Lew Waldman's Ethnographic Arms & Armour Collection Archive


1019 - 'Talibon' Sword / Machete from the Philippines with Wood Scabbard

The talibon is a type of knife or sword associated with Christianized peoples of the northern Philippines and may vary greatly in length and features. This example is relatively plain and in a condition suggesting the second half of the 20th century. The hilt is of carved wood with a down turned pommel and is bound with rattan beside the origin of the blade. The single-edged blade narrows from a simply decorated ricasso and is finished in matte black / dark gray except along the keenly honed edge and around the tip on the side having a bevel tapering to the edge. The opposite blade face is flat. The 20¾ inch (52.5 cm) blade is 0.32 inches (0.8 cm) thick at its origin and tapers slowly until near the tip. The wood scabbard has a channel for a cord on a face also with simple decoration; the other face is plain. A woven rattan band is also seen adjacent to the mouth of the scabbard. Overall sheathed length is 25¾ inches (66 cm) with a weight of just over 22 ounces (647 grams).




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