Abolo (Tagalog: iták/gúlok, Ilocano: bunéng, Ibanag: badáng/aliwa, Pangasinan: baráng, Kapampangan: paláng, Bikol: tabák/minasbad, Cebuano: súndang/kampilan, Waray: sansibar, Hiligaynon: sandúko/binangon, Aklan: talibong) is a general term for traditional pre-colonial small- to medium-sized single-edged swords or large knives of the Philippines that function both as tools and weapons.[1][2] Bolos are characterized by a wide curved blade that narrows down to the hilt, and that comes with a pointed or a blunt tip. Bolos are used as tools in the Philippines and are sometimes compared to machetes.[3][better source needed]
Description
Bolos are differentiated from other Filipino swords and bladed implements by their dual use as both tools and weapons. They are characterized by a curved (usually convex) wide blade that narrows towards the hilt, with pointed or blunt tips. There are various types of bolos differing by ethnic group and purpose, ranging from large knives to short swords to specialized agricultural equipment. They had a wide range of use, from hunting to scything grass, opening coconuts, harvesting crops, or clearing dense brush.[2][4][5]
Most bolos are cheap and unornamented, with the handle usually made from plain carabao horn or wood. Bolos with finely carved handles with precious materials were used as status symbols of high social rank.[6]
Common uses
The bolo is common in the countryside due to its use as a farming implement. As such, it was used extensively during Spanish colonial rule as a manual alternative to ploughing with a carabao. Normally used for cutting coconuts,[4] it was also a common tool for harvesting narrow row crops found on terraces such as rice, mungbean, soybean, and peanut.[7]
Use in warfare
During the American period in the Philippines, Filipino fighters armed with bolos were known as "bolomen". They were used as auxiliary troops by the Americans during the various battles with Moros, and others. They were often placed in front of riflemen, as beliefs in anting-anting.[8] The bolo men were effective in close combat with riflemen using bayonets but were easily defeated if riflemen opened fire on them.[9]
A bolo is characterized by having a native hardwood or animal horn handle (such as from the carabao),[14] a full tang, and a steel blade that both curves and widens, often considerably so, towards its tip.[4][13] This moves the centre of gravity as far forward as possible, giving the bolo extra momentum for chopping.[14]
So-called "jungle bolos", intended for combat rather than agricultural work, tend to be longer and less wide at the tip.[4][13] Bolos for gardening usually have rounded tips.[14]
Types
The term "bolo" has also expanded to include other traditional blades that primarily or secondarily function as agricultural implements. They include:
GunaorBolo-guna - A weeding knife with a very short, wide, dull blade and a perpendicular blunt end. It is used mainly for digging roots and weeding gardens.
Iták - a narrow sword used for combat and self-defense in the Tagalog regions. Like the súndang, it is also known as the "jungle bolo" or "tip bolo", and was a popular weapon during the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine Insurrection.
Haras - a scythe used for cutting tall grass. It is called "Lampas" by people from Mindanao.
Pinutî - a narrow sword traditionally carried as a personal weapon for combat or self-defense.
PunyálorGunong - a dagger derivative of the kalis. Used as a side-weapon in combat, or to kill and bleed pigs during slaughter. Also known under the more generic term kutsilyo (Spanish cuchillo, "knife").
Súndang - the most common personal weapon used for combat and self-defense in the Visayas. Also known as the "jungle bolo" or "tip bolo". It was a popular weapon of choice in the Philippine Revolution against the Spanish Empire and during the subsequent Philippine Insurrection.
During World War I, United States Army soldier Henry Johnson gained international fame repelling a German raid in hand-to-hand combat using a bolo.[17]
On 7 December 1972, would-be assassin Carlito Dimahilig used a bolo to attack former First LadyImelda Marcos as she appeared onstage at a live televised awards ceremony. Dimahilig stabbed Marcos in the abdomen several times, and she parried the blows with her arms. He was shot dead by security forces while she was taken to a hospital.[19][20]
In the United States Military, the slang term "to bolo" – to fail a test, exam or evaluation, originated from the combined Philippine-American military forces including recognized guerrillas during the Spanish–American War and the Philippine Insurrection; those local soldiers and guerrillas who failed to demonstrate proficiency in marksmanship were issued bolos instead of firearms so as not to waste scarce ammunition. The lowest level of qualification for the Army Marksmanship Qualification Badge (Marksmanship badges (United States)), ‘marksman’, is unofficially known as a ‘bolo’ badge.[22]
In hand-to-hand combat sports, especially boxing, the term "bolo punch" is used to describe an uppercut thrown in a manner mimicking the arcing motion of a bolo while in use.[23]
^Le Roy, James A. (1905). Philippine Life in Town and Country. G. P. Putnam's Sons. p. 86.
^ abKrieger, Herbert W. (1926). "The Collection of Primitive Weapons and Armor of the Philippine Islands in the United States National Museum". Smithsonian Institution United States National Museum. Bulletin 137: 62–86.
^
George, Marian Minnie (1901). "A little journey to the Philippines". Little Journeys to Hawaii and the Philippine Islands. Illustrated library of travel. Chicago: A. Flanagan Company. p. 54. Retrieved 7 June 2024. The bolo is also used in the northern islands as an implement of agriculture, somewhat as the Cuban uses the machete.
^ abcdeValderrama, Michael R. (22 June 2013). "The bolo". Sun.Star Bacolod. Archived from the original on 12 November 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
^King, Martin; Collins, Michael (2018). Lost Voices: The Untold Stories of America's World War I Veterans and Their Families. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 104. ISBN9781493031658.