Monday, March 15, 2010
The History and Culture Behind Filipino Weapons to the present time...
Now this is based on knowledge i have acquired during my various Philippine trips over the years.It is also based on my observations. At this point in my life, I have been there enough times to come to these conclusions.A lot of the blades that I have on the TFW web site are very rare. We found some of them from some old men on whatever island in the Philippines, others were in my friends family tribe handed down through generations. Others were located in museums in the Philippines. I found some here in the Museum ofNatural History as well.The ones that I noticed that are common carry in the Philippines today are the Pinute and the Ginunting. Those are common in the Visayan area. Though the Pinute http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/Pinute.html is popular ALL over the Philippines it seems like. The Itak Tagalog http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/Itak%20Tagalog.html is more popular in some parts of the north...which is really a Pinute with a subtle design change.I actually saw a few people in the south with Kris swords. That freaked me out to see people carrying these weapons in this day and age. It was not common to see...plus think about it, the Kris does not double as a tool. Made me wonder how much blood was on those Kris swords I saw being carried.In the North, it was common to see the Golok http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/Golok.html. The word Golok is common in Indonesia. But that makes sense since Bagiuo region are a result of the early Indonesian travelers who caught a wind that brought them to the north. I was told they were going to the Southern Philippines and caught a wind that brought them further north. My friend looks very Indonesianactually and so do many of the people of that area.I have seen a few Karambits but I think it is more the style in modern day that catches their eye. Again, that is an Indonesian influence. There is another type of Karambit called a lihok. Its ugly, it does not have that ring at the end of it...it has just a common handle...but it is deadly. Definitely not just a tool. I will be having that one soon as part of the TFW collection. I am not sure of the history of it right now but its common in the northern region. My guess is that it is also an Indonesian influence due to the looks of it but I can be wrong.The War Golok http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/WarGolok.html is actually another northern design...a design that is a result of the Spanish breaking the tips of the Sword of the Filipinos. The Filipinos were very good at thrust and slash action with their swords. The Spanish were intimidated by the slash and thrust fighting tactic. Especially during a lot of the rebellion that was going on at the time so Spanish soldiers wereordered to take all the swords of the Filipinos and break off the tips of their swords. If anyone was seen with a tip on their swords (mostly within the Manila/Luzon region), they were killed. Every one had to follow that law or suffer the consequences. All their blades had to be forged with a flat top, though a newer fighting method of making it a little heavier and gaining a new hacking style of fighting still made it a formidable weapon. I have a War Golok that is very old...it has killed 5 different people. The 5 people were burned and the ashes were put on the sheath to keep the spirits of the warrior power in that blade. It is a pricelessgift to me. You can literally smell the death on this sheath and blade. If any of you ever make it to my school, I will show it to you. I was told not to let anyone touch it so you will not be able to touch it. It disrupts the spiritual balance of the blade. And I may have to use it some day so I need the spirits in my favor. ***wink**.The Espada Y Daga http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/EspadayDaga.html is not a common blade to see carried today but it is VERY popular. I think it is kept alive through Kali, Arnis and Eskrima practitioners and instructors.. It is popular in San Miguel, Illustisimo and Pekiti Tirsia...I am sure many other FMA styles aswell.The Garab sword http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/GarabSword.htm is another one you see that is still carried today. The Garab knife http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/GarabKnife.html is a very popular design there. It is a good tool for coconuts and cutting of about everything that is done there in the Philippines. And it is definitely a formidable weapon. I like that knife. I have seen that all over the Visayan area and all over the south. I have seen many people on the side of the road using it as a tool in the job they were doing.The Iron Wood sticks http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/GiroIronwoodSticks.html are still carried as a self defense weapon. In the more civilized areas, you can still get prison time for slicing up a person like anywhere else now a days (not that it does not happen there), so Iron wood seems to make a good self defense weapon. I have heard that some tribal arguments are settled with various types of Iron Wood sticks. One hit with one of them will break whatever it makes contact with or death occurs. Its not like fighting with rattan where you can show off your bruises after a good fight or two. Those Iron Wood Sticks are real weapons, not training tools.The Pakal knives are a combat weapon made for exactly that, to be held inpakal position (Known as ice-pick or earth position) comfortably. Those are pretty muchdesigns of my friends tribe. You can see those on http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/PakalKnife2.html,http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/PakalKnife3.html and http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/PakalKnife1.html You can feel a big difference from a knife designed for that position in comparison to one that isn't. Very practical and they feel great in the hand(s). I personally like to carry one knife in standard position and the other one in ice pick position. the fighting method in that position is great for close-range.The Balisong http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/Balisong1.html is still a popular carry. All the Special Action Force Commandos and the Marines all had Balisongs. I found that amazing. I feel it isa good knife but there are simpler ones for the military to carry. In Batangas, you can see