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Originally Posted by Ian
xasterix:
Thank you for your lengthy comment and familiarity with the longer weapons of the Visayan groups. While the vast majority of native Visayan weapons were on the shorter side, there were, as you correctly noted, some that were quite long. I agree completely about the need to be practised in using the weapons of your culture, and that the weapons of the Moro peoples may not be well suited to Visayan use.
Indeed, mainstream TV has much to answer for, and a lot of traditional stories are being re-examined more critically.
Your reference to Pagnasinan as a source for "cloned" blades is interesting. There is a substantial Ilokano presence in Pagnasinan--do you know if these smiths are mainly Ilokanos? Also, do you know if this center of smithing was active during the U.S. military presence in Central Luzon? For some time I have been trying to source the large numbers of knives and swords that were brought back by U.S. servicemen post WWII. Ilokano styles were prominent among those bringbacks.
Ian.
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Greetings once again. Pozzurubio is a well-known blacksmithing town in Pangasinan, it's usually passed by on the way to Baguio. The smiths there initially gained fame by cloning European swords; when TFW started way back, the owner secured a deal with most of the smiths there. Nowadays, the blacksmithing town churns out 'cloned' European, Filipino traditional, and Japanese swords to various clients and middlemen. To my knowledge, they do not produce traditional Ilokano swords.
There is a town in Ilocos- Sta Maria- that was documented by Mr. Lorenz Lasco (migueldiaz in this forum) as still having master smiths capable of producing Ilokano traditional blades, even to the extent of reproducing antiques featured during the Ars Cives exhibit. I'll attach pics here, for your reference.
I have a pending order with one of those smiths; sadly, I've lost contact with the middleman (no answer the past couple of months), I hope to re-establish contact somehow.