Balarao

Balarao (also spelled balaraw, bararao, and bararaw), also known as "winged dagger", is a Filipino dagger used throughout the pre-colonial Philippines. It is unusually shaped, with a leaf-like blade and a finger-fitting grip consisting of two horn-like projections at the pommel and no guards. The tang also protrudes at the back. The dagger is a status symbol among nobility and warriors and is usually finely-worked with precious metals, ivory, and horn.[1][2][3]

Balarao
Top: A balarao from the Mandaya people (c. 1926); Bottom: A Mandaya balarao in its sheath in the National Museum of Anthropology
Type	Dagger
Place of origin	Philippines
Specifications
Length	12 in (30 cm)
Width	4 in (10 cm)
Blade type	Double-edged
Hilt type	ivory, metal (gold, silver), hardwood, carabao horn
Scabbard/sheath	hardwood, carabao horn, metal (gold, silver)

The dagger was described as early as the 1600s by Antonio de Morga, where he details its use by Visayans in headhunting raids. It disappeared throughout most of its range during the Spanish colonial period, though it survived to modern times among the Mandaya people, where it is known as the bayadau or badao (a name also used for gunong daggers).[1][2][3]

Gallery

• 
  Detail from the Carta Hydrographica y Chorographica de las Yslas Filipinas (1734), showing a "Bisaya" with a balarao in the right

See also

• Punyal

References

1. "Mandaya Winged Dagger". National Museum of the Philippines. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
2. Lawrence, Marc (2009). "Filipino Weapons from A to Z" (PDF). Filipino Martial Arts Digest. Stephen K. Dowd.
3. De Morga, Antonio (2009). The Philippine Islands, Moluccas, Siam, Cambodia, Japan, and China. Applewood Books. p. 272. ISBN 9781429091398.