A bolo ( tl, iták, ilo, bunéng, pag, baráng, ceb, súndang, hil, binangon) is a general term for traditional pre-colonial small to medium-sized single-edged

sword A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...

s or large knives of the Philippines that function as both tools and weapons. They are characterized by a curved wide blade that narrows towards the hilt, with pointed or blunt tips. Bolos are a common tool in the Philippines and are often compared to the machete.

Description

Bolos are differentiated from other Filipino swords and bladed implements by their dual use as both tools and weapons. They are characterized by a curved (usually convex) wide blade that narrows towards the hilt, with pointed or blunt tips. There are various types of bolos differing by

ethnic group An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

and purpose, ranging from large knives to short swords to specialized agricultural equipment. They had a wide range of use, from hunting to scything grass, opening coconuts, harvesting crops, or clearing dense brush. Most bolos are cheap and unornamented, with the handle usually made from plain carabao horn or wood. Bolos with finely carved handles with precious materials were used as

status symbol A status symbol is a visible, external symbol of one's social position, an indicator of economic or social status. Many luxury goods are often considered status symbols. ''Status symbol'' is also a sociological term – as part of social and soci ...

s of high social rank.

Common uses

The bolo is common in the countryside due to its use as a farming implement. As such, it was used extensively during Spanish colonial rule as a manual alternative to ploughing with a carabao. Normally used for cutting coconuts, it was also a common tool for harvesting narrow row crops found on terraces such as rice, mungbean, soybean, and peanut.

Use in warfare

During the American colonial period of the Philippines, Filipino fighters armed with bolos were known as "bolomen". They were used as auxiliary troops by the Americans during the Philippine-American War. They were often placed in front of riflemen, as beliefs in '' anting-anting''. The bolo men were effective in close combat with riflemen using bayonets but were easily defeated if riflemen opened fire on them. The bolo was adopted by the US Military as the bolo knife. Produced from 1897 to 1918, they remained in service both as a tool for clearing brush and for combat until World War II. The bolo is also used in Filipino martial arts or Arnis as part of training.

Design

A bolo is characterized by having a native

hardwood Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes from ...

or animal horn handle (such as from the carabao), a full tang, and a

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

blade that both curves and widens, often considerably so, towards its tip. This moves the centre of gravity as far forward as possible, giving the bolo extra momentum for chopping. So-called "jungle bolos", intended for

combat Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

rather than agricultural work, tend to be longer and less wide at the tip. Bolos for

gardening Gardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants as part of horticulture. In gardens, ornamental plants are often grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants, such as root vegetables, leaf vegetables, fruits ...

usually have rounded tips.

Types

The term "bolo" has also expanded to include other traditional blades that primarily or secondarily function as agricultural implements. They include: * Barong - a leaf-shaped sword or knife favored by the Tausug people. * Batangas - a single-edged bolo of the Tagalog people that widens at the tip. * Garab - a sickle used for harvesting rice. * Guna or

Bolo-guna ''Guna'', also called ''bolo-guna'', is a Filipino weeding knife with a very short and wide dull blade with a perpendicular blunt end. It is an agricultural tool used mainly for digging roots and weeding gardens, approximating the functions of a g ...

- A weeding knife with a very short, wide, dull blade and a perpendicular blunt end. It is used mainly for digging roots and weeding gardens. * Kampilan - a tapering longsword found throughout the Philippines. * Iták - a narrow sword used for combat and self-defense in the

Tagalog Tagalog may refer to: Language * Tagalog language, a language spoken in the Philippines ** Old Tagalog, an archaic form of the language ** Batangas Tagalog, a dialect of the language * Tagalog script, the writing system historically used for Tagal ...

regions. Like the ''súndang'', it is also known as the "jungle bolo" or "tip bolo", and was a popular weapon during the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine-American War. * Haras - a scythe used for cutting tall grass. It is called "''Lampas''" by people from Mindanao. * Pinutî - a narrow sword traditionally carried as a personal weapon for combat or self-defense. * Pirah or Pira - a wide-tipped sword or knife favored by the Yakan people, it is also common in the Sulu Archipelago, Mindanao, and the Visayas. * Punyál or Gunong - a dagger derivative of the '' kalis''. Used as a side-weapon in combat, or to kill and bleed pigs during slaughter. Also known under the more generic term ''kutsilyo'' (Spanish ''cuchillo'', "knife"). *Súndang - the most common personal weapon used for combat and self-defense in the Visayas. Also known as the "jungle bolo" or "tip bolo". It was a popular weapon of choice in the Philippine Revolution against the Spanish Empire and during the subsequent

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...

. **Binangon - A form of súndang used in Western Visayas and Negros Island.

Historical significance

The bolo was the primary weapon used by the Katipunan during the Philippine Revolution. It was also used by the Filipino guerrillas and bolomen during the

. During World War I, United States Army soldier Henry Johnson gained international fame repelling a German raid in hand-to-hand combat using a bolo. During World War II, members of the 1st Filipino Regiment and the 81st Division used bolos for close quarters combat, earning them the distinctive title "Moro Bolo Battalion". On 7 December 1972, would-be assassin

Carlito Dimahilig Carlito means "little Carlos". It may refer to: Biology * ''Carlito'' (genus), a genus of tarsiers *The Philippine tarsier (''Carlito syrichta''), the only extant species in the above genus People * Carlito (name) * Carlito (wrestler), a rin ...

used a bolo to attack former

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...

Imelda Marcos as she appeared onstage at a live televised awards ceremony. Dimahilig stabbed Marcos in the abdomen several times, and she parried the blows with her arms. He was shot dead by security forces while she was taken to a hospital.

Symbolism

The bolo serves as a symbol for the Katipunan and the Philippine Revolution, particularly the Cry of Pugad Lawin. Several monuments of Andres Bonifacio, as with other notable Katipuneros, depict him holding a bolo in one hand and the Katipunan flag in the other.

Other uses of the term

In the United States Military, the slang term "to bolo" – to fail a test, exam or evaluation, originated from the combined Philippine-American military forces including recognized guerrillas during the Spanish–American War and the

; those local soldiers and guerrillas who failed to demonstrate proficiency in marksmanship were issued bolos instead of firearms so as not to waste scarce ammunition. In hand-to-hand combat sports, especially boxing, the term " bolo punch" is used to describe an uppercut thrown in a manner mimicking the arcing motion of a bolo while in use.

Gallery

File:Pambansang Bantayog ni Andres Bonifacio (Bonifacio National Monument).jpg, The Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan depicting the Katipunan and the Philippine Revolution File:2011-11-1 Bolo Knife (5375014869).jpg, Bolo given to Captain Lewis A. Kimberly, Commander of USS ''Beneica'' by the Governor of Cebu File:Luzon igorot pinahig.JPG, A ''pinahig'' utility bolo of the Ifugao people File:Two Man Bolo Knife.jpg, A modern bolo File:Traditional 'bolo' (cutting knife) making (9275225915).jpg, Traditional blacksmiths forging a bolo File:Basih weapons.jpg, War bolos from Basilan, including gunong (center) and pirah (right)

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Blade weapons Machetes Philippine Revolution Philippine–American War World War II infantry weapons Weapons of the Philippine Army Filipino melee weapons