Mystery Dagger???

[Ian]

Originally Posted by kahnjar1

I have absolutely no idea about this , but from the pics it LOOKS as if the guy is wearing a peaked cap, but without a side view it is hard to tell.......
Stu

Stu:

That is a very astute observation and I think you are correct. This rang a bell for me. I now think that the hilt is indeed northern Luzon in origin -- not Ifugao, but rather Ilocano. There is a style of Ilocano knife featuring a Filipino with a peaked cap, presumably military. Such pommels can be found in brass, horn, or wood--the horn ones often have small white inserts for the eyes. There should be pictures on this site. I have several examples but they are all packed as a result of a recent move across country.

Some Ilocano knives are double edged daggers, but I agree that this one looks as though it could have started life as a spear. The wrapped hilt does look recent to me also.

Jose, do you have a picture of one of these Ilocano hilts that you could post?

Ian.

P.S. In a previous post, these caps were thought to be nautical in origin. http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=418

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Please Note~ ... the kinnallogong or hat dance (Ilocano)