Hi Ian,
Great information and I'm very glad to hear that you've had the opportunity to visit the Tboli. They are a special people. I've visited Mindanao several times, first in 1984 and most recently in April 2016. I've also been fortunate enough to visit the Blaan as well during my last trip. While I collect Tboli blades (and other lumad weapons to a lesser degree), my collection encompasses all aspects of Tboli art and artifacts. The largest part of my collection is textiles. The woven tnalak cloth and Tboli clothing and costume. Again, to a somewhat lesser degree I own textiles from the Blaan, Bagobo, Tagakaolo, Mandaya and other nearby groups. As you know, their costume and adornment include some other beautiful brass items - amazing belts, anklets and bracelets, bells of all sorts and some betel boxes. The brasscasters are true artists with longstanding traditions. I could go on and on about the Tboli, but I fear I'm veering a bit off topic. I'd be happy to chat with anyone off-line if there is an interest.
A bit more on topic. There are some very informative plates documenting Lumad weaponry within many of the old field study books written on Mindanao in the early 20th century. Two that come to mind are Faye Cooper Cole's "The Wild Tribes of Davao District, Mindanao" (1913) and Herbert Krieger's "The Collection of Primitive Weapons and Armour of the Philippine Islands in the United States National Museum" (1926). John Garvan's "The Manobos of Mindanao" (1929) contains some nice reference photos as well.
All the best,
Craig
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