ODD PHILIPPINE, TOOL/KNIFE

VANDOO · 20th March 2010, 04:20 AM

THIS ITEM WAS ON EBAY A WHILE BACK AND DOES LOOK PHILIPPINE IN ORIGIN BUT DUE TO IT HAVING A MISSING HANDLE LEAVES VERY LITTLE INFORMATION. THE BLADE IS DIFFERENT FROM ANY I HAVE SEEN SO I WILL POST PICTURES TO SEE IF ANYONE HAS SEEN SOMETHING SIMULAR. BLADE IS 10.5 INCH LONG.

kai · 20th March 2010, 04:53 AM

Hello Barry,

Looks like a rice cutter to me.

Regards,
Kai

Nonoy Tan · 20th March 2010, 05:28 AM

It a popularly used blade and the form (with scabbard) are found in many part of the Visayas. It continues to be made, sold and used as a slicing tool. One can see it throughout Panay being used by market stall vendors to slice vegetables which they sell. I also see it being used in Bohol to slice banana trunks into small pieces to be fed to domesticated pigs raised at the backyards of farmers.

VANDOO · 20th March 2010, 06:57 AM

THANKS GUYS I SUSPECTED IT MIGHT BE USED AS A RICE CUTTER. WHAT DO THE HANDLES LOOK LIKE? ARE THEY PLAIN OR DO SOME HAVE NICE CARVEING.?

ThePepperSkull · 20th March 2010, 08:03 AM

I remember seeing this somewhere (I think it was one of my tita's kitchens actually!) and if I am not mistaken, the handle is a simple wooden handle, perhaps with a small hook or bump in the pommel on the edge side to keep the knife from slipping in hand.

migueldiaz · 20th March 2010, 03:07 PM

hi vandoo!

below are three pics of common phil. utility curvy blades. the one photographed by itself is the rice stalk cutter variety, and in the visayas it's called a garab. in luzon it's called a karit.

the handle of garabs would normally be the plain vanilla type, as shown.

the pic of of the blade on the waist of a person is called a sanggot (pronounced sung-GOHT). it's used by palm wine farmers (and said wine is locally called tuba).

the last blade, the one with the red-shirted farmer, is a visayan utility bolo called a lagaraw (pronounced log-a-RAO, and the last syllable rhymes with cow).

the hilt on that one would be the typical scroll-looking-pommeled visayan binangon.

your blade looks more like a garab/ karit, or a sanggot, as we can see.

hope this helps.

VANDOO · 20th March 2010, 04:29 PM

HI MIGUELDIAZ THAT IS JUST WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR.

AS COLLECTORS WE OFTEN OVERLOOK AND NEVER KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT OR COLLECT THESE SORTS OF EDGED WEAPONS AND ONLY COLLECT THE FANCY DRESS AND PRESTIGE OR WAR WEAPONS. THOSE ASSOCIATED WITH ROYAL FAMILIES OR WARRIORS BEING THOSE MOST SOUGHT AFTER.
NOT ONLY ARE THESE SORTS OF TOOL/WEAPONS USED BY MORE PEOPLE THEY ARE STILL A LIVING PART OF THE SOCIETY NOT JUST SOMETHING BROUGHT OUT FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS. I SAW THE TALIBON STILL BEING CARRIED IN THE COUNTRY BY MANY LOCALS WHEN I VISITED THE PHILIPPINES AND IT IS GOOD TO SEE YET ANOTHER NEAT WORK KNIFE STILL WIDELY IN USE.

NOTE IN THE FIRST PICTURE HOW WELL THE KNIFE AND SCABBARD FIT THE HIP TO BE EASY TO GET BUT NOT IN THE WAY WHILE WORKING OR MOVING ABOUT.

KuKulzA28 · 20th March 2010, 04:46 PM

Pepperskull and migueldiaz, awesome! Thanks for the insight!

VANDOO, I totally agree, the everyday tools and weapons are often overlooked.

Quote:

Originally Posted by migueldiaz

the last blade, the one with the red-shirted farmer, is a visayan utility bolo called a lagaraw (pronounced log-a-RAO, and the last syllable rhymes with cow).

lagaraw = log-a-rao....

that's oddly similar to how the Taiwanese aboriginal Atayal tribe's headhunting knife is pronounced...

laraw = loh-rao... ao like in cow

coincidence or similarities in Austronesian languages?

migueldiaz · 22nd March 2010, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VANDOO

NOT ONLY ARE THESE SORTS OF TOOL/WEAPONS USED BY MORE PEOPLE THEY ARE STILL A LIVING PART OF THE SOCIETY NOT JUST SOMETHING BROUGHT OUT FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS. I SAW THE TALIBON STILL BEING CARRIED IN THE COUNTRY BY MANY LOCALS WHEN I VISITED THE PHILIPPINES AND IT IS GOOD TO SEE YET ANOTHER NEAT WORK KNIFE STILL WIDELY IN USE.

yes vandoo, these utility blades are still very much part of the lives of people in the provinces (i.e., non-urbanized areas).

like when the farmer asks his ten-year old son to bring home the carabao grazing in the field, the first thing the boy will do will be to strap on his waist his own junior-size bolo (as field utility tool).

on a related matter, an often overlooked known use of a horn hilt is that when shaved and powdered, it serves as coagulant vs. bleeding (this is common knowledge in the philippines).