thetourist versions of Balisongs all over the place for sale. To me they are cheap made by comparison to minebut then again, I am spoiled by good quality.Pretty much, all the others on the TFW site are considered extinct today. Like I said, we had to seek them out and bring them back to life again. We are working hard to revive these ancient swords due to the fact they are an important part of ancient Filipino history.All cultures were once blade oriented cultures. they had to be or you would not exist today. All our ancestors had to fight with the blade at one time or another for whatever reason. The blade cultures are pretty well dead now. That is due to the modern existence of firearms. You pull out a blade, you get blown away. So to keep up with the rest of the world, every one got a firearm. Especially the military! The reason the bladed weapons culture is still alive in the Philippines and other parts of SE Asia is because those people depend on them as tools. They use them for everything they make, including art, crafts, repairs, crops, etc.. Many of them arepoor people who cannot afford modern tools (or a gun for that matter), they were brought up with the blade as a tool so they are used to it. In turn, you will see an occasional hacking up of a body or two when some drinking is going on or someone wronged another and revenge takes place.Bladed weapons will always give us a natural feeling of fascination. They have been weapons as well as tools in our ancestor’s life since the beginning of time and will continue to be part of us some how or another in the future. They are also works of beautiful art. The art work decorates the reason they exist. The fear we feel, is knowing in our minds what these bladed weapons can do and have done to other human beings.Ron KosakowskiPractical Self Defense Training Center847 HamiltonAve (Rt 69).Waterbury, CT 06706203-596-9073info@psdtc.comhttp://www.psdtc.comhttp://www.TraditionalFilipinoWeapons.com
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Now this is based on knowledge i have acquired during my Philippine trips. It is also based on my observations. At this point in my life, I have been there enough times to come to these conclusions.A lot of the blades that I have on the TFW web site are very rare. We found some of them from some old men on whatever island in the Philippines, others were in my friends family tribe handed down through generations. Others were located in museums in the Philippines. I found some here in the Museum of Natural History but I have all the ones they showed there already on the site.
The ones that I noticed that are common carry in the Philippines today are the Pinute and the Ginunting. Those are common in the Visyan area. Though the Pinute is popular ALL over the Philippines it seems like. The Itak Tagalog http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/Itak%20Tagalog.html is more popular in some parts of the north...which is really a Pinute with a subtle design change.I actually saw a few people in the south with Kris swords. That freaked me out to see something like that today. It was not common to see...plus think about it, the Kris does not double as a tool. Made me wonder how much blood was on those Kris swords.
In the North, it was common to see the Golok http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/Golok.html The word Golok is common in Indonesia. But that makes sense since Bagiuo region are a result of the early Indonesian travelers who caught a wind that brought them to the north. I was told they were going to the Southern Philippines and caught a wind that brought them further north. My friend looks very Indonesian actually and so do many of the people of that area. I have seen a few Karambits but I think it is more the style in modern day that catches their eye. Again, that is an Indonesian influence. There is another type of Karambit, and dam I can't think of what it is called. Its ugly, it does not have that ring at the end of it...it has just a common handle...but it is deadly. Definately not a tool. I will be having that one soon also. I am not sure of the history of it right now but its common in the northern region. My gues is that it is also an Indonesian influence due to the looks of it.
The War Golok http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/WarGolok.html is actually another northern design...a design that is a result of the Spanish breaking the tips of the Sword of the Filipinos. The Filipinos were very good at thrust and slash action with their swords. The Spanish were intimidated by this during a lot of rebellion that was going on at the time so Spanish soldiers were ordered to take all the swords of the Filipinos and break off the tips of their swords. If anyone was seen with a tip, they were killed. Every one had to follow that law or suffer the consequences. I am not sure if this was just in one region though it seems like this blade was popular in the Luzon area. All their blades had to be forged with a flat top, though a newer fighting method of making it a little heavier and gaining a new hacking style of fighting still made it a formidable weapon. I have a War Golok that is very old...it has killed 5 different people. The 5 people were burned and the ashes were put on the sheath to keep the spirits of the warrior power in that blade. It is a priceless gift to me. You can literally smell the death on this sheath and blade. If you guys ever make it to my school, I will show it to you. I was told not to let anyone touch it so you will not be able to touch it. It disrupts the spirit balance of the blade. And I may have to use it some day. ;)
The Espada Y Daga http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/EspadayDaga.htm lis not a common blade to see carried today but it is VERY popular. I think it is kept alive through Kali, Arnis and Eskrima players mostly. It is popular in San Miguel, Illustisimo and Pekiti Tirsia...I am sure many other FMA styles as well.
The Garab sword http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/GarabSword.htm is another one you see that is still carried today. The Garab knife http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/GarabKnife.html is a very popular design there. It is a good tool for coconuts and cutting of about everything that is done there in the Philippines. And it is definitely a formidable weapon. I like that knife. I have seen that all over the Visayan area and all over the south. I have seen many people on the side of the road using it.
