Philippine-American War Dagger?

Ian · 1st April 2018, 11:57 PM

Hi Fernando:

A nice pair of early 20th C knives. I agree with Jose that these are almost certainly Ilokano in origin. The symmetrical stiletto blade is a recognized Ilokano style, and the brass guard, brass ferrules and "finial" at the end of the hilt look fairly typical Ilokano work. The spirally grooved horn grip is also a well known Ilokano feature (although also found on knives from elsewhere in Luzon) and at one time would have had twisted wire (most likely brass or steel wire) in the grooves.

With regard to the inscriptions, the use of a "Y" instead of an "I" was not uncommon in the late 19th and early 20th C. Older maps show that Ilocos Norte was sometimes referred to as Ylokos Norte and I have seen "Ilokanos" written as "Ylokanos" also. I don't know how widespread this transliteration was in Luzon, but mention my observations only to indicate that it was a practice among Ilokanos at the time this knife was made.

The date of 21 October 1900 or 1901 is a bit puzzling. Perhaps you have access to better resources in Manila, but my rudimentary attempt to search online for some event in US-Philippine relations on those days came up with little. Perhaps the closest relevant events were the so-called Balangigo Massacre of September 28, 1901 and subsequent reprisals ordered by Brig. Gen. Smith on October 23, 1901. Smith's orders to exterminate the population of Samar were disobeyed by some of his officers and troops, but nevertheless a large number of Filipinos were executed in response to the earlier deaths of US soldiers. Smith and several officers were later court-martialed. The US response was one of several low points in the "pacification" of the Philippines during the early 20th C, and in some quarters it remains a lingering source of Filipino resentment towards the US.

I could find nothing of specific Ilokano significance associated with the possible dates. Overall, I think the inscriptions may reflect an author for whom English was unfamiliar, and who was perhaps not very well educated--the year on the inscription is shown as "19001."

Interesting pieces and I hope you can find out more about them.

Ian.

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1st April 2018, 11:57 PM	#4
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,363	Hi Fernando: A nice pair of early 20th C knives. I agree with Jose that these are almost certainly Ilokano in origin. The symmetrical stiletto blade is a recognized Ilokano style, and the brass guard, brass ferrules and "finial" at the end of the hilt look fairly typical Ilokano work. The spirally grooved horn grip is also a well known Ilokano feature (although also found on knives from elsewhere in Luzon) and at one time would have had twisted wire (most likely brass or steel wire) in the grooves. With regard to the inscriptions, the use of a "Y" instead of an "I" was not uncommon in the late 19th and early 20th C. Older maps show that Ilocos Norte was sometimes referred to as Ylokos Norte and I have seen "Ilokanos" written as "Ylokanos" also. I don't know how widespread this transliteration was in Luzon, but mention my observations only to indicate that it was a practice among Ilokanos at the time this knife was made. The date of 21 October 1900 or 1901 is a bit puzzling. Perhaps you have access to better resources in Manila, but my rudimentary attempt to search online for some event in US-Philippine relations on those days came up with little. Perhaps the closest relevant events were the so-called Balangigo Massacre of September 28, 1901 and subsequent reprisals ordered by Brig. Gen. Smith on October 23, 1901. Smith's orders to exterminate the population of Samar were disobeyed by some of his officers and troops, but nevertheless a large number of Filipinos were executed in response to the earlier deaths of US soldiers. Smith and several officers were later court-martialed. The US response was one of several low points in the "pacification" of the Philippines during the early 20th C, and in some quarters it remains a lingering source of Filipino resentment towards the US. I could find nothing of specific Ilokano significance associated with the possible dates. Overall, I think the inscriptions may reflect an author for whom English was unfamiliar, and who was perhaps not very well educated--the year on the inscription is shown as "19001." Interesting pieces and I hope you can find out more about them. Ian.