''Pirah'' or ''pira'' is a type of
Philippine
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
bolo sword or knife characterized by a heavy blade and a wide tip. It superficially resembles a
falchion
A falchion (; Old French: ''fauchon''; Latin: ''falx'', "sickle") is a one-handed, single-edged sword of European origin. Falchions are found in different forms from around the 13th century up to and including the 16th century. In some version ...
but is much heavier. It is the traditional weapon favored by the
Yakan people
The Yakan people are among the major indigenous Filipino ethnolinguistic groups in the Sulu Archipelago. Having a significant number of followers of Islam, it is considered one of the 13 Moro groups in the Philippines. The Yakans mainly resid ...
of
Basilan Island
Basilan, officially the Province of Basilan ( cbk, Provincia de Basilan; yka, Wilayah Basilanin; tsg, Wilaya' sin Basilan; fil, Lalawigan ng Basilan), is an island province of the Philippines located primarily in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Re ...
. It usually features a ''kakatua'' ("
cockatoo
A cockatoo is any of the 21 parrot species belonging to the family Cacatuidae, the only family in the superfamily Cacatuoidea. Along with the Psittacoidea (true parrots) and the Strigopoidea (large New Zealand parrots), they make up the orde ...
") hilt, which among the Yakan is distinctively elongated to function as arm support. Among
Cebuano people
The Cebuano people ( ceb, Mga Sugbuanon) are the largest subgroup of the larger ethnolingustic group Visayans, who constitute the largest Filipino ethnolinguistic group in the country. Their primary language is the Cebuano language, an Austro ...
and other
Visayans
Visayans ( Visayan: ''mga Bisaya''; ) or Visayan people are a Philippine ethnolinguistic group or metaethnicity native to the Visayas, the southernmost islands of Luzon and a significant portion of Mindanao. When taken as a single ethnic group ...
, a similar sword is also known as the ''pira'', but differs in that it has an acutely pointed tip. Like other bolos, ''pirah'' were commonly used as farm implements, in addition to being used in combat.
Gallery
See also
*
Filipino martial arts
*
Bolo
*
Kampilan
The kampilan (Baybayin: ) also known as talong is a type of single-edged sword, traditionally used by various ethnic groups in the Philippine archipelago. It has a distinct profile, with the tapered blade being much broader and thinner at the po ...
*
Kalis
A kalis (Baybayin: or ; Jawi script: كاليس ; Abecedario: ''cáli'', ''cális'') is a type of double-edged Philippine sword, often with a "wavy" section. The kalis has a double-edged blade, which is commonly straight from the tip but wavy n ...
*
Klewang
The klewang or kelewang is a class of bladed weapon between the sword and machete found in Indonesia and Malaysia.
History
During the Aceh War the Acehnese klewang proved very effective in close quarters combat against the sabre-wielding Dutch ...
*
Panabas
References
Blade weapons
Filipino swords
{{Philippines-hist-stub