"Malay
dagger" and wooden sheath. This is not a letter opener.
Moslem
"Malay dagger" and sheath of brass and iron. The
T'Boli
and
Maranao specialize in making fine knives
like this.
This
utility knife is sharp on the inside of the blade's curve. It may have been
used in animal sacrifices.
Malay
dagger and sheath
The
bolo is a Filipino invention, popularized by the Ilokano.
It is similar to the Malay parang.
Ifugao game knife and sheath
Agta knife
and sheath, circa 1900
Brass
and bone belt dagger from Mindanao. These ubiquitous "datu knives"
are worn on the hip as a status indicator in the south
Large
bolo knife, provenience not recorded. Grip fashioned of abaca fiber.
Knife
and sheath, provenience uncertain
The
Ifugao hangap bolo is an essential part of the livery
Ifugao
game knife and sheath
Like many people, the Ifugao
forge their own steel
Agta
knife with leather sheath
Probably
city-made and acquired in trade
Without
a doubt, the most essential tool in the Philippines is the small, utilitarian
sportsman's knife, used for everything from harvesting palm fronds, to dispatching
prey, to digging holes.The majority of agricultural tribes make their own knives;
nomadic peoples like the Agta purchase theirs from others.
To the bolo, halfway between knife
and sword, now falls many of the functions once handled by the battle ax
As with
swords, skill in the manufacture of daggers
is most developed in the south, where the steel and brass virtuosity of Toledo
was imparted to the natives by invading Mohammedans.
