Ethnographic Arms & Armour
 

Go Back   Ethnographic Arms & Armour > Discussion Forums > Ethnographic Weapons
FAQ Calendar Today's Posts Search

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Old 26th August 2015, 01:28 AM   #1
Ian
Vikingsword Staff
 
Ian's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: The Aussie Bush
Posts: 4,194
Default Filipino golok that has seen some action

I picked this small golok up about nine years ago at a gun show. A WWII veteran was walking around trying to sell a couple of bring back items from his time in the Philippines. He had landed with Macarthur in the Visayas.

He had two talibon that were ordinary souvenirs that we see all over the place, and he had the knife shown below which he said was his "jungle knife." It was not a thing of beauty but one of great function and it had certainly seen some use in its day. The wooden scabbard had been repaired many times, and is kept together with twine, electrical tape, and canvas. He really liked this old knife--a lot of memories--but he had nobody to pass it on to, so he decided to sell it that day. I promised to give it a good home. For fifty bucks we both felt we got a good deal.

The knife reminds me of how many different styles one can find in the Philippines. He said he acquired it "somewhere in the Visayas" and that it was of local manufacture. However, it is odd in that the blade has a cut out section along the edge, just in front of the hilt. I've seen this before on Visayan knives, but it is really uncommon and I'm not sure where these are made.

Like many knives in the Philippines, the style of this one seems to have been borrowed from elsewhere and adapted locally. The closest representation I have found is in Traditional Weapons of the Indonesian Archipelago, by Albert van Zonneveld (p. 30) where he describes a Bangkung Sulawesi. He notes that this "a short, firm machete with straight back and convex edge tapering at the point. The hilt is short and thick." I have copied the entry below.

There may well be other Indonesian or Malay knives that also resemble this one, and our friends on Keris Warung Kopi might have some further ideas.

Has anyone else seen similar examples from the Philippines?

Ian.


Overall length 14 inches
Length of blade 10.5 inches
Attached Images
    

Last edited by Ian; 26th August 2015 at 05:45 AM. Reason: Added picture
Ian is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 26th August 2015, 11:13 AM   #2
ausjulius
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: musorian territory
Posts: 422
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ian
I picked this small golok up about nine years ago at a gun show. A WWII veteran was walking around trying to sell a couple of bring back items from his time in the Philippines. He had landed with Macarthur in the Visayas.

He had two talibon that were ordinary souvenirs that we see all over the place, and he had the knife shown below which he said was his "jungle knife." It was not a thing of beauty but one of great function and it had certainly seen some use in its day. The wooden scabbard had been repaired many times, and is kept together with twine, electrical tape, and canvas. He really liked this old knife--a lot of memories--but he had nobody to pass it on to, so he decided to sell it that day. I promised to give it a good home. For fifty bucks we both felt we got a good deal.

The knife reminds me of how many different styles one can find in the Philippines. He said he acquired it "somewhere in the Visayas" and that it was of local manufacture. However, it is odd in that the blade has a cut out section along the edge, just in front of the hilt. I've seen this before on Visayan knives, but it is really uncommon and I'm not sure where these are made.

Like many knives in the Philippines, the style of this one seems to have been borrowed from elsewhere and adapted locally. The closest representation I have found is in Traditional Weapons of the Indonesian Archipelago, by Albert van Zonneveld (p. 30) where he describes a Bangkung Sulawesi. He notes that this "a short, firm machete with straight back and convex edge tapering at the point. The hilt is short and thick." I have copied the entry below.

There may well be other Indonesian or Malay knives that also resemble this one, and our friends on Keris Warung Kopi might have some further ideas.

Has anyone else seen similar examples from the Philippines?

Ian.


Overall length 14 inches
Length of blade 10.5 inches

looks like malay knife golo perak...golok form perak..
ausjulius is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 26th August 2015, 03:08 PM   #3
Ian
Vikingsword Staff
 
Ian's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: The Aussie Bush
Posts: 4,194
Default

Ausjulius:

Thanks for your thoughts on this one. Yes, there is certainly a similarity to the Malay golok perak. I had looked at pictures of various Malay golok, and thought that this particular one was quite close in appearance to my knife, but it lacked the cut out feature adjacent to the hilt, which seems quite a distinctive feature on mine.

Ian.
Ian is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 26th August 2015, 05:21 PM   #4
Sajen
Member
 
Sajen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Germany, Dortmund
Posts: 8,761
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by ausjulius
looks like malay knife golo perak...golok form perak..
Perak mean nothing other than silver. Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia.
Sajen is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 26th August 2015, 05:44 PM   #5
Gustav
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,246
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sajen
Perak mean nothing other than silver. Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia.
Sajen, Perak is a malay sultanate, south of Kedah.
Gustav is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 27th August 2015, 06:36 PM   #6
Sajen
Member
 
Sajen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Germany, Dortmund
Posts: 8,761
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gustav
Sajen, Perak is a malay sultanate, south of Kedah.

Hello Gustav,

yes of course you are correct and I am sure that the sultanate give the name, sometimes I should start my brain before writing!

BTW, my translation was correct, perak mean silver in both languages.

And I get the information in the meanwhile that it is (the golok from Ian) indeed most probably a golok from Malaysia.

Regards,
Detlef
Sajen is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 12:13 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Posts are regarded as being copyrighted by their authors and the act of posting material is deemed to be a granting of an irrevocable nonexclusive license for display here.