I AM SURE THERE WERE VARIOUS TYPES OF AX.S USED IN THE PHILIPPINES LONG BEFORE RECORDED HISTORY. CLUBS BEING ONE OF THE EARLIEST WEAPONS IN ALL SOCIETYS. AN AX IS A CLUB WITH SOMETHING ATTACHED WITH A SHARP EDGE, THE ADZ IS ANOTHER PREHISTORIC FORM FOUND IN MOST ALL PRIMATIVE SOCIETYS ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO DID WOOD WORK OR MADE CANOES.
I HAVE SEEN TURTLE AND OTHER MARINE ANIMAL BONES AND SPINES SET INTO VARIOUS FORMS OF CLUB AND SOME HAD ENOUGH OF AN EDGE TO QUALIFY AS AN AX. STONE HEADED AX'S WERE COMMON IN THE AMERICAS AS WELL AS MANY OTHER PLACES. I PERSONALLY CAN'T THINK OF ANOTHER WAR AX WITH THE BACK SPIKE DESIGNED TO STICK INTO THE GROUND OR A LOG. THE MOUNTANEERING CLIMBING OR ICE AX AND THE MINERS PICK COME TO MIND BUT BOTH ARE MORE PICK THAN AX.
MANY FORMS OF BATTLE AX AND MACE MAY HAVE HAD A SHARP SPIKE USED TO PENETRATE ARMOR BUT AS THEY DID NOT HAVE HEAVY METAL ARMOR IN LUZON AND THE HEAD AX IS WAY TOO LIGHT AND FLIMSY TO STRIKE A TELLING BLOW ANYWAY. I PERSONALLY WOULD PERFER TO FIGHT EQUIPED WITH.
1. SPEAR AND SHIELD
2. PRANG AND SHIELD
3. AX AND SPEAR
IN THAT ORDER.
THE AX MIGHT BE USEFUL TO HOOK A SHIELD ASIDE AND LEAVE AN OPENING FOR YOUR SPEAR THRUST BUT YOU WOULD EITHER NEED MORE THAN 2 HANDS OR HAVE TO DO WITHOUT A SHIELD.
PERHAPS A STUDY HAS BEEN DONE ON HUMAN REMAINS FROM THE HEADHUNTING DAYS IF SO IT SHOULD BE EASY TO IDENTIFY HOLES IN THE BONES MADE BY SUCH A BLADE OR BACK SPIKE. IF THEY ARE PRESENT IN LARGE NUMBERS AND HAVE STRUCK WITH GREAT FORCE IT WOULD INDICATE THEY WERE A PRIMARY WEAPON. IF NOT FOUND OR FOUND VERY RARELY OR ALWAYS IN THE SAME SPOTS, I WOULD SAY IT WAS A MORE RICTUALISTIC TOOL THAN WEAPON.
PERHAPS IT WAS CARRIED TO WAR AS A TAILSMAN AND TO SHOW YOUR STATUS AS ONE WHO HAD TAKEN HEADS AND WAS MOSTLY USED TO PERFORM SOME RITUALS IN PREPARING THE HEAD.
WE WILL PROBABLY NEVER KNOW WHAT IT EVOLVED FROM OR WHERE IT WAS DESIGNED ,UNLESS SOME ARCHEOLOGIST OR HISTORICAL INVESTIGATOR EITHER FINDS A PATENT FOR A ACME COCONUT HUSKING TOOL FROM THE 1800'S OR A BOX OF THEM AT A FLEA MARKET. OR PERHAPS SOME DRAWINGS FROM THE UNKNOWN LEONARDO OF THE PHILIPPINES SHOWING HIS DESIGNS FOR ONE.
IT SHOULD BE POSSIBLE TO FIND OUT IF IT WAS A PRIMARY WEAPON THRU HISTORIC RECORDS AND ARCHEOLOGICAL STUDIES. (HAS ANYONE READ ANY ACTUAL ACCOUNTS OF THEM BEING USED IN BATTLE?) I AM SURE AN OBSERVER FROM ANOTHER AREA WOULD HAVE MADE A NOTE ON IT SOMEWHERE IF IT WAS ACTUALLY OBSERVED.
PERHAPS OUR MEMBERS IN THE PHILIPPINES CAN PRINT SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS OUT AND TAKE THEM TO THE MUSEUMS , UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS OR ARCHEOLOGISTS AND SEE IF THEY HAVE THE ANSWERS. IF THEY DO NOT, PERHAPS IT WILL INTEREST THEM ENOUGH TO DO THE STUDIES.
THE HEAD AX IN ITS FINAL FORM WAS NOT A JUST A TOOL BUT IT STILL COULD HAVE EVOLVED FROM ONE. WHO IS TO SAY THE CLUB OR SPEAR DID NOT EVOLVE FROM A DIGGING STICK.
MANKIND COMES UP WITH A USE FOR SOMETHING AND THEN FINDS OTHER USES FOR THE PRINCIPLE AND ADAPTS IT SO IT CAN BE USED IN MANY OTHER WAYS.
THE IDEA FIRST THEN THE TOOL OR WEAPON AND THEN ADAPTATION FROM WEAPON TO TOOL OR TOOL TO WEAPON AND SO ON.
YOU CAN BRING AN OBJECT THAT HAS A SPECIFIC USE IN YOUR SOCIETY AND PLAN TO INTRODUCE IT TO ANOTHER SOCIETY AS A MORE EFFECIENT TOOL FOR ONE SPECIFIC JOB OF YOUR CHOOSING. ONLY TO FIND THEY HAVE DECIDED IT IS MORE USEFUL FOR SOMETHING ENTIRELY DIFFERENT THAN YOU PLANNED.
JUST CONJECTURE WITH A BIT OF LOGIC THROWN IN HERE AND THERE. BUT PERHAPS THE THOUGHTS MAY INTREST THOSE IN THE FIELDS THAT CAN FIND THE ANSWERS OR PERHAPS THEY WILL JUST SAY NONSENSE !! WE WILL BE SATISFIED WITH WHAT WE HAVE ALWAYS BELIEVED FOREVER.