Quote:

Originally Posted by KuKulzA28

lagaraw = log-a-rao.... that's oddly similar to how the Taiwanese aboriginal Atayal tribe's headhunting knife is pronounced...

laraw = loh-rao... ao like in cow

coincidence or similarities in Austronesian languages?

that's a very good point. and methinks that they are linguistically related, like the other words --

parao - Tagalog (Phils.)
folau - Polynesia
barau - Efate
farau - Tahiti
volau - Fiji
poruku - Futuna
palahu - Indonesia
prau - Indonesia
broa - Formosa
palwa - Tagalog (Phils.)

bangka - Philippines
wangka - Malay, Indonesia
waka - Maori, Tonga, etc.
vaka - Vaturana, Savo, etc.
vaga - Alite
va'a - Tahiti
wa - Mate, Lamenu, Nul, etc.
waha - Ceram
wak - Numer
paki - Fila
wakten - Port Vato

20th March 2010, 04:20 AM	#1
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	ODD PHILIPPINE, TOOL/KNIFE THIS ITEM WAS ON EBAY A WHILE BACK AND DOES LOOK PHILIPPINE IN ORIGIN BUT DUE TO IT HAVING A MISSING HANDLE LEAVES VERY LITTLE INFORMATION. THE BLADE IS DIFFERENT FROM ANY I HAVE SEEN SO I WILL POST PICTURES TO SEE IF ANYONE HAS SEEN SOMETHING SIMULAR. BLADE IS 10.5 INCH LONG. Attached Images

20th March 2010, 03:07 PM	#6
migueldiaz Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Manila, Phils. Posts: 1,042	hi vandoo! below are three pics of common phil. utility curvy blades. the one photographed by itself is the rice stalk cutter variety, and in the visayas it's called a garab. in luzon it's called a karit. the handle of garabs would normally be the plain vanilla type, as shown. the pic of of the blade on the waist of a person is called a sanggot (pronounced sung-GOHT). it's used by palm wine farmers (and said wine is locally called tuba). the last blade, the one with the red-shirted farmer, is a visayan utility bolo called a lagaraw (pronounced log-a-RAO, and the last syllable rhymes with cow). the hilt on that one would be the typical scroll-looking-pommeled visayan binangon. your blade looks more like a garab/ karit, or a sanggot, as we can see. hope this helps. Attached Images

20th March 2010, 04:53 AM	#2
kai Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3,254	Hello Barry, Looks like a rice cutter to me. Regards, Kai

20th March 2010, 05:28 AM	#3
Nonoy Tan Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 293	It a popularly used blade and the form (with scabbard) are found in many part of the Visayas. It continues to be made, sold and used as a slicing tool. One can see it throughout Panay being used by market stall vendors to slice vegetables which they sell. I also see it being used in Bohol to slice banana trunks into small pieces to be fed to domesticated pigs raised at the backyards of farmers.

20th March 2010, 06:57 AM	#4
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	THANKS GUYS I SUSPECTED IT MIGHT BE USED AS A RICE CUTTER. WHAT DO THE HANDLES LOOK LIKE? ARE THEY PLAIN OR DO SOME HAVE NICE CARVEING.?

20th March 2010, 08:03 AM	#5
ThePepperSkull Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 338	I remember seeing this somewhere (I think it was one of my tita's kitchens actually!) and if I am not mistaken, the handle is a simple wooden handle, perhaps with a small hook or bump in the pommel on the edge side to keep the knife from slipping in hand.

20th March 2010, 04:29 PM	#7
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	HI MIGUELDIAZ THAT IS JUST WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR. AS COLLECTORS WE OFTEN OVERLOOK AND NEVER KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT OR COLLECT THESE SORTS OF EDGED WEAPONS AND ONLY COLLECT THE FANCY DRESS AND PRESTIGE OR WAR WEAPONS. THOSE ASSOCIATED WITH ROYAL FAMILIES OR WARRIORS BEING THOSE MOST SOUGHT AFTER. NOT ONLY ARE THESE SORTS OF TOOL/WEAPONS USED BY MORE PEOPLE THEY ARE STILL A LIVING PART OF THE SOCIETY NOT JUST SOMETHING BROUGHT OUT FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS. I SAW THE TALIBON STILL BEING CARRIED IN THE COUNTRY BY MANY LOCALS WHEN I VISITED THE PHILIPPINES AND IT IS GOOD TO SEE YET ANOTHER NEAT WORK KNIFE STILL WIDELY IN USE. NOTE IN THE FIRST PICTURE HOW WELL THE KNIFE AND SCABBARD FIT THE HIP TO BE EASY TO GET BUT NOT IN THE WAY WHILE WORKING OR MOVING ABOUT.