Tim, Agree with all that is posted so far. Your sword is of receint manufacture for the tourist industry. The "mountain" providences of Luzon are changing at a rapid rate. Where traditional tools and weapons are still made, they are now being made as tourist items for Manila tourist. For the most part, the young people have left not only trditional tribal life, but the area. I think that many people from Manila & other large PI cities sense the end of the traditional lives of these people & now, where decient roads exist, come to see the ending of this culture. Many traditional items are made to sell to these tourist. As far as the "house gecko" on the sheath goes, I think it may be made for foreign consumption. From different areas I have visited, the geckos are concidered a pest but it is concidered unlucky to hurt or kill them, the exception is there is a very large gecko that often takes up residence in attics that is concidered to have a spirit, not to be removed from the house but when it dies it is a bad omen, so no one wants it in thier house. There is likely hundreds of variations of belief about these lizzards. A couple of good books with a lot of pictures are:Eduardo Masferre "People of the Philippine Cordillera" Photographs 1934-1956 & David Howard "The Last Filipino Head Hunters" 2000. Masferre wanted to capture away of life, that he knew would end; Howard tries the same, interviewing the older people that still remembered the "old ways"
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