The Iron Wood sticks are still carried as a self defense weapon. In the more civilized areas, you can still get prison time for slicing up a person like anywhere else now a days (not that it does not happen), so Iron wood seems to make a good self defense weapon. I have heard that some tribal arguments are fought with them. One hit with one of them http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/GiroIronwoodSticks.html and you will break or die. Its not like fighting with rattan where you can show off your bruises after a good fight or two.
The Pakal knives are a combat weapon made for exactly that, to be held in pakal position (ice-pick, earth position) comfortably. Those are pretty much designs of my friends tribe. You can see those on http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/PakalKnife2.html, http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/PakalKnife3.html and http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/PakalKnife1.html You can feel a big difference from a knife designed for that position in comparison to one that isn't. Very practical and they feel great in the hand(s).
The Balisong http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/Balisong1.html is still a popular carry. All the Special Action Force Commandos and the Marines all had Balisongs. I found that amazing. I feel it is a good knife but there are simpler ones to carry. In Batangas, you can see the tourist versions of Balisongs all over the place for sale. To me they are crap but then again, I am spoiled by good quality.
Pretty much, all the others on the TFW site are extinct today. Like I said, we had to seek them out and bring them back to life again. All cultures were once blade oriented cultures. they had to be or you would not exist today. All our ancestors had to fight with the blade at one time or another for whatever reason. The blade cultures are pretty well dead now. That is due to the use of firearms in the more modern world. You pull out a blade in the old days attacking the enemy with a sword for example, you get blown away. So to keep up with the Jonses, every one got a firearm. The reason it is still alive in the Philippines and other parts of SE Asia because those people depend on them as tools. They use them for everything they make or fix, or for their crops, etc.. Many of them in the Philippines are poor people who cannot afford modern tools (or a gun for that matter), they were brought up with the blade as a tool, so pretty much they are used to it. In turn, you will see an occasional hacking up of a body or two when some drinking is going on or some one wronged another and revenge takes place.
I hope you liked this information. Let me know your thoughts.
Ron Kosakowski
Practical Self Defense Training Center
847 Hamilton Ave (Rt 69).
Waterbury, CT 06706
203-596-9073
info@psdtc.com
http://www.psdtc.com
http://www.TraditionalFilipinoWeapons.com
The ones that I noticed that are common carry in the Philippines today are the Pinute and the Ginunting. Those are common in the Visyan area. Though the Pinute is popular ALL over the Philippines it seems like. The Itak Tagalog http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/Itak%20Tagalog.html is more popular in some parts of the north...which is really a Pinute with a subtle design change.I actually saw a few people in the south with Kris swords. That freaked me out to see something like that today. It was not common to see...plus think about it, the Kris does not double as a tool. Made me wonder how much blood was on those Kris swords.
In the North, it was common to see the Golok http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/Golok.html The word Golok is common in Indonesia. But that makes sense since Bagiuo region are a result of the early Indonesian travelers who caught a wind that brought them to the north. I was told they were going to the Southern Philippines and caught a wind that brought them further north. My friend looks very Indonesian actually and so do many of the people of that area. I have seen a few Karambits but I think it is more the style in modern day that catches their eye. Again, that is an Indonesian influence. There is another type of Karambit, and dam I can't think of what it is called. Its ugly, it does not have that ring at the end of it...it has just a common handle...but it is deadly. Definately not a tool. I will be having that one soon also. I am not sure of the history of it right now but its common in the northern region. My gues is that it is also an Indonesian influence due to the looks of it.
The War Golok http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/WarGolok.html is actually another northern design...a design that is a result of the Spanish breaking the tips of the Sword of the Filipinos. The Filipinos were very good at thrust and slash action with their swords. The Spanish were intimidated by this during a lot of rebellion that was going on at the time so Spanish soldiers were ordered to take all the swords of the Filipinos and break off the tips of their swords. If anyone was seen with a tip, they were killed. Every one had to follow that law or suffer the consequences. I am not sure if this was just in one region though it seems like this blade was popular in the Luzon area. All their blades had to be forged with a flat top, though a newer fighting method of making it a little heavier and gaining a new hacking style of fighting still made it a formidable weapon. I have a War Golok that is very old...it has killed 5 different people. The 5 people were burned and the ashes were put on the sheath to keep the spirits of the warrior power in that blade. It is a priceless gift to me. You can literally smell the death on this sheath and blade. If you guys ever make it to my school, I will show it to you. I was told not to let anyone touch it so you will not be able to touch it. It disrupts the spirit balance of the blade. And I may have to use it some day. ;)
The Espada Y Daga http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/EspadayDaga.htm lis not a common blade to see carried today but it is VERY popular. I think it is kept alive through Kali, Arnis and Eskrima players mostly. It is popular in San Miguel, Illustisimo and Pekiti Tirsia...I am sure many other FMA styles as well.
