OT-Tourist parang? pics for Federico

ferguson

ferguson

Joined
Feb 21, 2001
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Fed asked for pics of this blade and I thought it would be more appropriate to start a new thread. Bought this off Ebay, where the seller implied that his father carried it in WWII. Of course on receipt, it turned out to be a recent tourist piece. But it's a knife, and I never met a knife I didn't like. The blade is 3/16" x 1 1/8" wide, and 16" long. Overall length is about 23".

Steve
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It was rough forged and filed. Not too sharp. So I had to put a convex edge on it and shine it up a little. The makers mark was struck poorly, but here's a picture.

Steve
 
Steve,

I've got one like this, slightly bigger and with a bit better detailing on the dragon hilt. I believe they are made in Bali or thereabouts. Mine is struck with the maker's mark "KLM."
 
http://home.earthlink.net/~federicomalibago/

http://www.ashokaarts.com/edgedweapons/edgedweapons.htm

http://www.ruble-enterprises.com/cgi-local/engine.pl?query=11&criteria=category

http://www.eriksedge.com/

there are several sites like this selling blades like the one you posted. some are real others are new reproductions though some of the new ones can be well made weapons

I have seen a site that sells several weapons that look like yours i don't know the price you paid but they go from about $60 to $200
 
Valiant Knives has a crazy assortment of Asian/Oceanic blades at pretty good prices. Haven't ordered from 'em, but the customer testemonials seem pretty positive. Shipping from Oz might be pricey, though, I dunno.
 
Hibuke sent me a picture of a REAL knife of this type. Its from Valiantco.com Looks great.

Steve
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Well finally home, and able to check my lovely book "traditional weapons of the Indonesian Archipelago" by Albert Vab Zonneveld, and maybe its my lack of experience with non-Philippine weapons (when it comes to non-philippine weaponry Im an impulse buyer, and have my share of tourist khoumiyas, a crappy Indian tulwar, a fake singa-barong keris, etc...) but I cannot decide if this is a golok (generic name for a variety of Indonesian machetes) or pedang (again generic name). And of course, both styles encompass a wide variety of variations, hmmm... Mayhaps someone with more experience with Indonesian pieces can comment. Though suffice it to say, it is not Filipino. :confused:

Anyways, Ive always have felt anger when people try to market their newly made stuff as antique pieces. Theres nothing wrong with new stuff, but its when they trick people into believing its old, and when people start spreading those rumors unwittingly, I get mad.:mad:
 
Hey there Fed,

As the title of my post suggests, what makes a long machete-like knife Filipino?

Originally posted by Federico
Well finally home, and able to check my lovely book "traditional weapons of the Indonesian Archipelago" by Albert Vab Zonneveld, and maybe its my lack of experience with non-Philippine weapons (when it comes to non-philippine weaponry Im an impulse buyer, and have my share of tourist khoumiyas, a crappy Indian tulwar, a fake singa-barong keris, etc...) but I cannot decide if this is a golok (generic name for a variety of Indonesian machetes) or pedang (again generic name). And of course, both styles encompass a wide variety of variations, hmmm... Mayhaps someone with more experience with Indonesian pieces can comment. Though suffice it to say, it is not Filipino. :confused:

Click to expand...

And to confirm it, yes, it is a Golok. Not entirely historically correct, but that's what Wandi and Valiant Co. called it! It's actually a one-of-a-kind variant of their Survival Golok L found in the Java section of the Valiant Co website;

Valiant Co Website Java Section

It's a real sweetie to handle. The finger grooved buffalo horn grip isn't perfect, but it does come close!


Originally posted by Federico
Anyways, Ive always have felt anger when people try to market their newly made stuff as antique pieces. Theres nothing wrong with new stuff, but its when they trick people into believing its old, and when people start spreading those rumors unwittingly, I get mad.:mad: [/B]
Click to expand...

Being one of the few that cares 'bout blades in general, I fully agree w/ you there!
 
Hibuke Ive never really thought about it before. There is such a wide variety in style, from region to region, group to group. Ive even been surprised by a few, not as often as before, but there are always oddities out there. Krieger's plates on the EEWRS gives a good outline of classical styles, but then that doesnt really cover the modern stuff (classical being the traditional forms from the time period from whence the smithsonian collection was formed dating from pieces in the 1840s, up to about the 1930s when the krieger bulletin was made), with all the hybrids, Negrito/Philippine/victory stamps (almost like seeing the lionhead khuks, though 9 out of 10 times still a very good knife), the various Visayan and Lumad pieces that are being pumped out, etc... And then there are the pieces in which I would argue with the Indonesian guys are really Filipino pieces. Ill have to think this out some, and if I can get a decent answer, beyond "cant you tell by looking at it?" Ill post.

As for golok/pedang/parang, those terms are as vague as saying bolo/machete/knife, and are often used interchangeably depending on the taste of the person naming the piece. A whole variety of things have been called golok/pedang/parang, and it tends to be what anything that is not identifiable gets lumped into. The Valiantco catalog aint 100% accuarate in all its descriptions, and also it is only a sampling of their interpretations of what pieces should be. I have the feeling, that a real Indo/Malay specialist could probably id, region and time period (well obviously new), but at least have a little more to say than just calling it a golok. I really felt bad at coming up with nothing more than just golok/pedang, almost like being asked to identify a knife, and then after much thought just having all to say is well sir you got yourself a knife. Or being shown a machete thats really a khuk, and not knowing the style (like diu chirra, or siraputi, etc...). Anyhoo, searching the Van Zonneveld book, is one of my few attempts at identifying non-Philippine weaponry, and it was a real reminder of how lost I am when outside of the islands. Though outside of the knowing what knives really are, tends to lead me to the freedom of the if its cheap and looks pretty lets buy it mentality, though on ebay it would seem alot of people have similar tastes as to what looks pretty.:D ;) :p
 
Next to the HI Kuks, the Valiant Goloks just make your heart sing when you hold them.

Mr Suwandi at Valiant(Australia) is a first class gentleman and straight shooter like Uncle Bill.
 
I too must say that Wandi is a great man to do business with. I have a few different items from them, and they're all top notch. And talk about someone who knows how to do a convex blade! :)
 
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