Ilongot bolo

Measurements
length: 18"
blade: 14 1/2"
blade width: 2 3/4"
grip and pommel: 4"
guard: 2 1/2" x 2 1/4 oval
weight (bolo): 14.8 oz
weight (bolo and scabard): 1 lb 3.4 oz

Originally lisyed here as an Unknown bolo knife. Original wood scabbard with old re-bindings. Original brass grip covering visible beneath the old split=rattan binding. Pierced brass guard fits loosely, looks to have been intended that way. Laminated steel blade markedly similar in shape to the Collins 1005 machete - this style bolo may have inspired the Collins. Small handwritten paper tag on the back of the scabbard reads: "Phillipine (47)".

The last photograph above may be an "original owner". He (and the bolo) were identified in early 2006 by a friend who emailed:

" "The photograph is definately of an Ilongot man. The blade and scabbard also look Ilongot, but often the scabbard is decorated with tiny cerated pendants of mother of pearl. There is a drawing in one of the Renato and Michelle Rosaldo books, as well as the Laurence Wilson book "Ilongot life and legends".

An on-going discussion into the origins of this sword can be found at the Ethnographics Arms & Armour Forum.