My New PI 1st Republic General's Dagger

[Battara]

Greetings folks!

I just acquired this wonderful Filipino 1st Republic dagger that I believe belonged to a general.

Why do I believe that this is a general's dagger:

1. The mounts are silver.

2. A comment from Migueldiaz about this subject on generals and the wearing of their rank: "The only thing I can add is that Katipunan generals were the ones who used the flower and vines design, to signify their rank. Thus it wouldn't be far-fetched to think that they also used the same motif in their personal weapons and accessories."

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...+Filipino+Bolo

You will notice that there are in fact vine and floral motifs on the scabbard top and bottom.

3. If you look at a picture of General Malvar, you can see a nearly identical dagger hanging at his waist at the right side of the picture.

[Battara]

Here is the picture of General Malvar:

[Battara]

Finally, one more thing to notice: the hilt is made of horn with silver nails in it. It is in the shape of a coiled snake, or a snake coiled around a geko. There was a similar hilt on a Filipino 1st Republic sword here:

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...atipunan+sword

Any comments are welcome.

[Rich]

Beautiful knife. Much above the quality I usually associated with Filipino knives. (Of which I am totally ignorant except in the most general terms)
Very nice. Looks very European actually.

Rich

[carlos]

Wow !! l very beautiful dagger, I think is a great adquisition, and the handle is very similar to sword link.
Congratulations
Best regards

Carlos

[Ferguson]

Congratulations Jose! What an amazing and important piece. I've so glad it found its way to you.

Steve

[Sajen]

Amazing! Glad that it found the way to you!

Regards,

Detlef

[David]

Wonderful find! Congrats!

[Spunjer]

Heck of a piece you got there, bro! very happy for you that you're replacing your stolen pieces with quality ones!
indeed, this piece is from the 1st republic. really hard to find quality pieces from the tagalog region in the revolution era, so you are a very lucky person, my friend. i'm enamored with the unusual handle on that one, whereas the relatively common ones are plain, elongated football shape.
now i'm wondering about this which-come-first-the-chicken-or-the-egg question: would this be a stylized version of the other type of handle in which it's wrapped with silver and/or brass wire (which i refer to as the barber pole type), or would yours be the older style and the barber pole type be the later version? something to think about...
by the way, i don't think that's a gecko; i believe it's a bayawak, or monitor lizard. there has to be a meaning behind that snake eating a bayawak. can't find anything doing a quick google search about some forgotten legend regarding this two animals. perhaps a more thorough search? the bayawak could also represent spain, with the snake representing the filipino people...

[kino]

Impressive!!!
Love the stars on the scabbard.
I recall Miguel Diaz mentioning that Filipino Christian and Muslim blades have symbols of heaven and the underworld on their weapons. I think this is a good example the stars representing heaven and the serpent the underworld.
Congrats on a good find.

[Battara]

Thank you everyone so far. Heaven and underworld, and bayawak - things to consider.

Once again, as I was praying for God to show me what to get, this sat in a glass case and no one, not even the famous eBay dealers, either saw or went for it.

Yes a great replacement for 2 of lower (but very good) quality that were stolen.

Another example of how God makes something good come out of somethings bad, at least in my life.

If you can find more information on your suggestions that would be great. I do know that the 3 stars at least represent the 3 sections of the Philippines in union for the cause: Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao (and adjacent islands).

[Robert]

What an absolutely magnificent dagger Jose. I have always wanted and have been looking for another example of these serpent hilt daggers or swords ever sense I first saw Carlos's example. I absolutely agree that this was a very high ranking officer's personnel weapon and more than likely (because of the reasons state by you and others) did belong to a general. There are just a couple of questions I have about it. First, is the blade the same on both sides or is the other side flat or slightly concave? Second, is the scabbard just leather or is it leather over wood? Other than that, all I can really say is I am very happy that you have been so fortunate to have been able to acquire this wonderful piece to hopefully help take some of the sting out of your earlier unfortunate loss. Congratulation my friend. Looking forward to seeing more photos.

Best,
Robert

[Battara]

Robert, there is a raised median ridge on both sides of the blade. Blade is roughly flat.

Also the scabbard is silver over thick leather - no wood. Surprised it has lasted this long.

[mdp10003]

Wowwwwww! Absolutely stunning! I agree with the consensus, including that it probably was for someone with the rank of general - the silver mounts and detailing is something only of high rank could get. Again, wow! (And slightly green with envy, but it is great that it has a good home!)

[mdp10003]

By the way, I am not sure it is widely known, but the mythical sun with three stars in a triangle is more than just a symbol - it is actually the official coat of arms of the First Philippine Republic. And yes, the three stars are the three main island groups of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

[Dimasalang]

Haven't been here in awhile. Looks like I been missing out!
AWESOME piece Jose!!! My dream to own one of these.
Just let me know when you looking to sell. HAHA

[Battara]

Thank you. We've missed you here.