Evening star., 1900-10-27
A NATIONAL WEAPON
The Bolo Plays Prominent Part in
Filipino Life.
IN WAR And RELIGIOUS EXERCISES
Made in Many Styles and is Often
Very Handsome.
EVERY PERSON HAS ONE

Written for The Evening Star by Archibald W. Butt.
While much is heard of the bolo men in
the Philippine Islands, little is known Of
the bolo itself, and the important part it
plays in the Filipino civilization. Every
Filipino and Moro has his bolo. He does
BOT necessarily carry it as a war weapon.
il enters into his home life and marks his
social and professional rank by its shape
and ornamentation. A Filipino who has i'm
proved his opportunities and risen from the
laboring class to the rank of officer in
the Filipino army preserves carefully the
bolos which have followed him in his up
ward career. At home the boo is kept in
place sacred to itself, usually over the door
of the main room. Sometimes one will see in
wealthy Filipino or Moro home as many as
four five of these blades ranging from
the sundang to the ornate kris pronounced
cIeese). These will indicate that the owner
has risen in life from the laboring class to
the land owning class that he has held
office, possibly reaching the height of
general in the native army.
Mindanao is the home of the bolo Nearly
every bOlO OF any value at all comes from
this Island, which is next in size to luzOn.
So far as the social and professional sig
nlncdnce OF the arm is concerned the claS
sification of the Moros of Mindanao is
taciuy accepted all over the Philippines as
official. The officers and of import
have adopted this classification along with
the weapon itself.
All these instruments are made by hand
There several bolo factories in Minda-
mao, mostly located in interior and noun
tain towns. There are also some factories
OF Importance IN Samar and Leyte, two
other large islands Criminals are usually
made to work in the bolo factories though
there are special experts paid by the towns
to superintend the labor. A factory or
fabrica de bolo' consists generally of
large nipa shed with huge pieces of iron
and steel lying about to be beaten into
shape. Some of this work is so ornate and
beautiful that one might easily imagine
that it is the product of skilled mechanics
a criminal can secure his liberty very often
by turning out some special piece of work
Many Of the men become expert in wood
and ivory carving, the handles OF the
bolos plainly indicate.
As a Weapon of War.
Commonest of the forms of the national
weapon is the bolo proper, which gives the
generic name to all this class of weapons
Simple in design, and without ornamental
ton, 1t Is primarily a weapon of war Of
ficially the carrying of the bolo proper in
dicates rank or position. Its handle Is cut
1rom carabao horn and its blade is ham
mered out of piece of steel. The bolo of
the Filipino does not enter into the relie-
lous lie OF the owner as does that of the
Moro and the native of the southern is
lands of the group. In some islands it is
the center of strange and secret rites Men
and women perform intricate and pictur-
esque bolo dances, the signltication of
which they cannot be prevailed upon to re-
veal. Often a native will dance with the
polo until he or she falls from exhaustion
During the mystic dance always performed
prior to marriage the bolo PLAYS "A most
important part, all members of the family
or clan finally prostrating themselves he
lore 1t and swearing allegiance to 1t, should
the marriage contract ever be violated
IN the north of the archipelago form
OF bolo is used an agricultural tnstru-
ment Tor the gathering and harvesting of
crops Of late years these implements have
become weapons of war and as agencies Of
deatn are lar more effective than the Cuban
ihdchete- 1hls particular weapon is known
as the Sundang, which, when carried places
the owner IN the laboring class 1t is now
the regular weapon of the private soldier in
the Flnplno army In Luzon and the north
ern ISLANDS, 1t is hammered out of an old
piece OF IRON or steel, while the handle is
usually of wood or horn The scabbard is
cut roughly out of two pieces of wood tied
together by strips Of bamboo The wean-
on is curiously shaped and cunninely hal
anced so as to throw the weight toward
the striking end. Even a light blow is fer
rbly effective The average Filipino is as
dexterous in handling the sundang as
fencing master is with the rapier.
The Deadly CampiInn
The campilan is the regular arm of the
Moro private soldier. 1t Is about four feet
long and very sharp. Its scabbard consists
Of two pieces of wood loosely tied together