Phillipine word ID

[moose]

I've got what I believe to be a Vishayan Bolo with the word CALACIAO deeply stamped on one side.
Anybody know what this means?

Underneath is a symbol that others have talked about. Maybe two opposing P's except the stem is not long enough to be P's.
A stretch would be stylized diminutive Cockatoo's. One facing each way.
It could be part of the Vishayan Alphabet? Any Help?

Thanks,
moose

[Ian]

Moose:

This is most likely a place name.

It may be Calasiao, a well known town in the Province of Pangasinan and located in the Ilocos region of northern Luzon.

I did not find Calaciao or a similar name in the Visayas.

It would be very helpful if you could post a picture of your bolo. Does it have a chisel-ground or "V"-edge?

Ian.

[moose]

"It would be very helpful if you could post a picture of your bolo. Does it have a chisel-ground or "V"-edge?"

Yup,
I figured as much but I wanted to see if I could slide by since I hadn't uploaded any pictures yet. Thanks, Ian for forcing me to give it a try.

So here's my best attempt after several cups of coffee.

This bolo is 24" oa. Blade is 17 3/4" oa measured from the bolster. It's chisle-ground on the side facing in the picture.

The acquisition of this piece is one of those wonderful stories that I'm sure you all have. And it has brought me back to this forum for the last couple of years.

Any and all thoughts about it would be appreciated.

moose

[moose]

Well, that went well even though it wasn't without it's problems. But I've got it now. You might come to regret setting me loose to post pictures Ian.

Ok, now for some questions.
First I considered this a Pinuti even though it's not sharpened on the top edge but I may be way off.
How about the "browned" finish? Ever see that on other Indio/Asian pieces? Reminds me of something you would see on a old muzzleloader rifle.
The piece seems to have only been sharpened once "wrong"
A poor job but not too excessive. They didn't seem to understand it was chisel ground. They only hit both sides lightly.

You can't see the worm holes in the butt end of the hilt but you can see the white spots. They are quite stubborn and seem to permeate the handle. They won't scrape off and come back after an oiling. I have seen them before on other grips. I believe this grip and the others with spots to be Carabo horn.

Has anybody seen the spots on other materials?

Thanks,
moose

[LabanTayo]

For one thing, thats not Visayan. Its from Luzon. Its a common blade profile and hilt, but its a nicely carved hilt. Maybe less than 50 years old.

[Ian]

This one could well be an Ilocano knife, judging from the handle profile. In which case the name is probably an alternative spelling for the town of Calasiao.

Ian.