Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-06-30
THE FILIPINO'S CUNNING
PATIENT SKILL AND REAL ART IN
NATIVE KNIVES.
Character Revealed by the National Mu-
seum's Collection of Curiosities - The
Headsman's Blade - To Fit the "Taia-
bong's'' Curve a Scabbard is Designed

bong's, Curve n Scabbard is Designed
Filipino ingenuity and character ard
revealed at the National Museum a
Washington in a new collection o.
hunting and fishing implements, head
gear, musical Instruments and weap
ons of warfare.
The natives of the Philippine grouI
have developed to a very high degret
the use of rattan, bamboo, vegetable
kfbre and palm leaves in the manufac
ture of dozens Of miscellaneous art
cles. Rattan is pleated and wove1
into hats, arrow quivers, scabbards fol
swords and knives, and umbrellas
Eamboo is fashioned into telescope
fishing rods, water and wine bottles
covers for the swords of eXecutioneri
)nd blowpipes. Palm leaves are shapet
into q score of designs-into dippers
!, proof hats, torches and other ar
ticles. The native has apparent!
tound in the vegetable growths of hi
1welling place material to supply al
his demands except the need for iron.
Possibly the most prominent feature
I Of the collection is a group of half a
dozen "talabongs,' or headsman'fl
Yxes. They are huge knives, three
feet long or more, curved like scimi
tar reversed. In order the better tol
Itrike the unfortunate victims neck
this curve is rregular-wide at the two
ends and acute in the middle. 1t is
tnpossible, of course to slide such an
eccentric curve into a scabbard, but
S1e Philippine headsmen have over
come that difficulty easily. Two pieces
If bamboo, shaped like the scimitar
and fat on the side nearest the blade
have been joined together along one
edge with fiber which is little elias
tic. Separating these two slabs Of
wood the swordsman can slip his BLADE
into it from one side and from the end
The fiber at the outside joint holds ihe
bamboo closely to the knife, open on.
at one end.
Among the army officers this nee'
for q knife fitted to mans neck has
not been allowed to interfere with q
sense of design. Their swords, OIL
"campalongs," are a regular, GRACEFUL
arc of circle. One such sword, ap
parently made from a thick saw
brought to the islands by a trading
ship, is chased and inlaid with silver
and has mahogany handle. The
workman who engraved the blade evii
IDENTIFY worked long to carve the handle
into a shape singularly like that of the
swords used among the Saracen tribes
At the curve in the hllt Spanish coins
have been sunk until flush with the
surface. The handle is decorated with
q fringe of hair dyed red or maroon.
Another knife is little ard curved
back toward the wrist when held IN
the closed fist. This is intended for {
swift blow at the stomach, and then
when the enemy has doubled over, tt
complete the attack with stab in the
back. Many Of the knives are decor
ated with horn or silver handles, anu
one terminates in an ivory tusk. Near
ly all of these short knives are curved
into the form Of a kris, and look like
highly ornamented bread knives.
r. An umbrella in the collection Is
work of art, but it is suspected of CHI
X pese origin. Palm leaves have been
cut and trimmed until they fitted to-
gether for an outer covering, as smooth
\ and firm as heavy paper. This was
then applied to frame of split bam-
& boo in the fashion Of the ordinary Chi
nese or Japanese parasol. Inside the
frame has been decorated with rattan
split into slender strands and woven
about the umbrella ribs. The whole
. was then given a tone of deep red and
the outside vanished to make 1t imper-
vious to water. Everything used in the
. construction of the umbrella Is vegeta-
i Bile, even the fastenings at the ends OF
the ribs and the little rivets used in
the frame.
K, The Filipino blowpipe will disappoint
Those whose ideas of such weapons
Tlhave been obtained from the geoSra'
4phies of fifteen years ago or more. III
Is not ten feet long or two Inches II
"A diameter. On the contrary, 1t as
y most inoffenslve instrument, about
& 3three-quarter of an inch thick and
h only q yard long. 1t is merely an en-
ilarged putty blower, Of the sort pos
Nsessed by the American boy. The ma
I, ferial use in it's manufacture is sec
\ tion of bamboo, with the openings
carefully rounded. For darts the ma
hive shapes little arrows OF split BAN
boo, and winds about the barb cad a
little ball of cotton to fill the tube and
offer the greatest possible resistance
u the air.
Nothing could more fully meet the
! dld atlas idea of South Sea Islanders
P}haR the bamboo wine bottle which
tests alongside the blowpipe. Ii IS
hbout a foot long, four or five inches
In diameter and would hold possibly
half gallon. Holes have been bored
In the fibre at the end. and strip OF
rattan 4 fstened into them for siing-
strap. The last item of its equipment
US round wooden cork, which is fast
ened TO the bottle by rattan.
The musical instruments are
equipped With vegetable strings. One
of them Is much like the guitar OF the