Weapons & War

Bladed Weapons

• ordinary part of Visayan male costume (dagger or spear); extension of anatomy

• baladaw – short broad dagger• swords – kris (Visayan: kalis) &

kampilan» Kris quality (lowest->highest): Visayas,

Mindanao & Sulu, Makassar and Borneo» Kampilan apparently imported from Mindanao

(Muslim & pagan)» Both coated w/ poison before going into battle

c.20th century Panay bolos w/ bakunawa hilts

Spears and Missiles

• Spears – bankaw (security & ceremony)• Missiles– thrown in combat or ambush only when it

was possible to retrieve them– attached to a cord when hunting

• Bow (busog) and arrow (odyong)– scattered distribution

• Blowgun (sumpit) – Mindanao & Palawan

Defensive Arms

• barote – body armor; intricately knotted, thick-braided abaca or bark cords, good ones were waterproof

» equivalent to chain mail

• habay-habay – burlap» worn next to the body under the barote» extended to the elbow and knee

• kalasag – shield» light, corky wood; fibrous (to enmesh enemy

spear or dagger); sword-proof

Warfare

• “raid and trade”

• intra- and inter-island raids

• seasonal in nature

• Pintados – tattoos [valor]

Purpose and Causes of Wars

• Visayan communities – small populations, low levels of production, unlimited access to natural resources

• control of manpower

• Wars were fought to control people, not territory.

• seize slaves, initiate or enforce alliances for trading networks, take booty

• fought by citizen warriors owing personal allegiance to leaders who were physically present

Causes for Just War

• direct raid or attack by another community

• betrayal of blood pacts or alliances

• treachery or abuse of traders in a friendly village

• murder or theft by an outsider

Raids• Slave raiding – main motivation for unprovoked

attack

• Special cases – need for a sacrificial victim to complete mourning rites for some powerful datu

• Retaliation – not just revenge, but a punitive (inflicting

punishment) measure intended to discourage repetition of the offense

– failure to take revenge not only suggested timidity w/c invited further enemy action, also ran the risk of supernatural punishment by the spirits of un-avenged relatives.

Strategy and Tactics

• gubat – warfare– gahat – land–mangayaw – sea

• bangga – ship-to-ship contact at sea• bangal – pursue a fleeing enemy vessel

• salakay – storming a fortified position • burhi – take by treachery• ambush – preferred tactic on land– habon, saghid, hoom, poot

karakoa

Spoils of War

• Slaves• Bronze gongs• Chinese porcelains• Other types of bahandi wealth• Brides, to establish collateral ties

with other communities (marry-now-pay-later)

Defense

• interception at sea– best defense against mangayaw attack; otherwise,

• abandoning homes and w/drawing to the hills

• settlements were thus often located in the interior for security reasons

Defense

• tree houses

• traps, batatik, suyak set along path to hinder the raiders

• moog, ili, ilihan – tower, rocky outcropping, or natural pinnacle that could be fortified and retreated to by evacuees for defense

• tambangan – fortification

Peace Pacts• sandugo – peace pacts

» suspended or avoided hostilities between two datus and their respective communities

» datu participants became “blood brothers”

Epic Heroes• successful mangayaw raiders

regarded as popular heroes; interisland reputations; stuff of local legend