Hi Jose. Yes, that was my strong feeling also when I first saw this piece--one of those tourist items from the Lake Lanao region that are mostly junk, with thin blades made of sheet metal. That's why this one was surprising.
Even if it is of Maranao origin and of that variety of items made for tourists, this is a very good knife and much better quality than most of what we see in that genre. The blade is solid to the hilt, is a quarter inch thick just in front of the hilt, and has a sharpened hardened edge--the brass work is reasonable too. For what I paid for it, I'm perfectly okay if it's not a Mandayan piece. The dealer who sold it to me has had many opportunities to sell me rubbish before and he has not tried to do so. I think he genuinely believed it was of Mandayan origin, but he could have been wrong.
That the Mandaya and other Lumad tribes borrow heavily from Moro weapons is well documented, and we have often discussed that here. It's possible that this piece was made by a Maranao craftsman for a Mandayan.
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.
Cheers,
Ian
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