Those "Negrito bolos" are actually Ilocano knives

[Ian]

Part 2: Not Negrito but Ilocano

Simply put, "Negrito bolos" bear no resemblance to typical Negrito knives. The Negritos are hill tribe groups who have the capacity to work iron into bolos, but they are metal poor communities with little access to the auto leaf springs from which the "Negrito bolos" are made. Historically, the Negritos had to scrounge for iron to make their knives and arrow heads, and they seldom ventured into the market places frequented by tourists. The Negritos often bought bolo blades from other ethnic groups to meet their needs. Furthermore, they produced almost nothing made of brass or bronze. Many of these points are covered in the article by Fox who conducted his research in 1946-1947 and published it in 1952. The "Negrito bolos" were emerging around the time of his research.

So where do these bolos come from?

Based on the style of knives produced and the materials used, especially the use of brass for the guards and ferrules, we can say with some confidence that these are most likely Ilocano in origin. The Ilocano are the third largest ethnic group in the Philippines (after the Cebuano/Visayan and Tagalog groups) and are a sophisticated culture well versed in metalworking in iron and brass. Ilocanos are found widely throughout much of the Philippines, but they are particularly concentrated in the lowland areas of northern Luzon, extending down to Pangasinan, Zambales and Pampanga Provinces. Their range overlaps that of the Negritos whose preferred habitat are the hills.

Attached below are several examples of Ilocano knives that reflect many of the same features seen in the "Negrito bolos."

All of this raises the question of why would the Ilocano knife makers put "Negrito bolo" on their knives for sale to US servicemen and tourists? I have my own thoughts on this but I'm interested to hear from others also.

Ian.


-----------------Attachments: Examples of Ilocano knives that reflect features seen in "Negrito bolos"------------------

Figure 1. Ilocano knife from Calaciao, Pangasinan Province. Note the brass ferrule and "pinky notch" with tri-lobed pommel. Tang is placed off center. This knife was discussed here previously.

Figure 2. Ilocano dahong palay. The brass guard and integrated ferrule are well seen, as well as the off center placement of the tang.

Figure 3. Pair of small Ilocano knives. Again, the typical brass guard and integrated ferrule are evident. Tang is placed centrally for these double-edged knives.
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[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.

---------------Attachments----------------

[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