Shark knife "bolo", "pinahia" or "pika", with shell belt ginutto

Estimated Value:

3.000 € - 4.000 €

Result:

incl. Premium and VAT

Description:

Luzon, Philippines; Igorot groups, early 20th cent.
L. 55/57 cm
Steel, wood, textile fiber, shell limestone (Tridakna giga). A prestigious shark knife bolo of the Igorot on Luzon. The knife is skillfully forged from a single piece of steel; the handle is braided with rattan in two wide bands. The basic type with the forged integral handle is known throughout the Philippines, Taiwan and Japan (as matagi-to) and is very robust and durable due to its construction. The knives were often made by specialized (often Chinese) Chinese blacksmiths and are of remarkable quality. They are usually forged from high-quality materials using composite technology and selectively hardened. The hard use in everyday life, which covers a wide range of tasks, places high demands; they are often the only tools available. The Igorot groups have developed very specific bolo (shark knives), which they wear on special occasions on a special carrying device, namely belts with perforated disks from the closure caps of the giant clam Tridacna giga, which are particularly valuable in the mountains. The belts are looped around the waist and fastened with a hook fastener. The bolo sheath with the knife is attached to this belt with a rattan or textile cord. Sometimes an additional shorter strap is sewn to the belt, also with shell slices, which then also falls to the wearer's knees. The shell slices are regarded as precious; knives of this type with belts are highly prized prestige goods (and very rare today). The shell slices are cut from cone shells and the Tridakna giga, ground smooth and rounded at the edges; they are round in shape and usually the same size, with the more valuable pieces increasing in diameter from the beginning of a band to the end. Their diameter is approximately two to eight centimeters. The perforated shell slices are threaded onto a textile carrier with a double or single rattan strip. The rattan “yarn” runs from the textile base carrier over the edge of the shell discs, through the middle of the textile carrier and threads the shell discs onto it. Some belts have up to 32 of these precious discs. The ends of the straps are often finished in a plait shape with rattan strips or a tuft of yarn dyed red. On particularly valuable belts, a larger Tridacna giga shell disc with a diameter of eight to ten centimetres is sewn onto the clasp like a large two-hole button. This is round or star-shaped with single or double rays and has a flat, sewn-on tortoiseshell ornament about five centimeters in diameter. The shell ornament is known as the sun symbol ginuktu. In the literature, the complete belt with or without the sun disk is also called ginuktu, while the belt buckle is called upud. The sun symbolism of the discs and the emblematic significance of the belts refer to the fact that these knives were once worn by successful warriors and headhunters.
Collected from an old German private collection since the 1950s - Part. minim. best.

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