Warfare, Hunting, and Fishing 377 



it has a short projection midway of its length, which serves as a finger- 

 hold and as* a hook for attachment to the belt. Quite frequently the 

 handle is decorated with thin circles or bands of brass, while orna- 

 mental designs sometimes appear on the blade. 



While the axe is primarily a weapon, its use is by no means con- 

 fined to warfare. It is used in house and fence building, in cutting 

 up game and forest products, and in many other ways. Fig. 8 shows 

 three types of head-axes, the first two, the Tinguian-Kalinga axe; 

 third, the Igorot ; fourth, the Apayao. There is a noticeable difference 

 between the slender blades of the first group and the short, thick blade 

 of the Igorot, yet they are of the same general type. The Apayao 

 weapon, on the other hand, presents a radical difference in form. 

 Despite these variations, the axes of these three tribes present an inter- 

 esting problem. So far as it known, these are the only tribes in the 

 Philippines which make use of a head-axe, and it is believed that no 

 similar weapon is found in the Malayan Islands. However, blades 

 of striking resemblance do occur among the Naga of Assam. 1 It is 

 possible that the weapons of these far separated regions may hark 

 back to a comnion source, from which they received their instruction 

 in iron working. 



The Spear, plka. — The various types of spears used by the Tin- 

 guian are shown in Fig. 9. 



A considerable part of these are made in the villages along the 

 upper reaches of the Buklok river and in Balbalasang, but many come 

 into Abra through trade with the Igorot and Kalinga. They are used 



'Egerton, Handbook of Indian Arms (Wm. Allen and Co., London, 1880), 

 p. 84; Siiakespear, History of Upper Assam. Burma and Northeastern Frontier 

 (MacMillan, London, 1914), p. 197, illustration. 



