THE COLLECTION OF PRIMITIVE WEAPONS AND 

 ARMOR OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS IN THE 

 UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



By Herbert W. Krieger 

 Curator of Ethnology, United States National Museum 



INTRODUCTION 



History of the loeapoii collections in the United States National 

 Musemn from ths Philippine Islands. — The earliest accessions to 

 the weapon collection from Malaysia came from the United States 

 exploring expedition, .1838-1842, imder Capt., later Admiral, 

 Charles Wilkes. Objects included were such as could be obtained at 

 the ports of call, Manila, Singapore, and other seaports in eastern 

 and western Malaysia. The swords, daggers, spears, and other 

 weapons obtained by this expedition show but little trace of recent 

 European design and influence. The weapons obtained by the 

 Wilkes expedition are thus of great value in any study and classi- 

 fication of the early influences other than European which have 

 operated in shaping the design and technic of the metal work, arms, 

 and armor of the Philippine Islands. The collection was brought 

 to Washington and unpacked at the United States Patent Office 

 where the weapons were exhibited for severaj years. In 1851 they 

 were transferred to the Smithsonian Building. A catalogue of the 

 collection was made by T. R. Peale, of the Patent Office, in 1846 

 and presented to the United States National Museum in January, 

 1877. 



Under the stimulus aroused by the Spanish- American War and 

 the native insurrection in the Philippines, additional accessions of 

 Philippine weapons and armor began to arrive at the National 

 museum. Most of the collectors were officers in the United States 

 Army. As the field of operations of the Army was widespread 

 throughout the islands of the Philippine Archipelago, it was possi- 

 ble to include in the collections weapons from those sections where 

 the natives were especially adept in the metal crafts. It is through 

 the interest and cooperation primarily of officers of the United 

 States Army that the weapon collection from the Philippine islands 

 in the United States National Museum is of a comprehensive anr" 

 representative nature. 



