Those "Negrito bolos" are actually Ilocano knives

[Ian]

To further illustrate how common these items are, here are some of the sellers' pics for items described as "Negrito bolos" that were sold on the most popular online auction site since October, 2016.

All three blade forms are represented. There is one interesting presentation knife from the Commander of Clark AFB to Maj. Gen. Coverdale that reads:

MAJOR GENERAL ROBERT F. COVERDALE............COL JIMMY L. MAIURO
.................................................. ...........................COMMANDER
......................MOMENTO (sic) OF VISIT.................374TH TAW (MAC)
.................................................. .............................CLARK AB
.................................................. ...........................PHILIPPINES

These "Negrito bolos" were probably readily accessible to personnel on Clark AFB. A map showing the location of Clark AFB in Central Luzon is shown here, and it is apparent that it is close to substantial populations of Ilocano in the neighboring provinces of Pangasinan, Zambales and Pampanga.

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[Battara]

Thank you Ian for this essay and info.

I have always wondered where these came from. There seems to her a plethora of them.

[carlos]

Great post !!! Thank you very much, the information is very apreciated .
Thanks again
Carlos

[Sajen]

Hello Ian,
interesting thread. This "Negrito Bolos" seems to be made only for selling to US servicemen and tourists like you said before so the inscription is done maybe to make them more interesting. Just a guess!

Regards,
Detlef

[blue lander]

I have a knife very similar to a few of these. The blade just says "Philipines"

[Ian]

Originally Posted by Sajen

Hello Ian,
interesting thread. This "Negrito Bolos" seems to be made only for selling to US servicemen and tourists like you said before so the inscription is done maybe to make them more interesting. Just a guess!

Regards,
Detlef

Hi Detlef:

Yes, I think the "Negrito bolo" designation is for marketing purposes, targeting a particular audience, but why would the Negritos be considered a positive marketing "brand?" That's the interesting question here.

Ian.

[Ian]

To suggest an answer to the question I posed—What is so special about the Negritos when marketing to US servicemen?—the attached obituary that appeared in the Chicago Tribune on March 8, 1970 offers clues.

This article talks about the death of a Negrito chief who was a WWII war hero, helping the US in its fight against the Japanese occupying forces. It also speaks of special treatment for the Negritos, ordered by General Douglas Macarthur, in recognition of their guerilla services to the US during WWII. I have not been able to find a copy of Macarthur's directive on this subject, but it seems to have been a substantial recognition of the Negritos because there was unhappiness among other Filipino groups about it.

My conclusion is that the designation "Negrito bolo" on these Ilocano knives was meant to capitalize on the esteem in which the Negritos were held during WWII, and the friendship that existed between the US troops on Clark AFB and the local Pinatubo Negrito population, many of whom lived within the boundaries of the base. This would explain why these "Negrito bolos" first appeared right after WWII.

It may also explain why Robert Fox chose the Pinatubo Negritos for his anthropological studies in 1946-1947.

Ian

[F. de Luzon]

Very informative!