Philippine Bolo Mystery

[ariel]

Ian,
My hat is off to you...
Awesome knowledge of such diverse facts. Were you there during the Vietnam War?

[drac2k]

Thanks, Ian, I will get a picture posted soon of the backside; I will also include a closeup of the cordage, which was locally produced and may give you a further clue. The tang does not go all the way through. Am I correct that 7 digit service numbers are pre-WW2?

[drac2k]

Pictures as promised; it looks like the native cordage isn't as native as I remembered it to be.

[Ian]

That's an odd looking scabbard, and appears to be an attempt to reproduce a leather sheath in wood. The scabbard may not have been locally produced and may well post date the knife. The twine looks like twisted hemp cord to me, a common material used to attach working bolos around the waist.

The absence of a full length tang is unusual for a Luzon knife, but not unheard of. It might shift the site of manufacture south of Manila, perhaps the Batangas/Lake Taal area.

If the edge is chisel-ground then I am way off, and the knife is probably Visayan.

Sorry I can't be more specific.

Originally Posted by ariel

Ian, ... Were you there during the Vietnam War?

Ariel, I was (just) old enough to be serving in the Vietnam War but lived in Australia at the time and my birth date was not selected for conscription, so I escaped being compelled to serve in the Australian military and I declined to volunteer.

My visits to the Philippines started in 1977, several years after the Vietnam War ended.

Originally Posted by drack2k

... Am I correct that 7 digit service numbers are pre-WW2?

Sorry drac, I don't know.

[drac2k]

Ian, Thank you for all of your insights; you have been very helpful.