The Garab sword http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/GarabSword.htm is another one you see that is still carried today. The Garab knife http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/GarabKnife.html is a very popular design there. It is a good tool for coconuts and cutting of about everything that is done there in the Philippines. And it is definitely a formidable weapon. I like that knife. I have seen that all over the Visayan area and all over the south. I have seen many people on the side of the road using it.
The Iron Wood sticks are still carried as a self defense weapon. In the more civilized areas, you can still get prison time for slicing up a person like anywhere else now a days (not that it does not happen), so Iron wood seems to make a good self defense weapon. I have heard that some tribal arguments are fought with them. One hit with one of them http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/GiroIronwoodSticks.html and you will break or die. Its not like fighting with rattan where you can show off your bruises after a good fight or two.
The Pakal knives are a combat weapon made for exactly that, to be held in pakal position (ice-pick, earth position) comfortably. Those are pretty much designs of my friends tribe. You can see those on http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/PakalKnife2.html, http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/PakalKnife3.html and http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/PakalKnife1.html You can feel a big difference from a knife designed for that position in comparison to one that isn't. Very practical and they feel great in the hand(s).
The Balisong http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/Balisong1.html is still a popular carry. All the Special Action Force Commandos and the Marines all had Balisongs. I found that amazing. I feel it is a good knife but there are simpler ones to carry. In Batangas, you can see the tourist versions of Balisongs all over the place for sale. To me they are crap but then again, I am spoiled by good quality.
Pretty much, all the others on the TFW site are extinct today. Like I said, we had to seek them out and bring them back to life again. All cultures were once blade oriented cultures. they had to be or you would not exist today. All our ancestors had to fight with the blade at one time or another for whatever reason. The blade cultures are pretty well dead now. That is due to the use of firearms in the more modern world. You pull out a blade in the old days attacking the enemy with a sword for example, you get blown away. So to keep up with the Jonses, every one got a firearm. The reason it is still alive in the Philippines and other parts of SE Asia because those people depend on them as tools. They use them for everything they make or fix, or for their crops, etc.. Many of them in the Philippines are poor people who cannot afford modern tools (or a gun for that matter), they were brought up with the blade as a tool, so pretty much they are used to it. In turn, you will see an occasional hacking up of a body or two when some drinking is going on or some one wronged another and revenge takes place.
I hope you liked this information. Let me know your thoughts.
Ron Kosakowski
Practical Self Defense Training Center
847 Hamilton Ave (Rt 69).
Waterbury, CT 06706
203-596-9073
info@psdtc.com
http://www.psdtc.com
http://www.TraditionalFilipinoWeapons.com
Traditional Filipino Weapons...
The Traditional Filipino Weapons web site (TFW) is growing and growing and growing. We will be as big if not bigger than any other bladed weapons company out there very soon. The TFW web site is just unbelievably beautiful now. Its far easier to understand and to navigate so you can see the beauty of all the weapons with nice photography. Go to http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com and you will see what I mean.
I am very excited about this new site. There will be a very accurate history of each weapon on there soon as well. The site is constantly evolving.
The best news is, we will be in the May issue of Tactical Knives Magazine. I am VERY excites about this. That magazine goes all over the world. They did blade testing with a story on the blades as well. And they also did a story on my martial arts behind those blades. Keep an eye out for it. It was out in April issue. If you get a chance to see the article, I am sure it will be interesting to see. We will be in another magazine called Knives Illustrated also soon. I just did an interview with them, they reviewed some of my most beautiful knives. I am sure the story they put in will be very good.
We always have new ancient designs coming in. Keep in touch so you will know what we have. Weapons collectors and Filipino martial artists will not want to miss out on not having every weapon we offer!
Traditional Filipino Weapons
847 Hamilton Ave.
Waterbury, CT 06706203
596 9073
Sandata4UsAll@aol.com
http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com
I am very excited about this new site. There will be a very accurate history of each weapon on there soon as well. The site is constantly evolving.
The best news is, we will be in the May issue of Tactical Knives Magazine. I am VERY excites about this. That magazine goes all over the world. They did blade testing with a story on the blades as well. And they also did a story on my martial arts behind those blades. Keep an eye out for it. It was out in April issue. If you get a chance to see the article, I am sure it will be interesting to see. We will be in another magazine called Knives Illustrated also soon. I just did an interview with them, they reviewed some of my most beautiful knives. I am sure the story they put in will be very good.
We always have new ancient designs coming in. Keep in touch so you will know what we have. Weapons collectors and Filipino martial artists will not want to miss out on not having every weapon we offer!
Traditional Filipino Weapons
847 Hamilton Ave.
Waterbury, CT 06706203
596 9073
Sandata4UsAll@aol.com
http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com
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