, etc. He noted that they obtained blades from neighboring communities. Several blade profiles, such as the katana and hundang, were made in Pampanga. The article by Fox is in the Archives.