Old Ivory-hilted Billao for Comment

laEspadaAncha · 24th May 2010, 11:17 PM

I first found this a couple weeks ago, but couldn't agree on a price with the vendor at the time. So, this last weekend, I brought several (mostly military-pattern) cast-off knives along with me and worked out an equitable trade that allowed me to bring this home.

Sadly, the vendor "threw away" the belt because it was in poor condition. Nonetheless, I finally was able to replace the more contemporary billao I've had for some time.

It measures approx. 17 3/4 inches from tip to pommel. The ivory is complete and has a nice mellow yellow patina (though it appears washed out in the photos below). The scabbard is complete and undamaged, though it seems to be very delicate... There are no markings to be found anywhere on the scabbard or the blade.

One particular aspect of its manufacture I found interesting - sandwiched between the horn spacers are what appear to be three spacers made of metal. But when viewed under a loupe, the two metal spacers on either side of the copper spacer are actually eleven spacers... five above the copper ring, six below it.

Warning: OP Off-Topic Alert

This alone would have made the weekend for me.

But yesterday afternoon, I hit up a local estate auction that featured a bunch of tribal artifacts collected from the 1950s through the 1970s by an academic who traveled extensively through Indonesia, Oceania, and Africa.

The auctioneer had lumped together a box o' knives in a single lot, and there are two - one I believe to be African, and one that looks possibly Filipino or Indonesian - that I am having a hard time identifying. I plan to take some pictures of them sometime over the week and see if you guys can help me place an attribution.

The best pick-up, however, was not a knife, but rather a Sepik River guardian statue that was originally collected in the '50s... It's freakin' huge (nearly 7 feet tall), and while in need of some restoration, is still an impressive piece IMO. I've attached a photo below. The tiles are 12 inches.

Jambu · 25th May 2010, 03:52 AM

Nice example there. Here is a photo of Somali 'Dubats', a sort of Italian Colonial Era Somali Militia equipped with similar Billao... I saved this photo on my hard drive long ago and can't remember exactly where I sourced it. Wikipedia has an interesting article on Dubats.

Perhaps some Forumites know more about Dubats and this style of Billao. Was it a standard issue military item or did it denote some special rank?

laEspadaAncha · 25th May 2010, 07:35 AM

Thanks Jambu... Interesting photo, BTW. I have never thought of the (type of) knife as a military arm.

24th May 2010, 11:17 PM	#1
laEspadaAncha Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 608	Old Ivory-hilted Billao for Comment I first found this a couple weeks ago, but couldn't agree on a price with the vendor at the time. So, this last weekend, I brought several (mostly military-pattern) cast-off knives along with me and worked out an equitable trade that allowed me to bring this home. Sadly, the vendor "threw away" the belt because it was in poor condition. Nonetheless, I finally was able to replace the more contemporary billao I've had for some time. It measures approx. 17 3/4 inches from tip to pommel. The ivory is complete and has a nice mellow yellow patina (though it appears washed out in the photos below). The scabbard is complete and undamaged, though it seems to be very delicate... There are no markings to be found anywhere on the scabbard or the blade. One particular aspect of its manufacture I found interesting - sandwiched between the horn spacers are what appear to be three spacers made of metal. But when viewed under a loupe, the two metal spacers on either side of the copper spacer are actually eleven spacers... five above the copper ring, six below it. Warning: OP Off-Topic Alert This alone would have made the weekend for me. But yesterday afternoon, I hit up a local estate auction that featured a bunch of tribal artifacts collected from the 1950s through the 1970s by an academic who traveled extensively through Indonesia, Oceania, and Africa. The auctioneer had lumped together a box o' knives in a single lot, and there are two - one I believe to be African, and one that looks possibly Filipino or Indonesian - that I am having a hard time identifying. I plan to take some pictures of them sometime over the week and see if you guys can help me place an attribution. The best pick-up, however, was not a knife, but rather a Sepik River guardian statue that was originally collected in the '50s... It's freakin' huge (nearly 7 feet tall), and while in need of some restoration, is still an impressive piece IMO. I've attached a photo below. The tiles are 12 inches. Last edited by laEspadaAncha; 24th May 2010 at 11:40 PM.

25th May 2010, 03:52 AM	#2
Jambu Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: USA Posts: 17	Billao and Dubats Nice example there. Here is a photo of Somali 'Dubats', a sort of Italian Colonial Era Somali Militia equipped with similar Billao... I saved this photo on my hard drive long ago and can't remember exactly where I sourced it. Wikipedia has an interesting article on Dubats. Perhaps some Forumites know more about Dubats and this style of Billao. Was it a standard issue military item or did it denote some special rank? Attached Images

25th May 2010, 07:35 AM	#3
laEspadaAncha Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 608	Thanks Jambu... Interesting photo, BTW. I have never thought of the (type of) knife as a military arm.