The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1902-03-11
THE FILIPINO'S CUNNING
PATIENT SKILL AND REAL ART IN
NATIVE KNIVES.


Filipino ingenuity and character are
revealed at the National Museum ut
Washington in new collection of
hunting and fishing implements head
gear. mrsicGl Instruments and weap-
Ons OF warfare.
The natives of the Philippine group
have developed 10 Il very high degree
the use of rattan, bamboo. vegetable
fibre and palm leaves in the manufac-
ture OF dozens of miscellaneous arti-
cles. Rattan ia pleated and woven
into hats. arrow quivers, scabbards for
swords and knives, and umbrellas.
Bamboo IL fashioned into telescope
fishing rods. water and wine bottles.
covers for the swords of eXecutioners
and blowPpes. Palm leaves are shaped
into score oc designs-!ntO dippers,
waterproof hats. torches and other ar
ticles. The native has apparently
found IN the vegetable growths OF his
dwelling place material TO supply al
his demands except the need FOR iron.
Possibly the most prominent feature
of the collection Ia . group OF half a
dozen "talabongs." or hcadsman's
feet long or more, curved like Gcimi-
tar reversed. In order the better 20
strike the unfortunate victims neck
this curve IS irregu0r-wide at the two
ends and acute in the middle. 1t is
impossible OF course, 20 slide such an
eccentric curve into = sCabbacd, but
the Philippine headSmen have over
come that difficulty easily. Two pieces
of bamboo, shaped Ike the scimitar
and fiat on the side nearest The blade,
have been joined together along one
edge with fiber which IS Il little elias
tic Separating these two slabs Of
wood the swordsman can slip his blade
into IL from one side and from the end.
The fiber at the outside joint holds The
bamboo closely TO the knife, open only
at one end.
Among the army officers this need
for knife fitted to Il mans neck has
not been allowed to interfere with a
sense of design. Their swords, or
"campalongs," are regular, graceful
arc of circle. One such sword, APP
parently made from n thick saw
brought to the islands by n trading
ship, is chased and inlaid with silver
and has a mahogany handle. The
workman who engraved the blade evil
IDENTITY worked long to- carve the handle
into shape singularly like that of tie
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
Another knife is little and 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, to
complete the attack with stab in the
back. Many of the knives are decor
ated with horn or silver handles, and
one terminates in an ivory tusk. Near
ly all of these short knives are curved
into the form of kris, and look like
highly ornamented bread knives.
An umbrella in the collection is
work of art, but it is suspected of Chi
nese 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 ana woven
about the umbrella ribs. The whole
was then given a tone of deep red and
the outside vanished to make it imper-
vious to water. Everything used in the
construction of tie umbrella is Vegeta-
BILE. even the fasteniugs at the ends Of
the ribs and the little rivets used in
the frame.
The Filipino blowpipe will disappont
those whose ideas of such weapons
have been obtained from the geogra-
plies of fifteen years ago or more. 1t
is not ten feet LONG or two inches in
diameter. on the contrary. it is a
most inofeusive instrument. about
threc-quarters of Sr inch thick ana
only a yard LONG. ], is merely an en-
larged putty blower. of the sort pos
sessed by the American boy. The ma
terial use i'm it's manufacture is sec
ton of bamboo. wi,h the openings
carefully rounded For darts the ma.
tive shapes little arrows of split hum-
boo. and winds about the barb end a
little ball of cotton TO hll the tube and
offer the greatest possible resistance
to the air.
Nothing could more fully meet the
old atlas idea of South Sea Islanders
than the bamboo wine bottle which
rests alongside the blowpipe. II IS
about foot long four or five inches
i'm diameter and would hold possibly
half gallon Holes have been bored
in thc fibre at Cine end. and q strip of
rattan fastened into them for d sling
strap The last item of its equipment
is "a round wooden cork. which is fast
cncd to the bottle" 10y rattan
The musical Instruments 0ro
equipped with vegetable strings one
of them is much like Tine guitar of thc
Tvrol but moro slender and weighted
down with long highly carved keys
/ Tho other is somewhat Ike ann Indian
pIpc.a queer bowl mt one end of q
LONG. hollow tube. with strings from
/ the top of the bowl Co the further end
| off Tine tube. The musician I'm the Phil
0pp.ues evidently gives his extra time
/ to carving his instrument as both gui
/ tar and fiddle are covered with ltuc
/ decorations cut with knife
/ Thc last feature of the collection is