Philippine yataghan??
 

I do not know much about Philippine weapons, but am sure I have never seen anything like that.
Doesn't the blade look yataghan-ish?
Had it not been for the pommel, I would have thought it was a late 19th century yataghan.

Am I imagining?

Hi Ariel:

This appears to be an Ilokano piece from N. Luzon. It probably falls into the general category of a dahong palay, a well recognized Ilokano blade form that has been discussed on this forum a number of times. Perhaps it is the angle of the picture that gives it a somewhat yataghan shape, but usually the width of the blade is uniform up to the area where it narrows to a central point.

Ian.

Thanks Ian.
Now I am content: no yataghans in Luzon.

Strongly agree, definitely a dahongpalay (or dinahong-palay, depends on which area classifies it). And yes, agree that it's from Ilocos, most likely Santa, Ilocos Sur.

Philippine Yataghans?
 

Hi All,

Would these two Philippine short swords qualify as having yataghan blades?

Sincerely,
RobT

Hi Rob:

These are two recurved knives/swords, and resemble a yataghan in that way, but I think that is where the similarity ends. Recurved blades are found in many cultures, probably reflecting parallel development. The yataghan is one of many examples.

Ian.

I believe recurved bayonets were also all the rage for a short while in the mid 19th century. Perhaps some influence from those???... though I am unaware of what bayonets the Filipinos would have seen from armies like the US, Spanish and perhaps even the Dutch. :shrug:

If I am not mistaken, the yataghan form bayonets came in the 19th century influenced from the French bayonets, which themselves influenced by the yataghans from the Ottomans. I would not be surprised that they influenced the rest of the West, including Spain.

But also agree with Ian in that many cultures come up with similar designs.