PRIMITIVE WEAPONS AND ARMOR OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 73 



The dextral and the sinistnil elements of the inner series pass through holes 

 in the upper border of the softwood footing. The effect of the double 

 weaving is to produce an almost compact techuic, with the splints of the inner 

 basket nearly concealed. 



The ornamentation of the bolo case lies in the technic, in carvinj?' 

 and staining, and in smoking or charring. The footing is stained 

 bhick and is carved with simple geometric incisions. The Aveaving 

 of the body is smoked so as to present an hourglass-shaped design 

 in natural color, effected by laying splints of leaf on the surface of 

 the case while the smoking goes on. 



This type of utility carrying or weapon case is found in more 

 or less modified form throughout the southern islands, especially in 

 Mindanao. Several similar bolo cases from the Bagobo of Min- 

 danao, also from the Batak of Palawan, and from Basilan Island 

 are in the Museum collections. The case is worn suspended from 

 the belt. 



Height of case, 35.6 centimeters (13.7 inches); diameter at top. 

 13 centimeters (5 inches). Collected by Dr. E. A. Mearns, Lnited 

 States Army. Cat. No. 239086, U.S.N.M. (PI. 8, No. 4.) 



Basketry scabhard^ southei^i islands. — The structural pai-ts of 

 this knife scabbard consist of a rattan framework and of rattan 

 splints woven in basketry openwork weave between the two u]j- 

 rights and the bottom. The weave is in single series and is nuicii 

 simpler than in the type of basketry bolo case just described. The 

 rattan frame consists of a single stem II/2 centimeters in diameter, 

 segments of which have been cut away so that the stem has been 

 flattened laterally. Holes are drilled through the stem at the center 

 at intervals of 2 centimeters. The stem is now bent in the form 

 of an elongated horseshoe Avith parallel sides and bottom straight 

 and at right angles. To facilitate the turning of the corners at 

 the bottom, triangular sections have been cut away. Splint elements 

 are noAV passed transversely across from one upright to the other 

 and drawn through the holes, after which they are passed down 

 the sides of the uprights to the next crossing and so on down 

 to the bottom. The interesting thing to note is that these ti-ans- 

 versely placed elements are in pairs, one resting on top of the other. 

 This constitutes the warp or passive part of the body. The woof 

 elements are likewise Avoven in pairs on the inner surface only, and 

 here they are placed side by side. The opposite or outer flat-surface 

 elements are separated, and the mesh is correspondingly smallei-. 

 Beginning at the top Avarp elements, over Avhich the Avoof elements 

 are passed, and passing spirally down the side surfaces at a diagonal, 

 first touching the left upright and then the right, the splints arc 

 passed through the holes at the bottom, four splints passin-r throu'rli 

 each hole, and are again woA-en in spiral diagonals up the opposite 



