Agricultural Luzon and Visayas Panabas?
 

Hi All!

I've been browsing through websites on many types of Visayan bolos when I came across this gem.

A picture of what the uploader claims, what appears to be agricultural counterparts of the Moro Panabas in Visayas and Luzon. Compared to the Panabas of Moros.

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/attach...d=188688&stc=1

According to the website:

Your thoughts? Are the Pangtabas of Luzon and the Lantip legit traditional?

Yes, all of these are legit. I'm from Luzon.

Additionally, Filipino Traditional Blades (FTB) is the most accurate non-profit-oriented research hub right now for legit trad blades. To counter the misinformation spread by for-profit blade reproduction companies through fake/inaccurate historical claims regarding blade origins and usage.

The methodology of FTB is to interview traditional smiths and people on the ground, in the particular locality / setting where trad blades are found. It's a combination of oral/interview data superimposed against the institutional memory of smiths regarding the origin and function of trad blades. This has, in many cases, dispelled common misconceptions and fallacies regarding trad blades.

In my opinion, the research material that FTB has compiled is more accurate and authoritative that other written and uploaded material bout trad blades because they are able to directly immerse in the culture and atmosphere wherein these blades thrive.

I know right? That's the biggest problems with obtaining Filipino Martial and Blade anthropology and study. Most of the information googled up are the typical old misconceptions and fallacies regarding Filipino blades.

Like, TFW poses so many wrong information about Filipino blades, it's so disheartening. On the other hand, we ignore often un-talked about good Filipino blades like Minasbads and those Akeanon Bolos that I only discovered through deep searching.

FTB is active this year, and it's good thing there is a growing (though small) insurgence of resources on good information on Filipino weapons and the STREET LEVEL investigation that which you speak of.

I discovered FTB myself through Imgrum and other social media. And I know decided to especially follow leads on their blade updates. Hopefully one of their members or who they know gets to join this board.

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Anyway, on topic, I had no idea, but it is good to know that Panabas-like blades were traditionally spread throughout the Philippines and still under use. I was usually under the impression that Moros were the only ones remaining that preserved them.

Hi ashkenaz.

Thanks for sharing those pics of tabas and panabas. We've been talking about the similarities between these two for 20+ years on this Forum, and you can find some of those discussions by searching the site for tabas. Unfortunately, the older discussions have been lost from the archives due to the effects of hacking a few years ago.

The agricultural tabas seems widespread in the Philippines, while the panabas is relatively localized to the southern islands inhabited by Moros. Always good to see more pictures.

Ian.

ashkenaz, I think most of the islands had the same design of tools that you would see as weapons among the moros. Its just that in times you wouldn't see the larger size for the same reason you wouldn't see lantakas or guns among Filipinos.

Is Facebook the only route to access FTB? (I hope not!)