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{{Short description|Philippine knife or sword}}
{{Redirect|Sundang|the Philippine sword also called "sundang" in southern Mindanao, Indonesia, and Malaysia|Kalis}}
{{Infobox weapon
| name               = Bolo
| image              = [[File:Luzon bolo chisel ground.JPG|220px]]<br />[[File:Mindanao Bangsamoro & Lumad Swords.jpg|220px]]
| caption            = '''Top:''' A typical bolo from [[Luzon]];<br />'''Bottom:''' [[Lumad]] bolos with sheaths from [[Mindanao]] in the [[National Museum of Anthropology (Manila)|National Museum of Anthropology]]
| image_size         = 
| origin             = [[Philippines]]
| type               = [[Knife]] or [[sword]]
<!-- Type selection -->| is_bladed          = yes
<!-- Service history -->| used_by            = 
| wars               = {{unbulleted list | [[Battle of Mactan]] | 
[[History of the Philippines (1565–1898)|Spanish Conquest]] |
[[Philippine Revolution]] | [[Spanish–American War]] | [[Philippine–American War]] | [[World War I]] | [[World War II]] }}
<!-- General specifications -->| weight             = 
| length             = 
| part_length        = 
| width              = 
| height             = 
| diameter           = 
| crew               = <!-- Bladed weapon specifications -->
| blade_type         = Single-edged, convex blade
| hilt_type          = hardwood, [[carabao]] horn
| sheath_type        = hardwood, [[carabao]] horn
| head_type          = 
| haft_type          = 
}}
{{wikt | bolo}}

A '''bolo''' ({{langx|tl|iták/gulok}}, {{langx|ilo|bunéng}}, {{langx|ibg|badáng/aliwa}}, {{langx|pag|baráng}}, {{langx|pam|paláng}}, {{langx|bik|tabák/minasbad}}, {{langx|ceb|súndang/kampilan}}, {{langx|war|sansibar}}, {{langx|hil|sandúko/binangon}}, {{langx|akl|talibong}}) is a general term for traditional [[History of the Philippines (900–1565)|pre-colonial]] small- to medium-sized single-edged [[sword]]s or large [[knives]] of the [[Philippines]] that function both as tools and weapons.<ref name="Le Roy">{{cite book |last1= Le Roy |first1= James A. |title= Philippine Life in Town and Country |date= 1905 |publisher= G. P. Putnam's Sons |page= [https://archive.org/details/philippinelifein0000unse/page/86 86]}}</ref><ref name="Krieger">{{cite journal |last1= Krieger |first1= Herbert W. |title= The Collection of Primitive Weapons and Armor of the Philippine Islands in the United States National Museum |journal=Smithsonian Institution United States National Museum |date= 1926 |volume= Bulletin 137 |pages= 62–86}}</ref> Bolos are characterized by a wide curved blade that narrows down to the hilt, and that comes with a pointed or a blunt tip. 

Bolos are sometimes incorrectly described as a type of [[machete]] (as '''bolo machete'''), due to their similarities in use and shape. But bolos are not related to the machete. Bolos are pre-colonial in origin and have very different characteristics.<ref name="Bolieu">{{cite web |last1=Bolieu |first1=Reuben |title=Forged Filipino Bolo Knives |url=https://www.knivesillustrated.com/forged-filipino-bolo-knives/ |website=Knives Illustrated |access-date=23 October 2025}}</ref> The most obvious physical difference between the two is the shape of the cutting edge, which is typically curved in bolos and more or less straight in machetes.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Alth |first1=Max |title=Sharpening Hand Tools: Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletin A-66 |date=1982 |publisher=Storey Publishing, LLC |isbn=9781603425971}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web |title=Machete vs Bolo: Decoding Common Word Mix-Ups|url=https://thecontentauthority.com/blog/machete-vs-bolo |website=The Content Authority |access-date=23 October 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Tait |first1=Matt |title=Bolo: Filipino survival blade |url=https://sevenswords.uk/bolo/ |website=Seven Swords |access-date=23 October 2025}}</ref>

==Description==
Bolos are differentiated from other Filipino swords and bladed implements by their dual use as both tools and weapons. They are characterized by a curved (usually convex) wide blade that narrows towards the hilt, with pointed or blunt tips. There are various types of bolos differing by [[ethnic groups of the Philippines|ethnic group]] and purpose, ranging from large knives to short swords to specialized agricultural equipment. They had a wide range of use, from hunting to scything grass, opening coconuts, harvesting crops, or clearing dense brush.<ref name="Krieger"/><ref name=SunStar>{{cite news|last1=Valderrama|first1=Michael R.|title=The bolo|url=http://www.sunstar.com.ph/bacolod/lifestyle/2013/06/22/bolo-288714|access-date=12 November 2014|publisher=[[Sun.Star]] Bacolod|date=22 June 2013|archive-date=12 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112170418/http://www.sunstar.com.ph/bacolod/lifestyle/2013/06/22/bolo-288714|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=ManilaTimes />

Most bolos are cheap and unornamented, with the handle usually made from plain [[carabao]] horn or wood. Bolos with finely carved handles with precious materials were used as [[status symbol]]s of high social rank.<ref name="George">{{cite book |last1=George |first1=Marian Minnie |title=Little Journeys to Hawaii and the Philippine Islands |date=1901 |publisher=A. Flanagan |pages=[https://archive.org/details/littlejourneyst00georgoog/page/n59 53]–54}}</ref>

== Common uses ==
The bolo is common in the countryside due to its use as a farming implement. As such, it was used extensively during [[History of the Philippines (1521–1898)#Spanish rule|Spanish colonial rule]] as a manual alternative to ploughing with a [[carabao]]. Normally used for cutting [[coconuts]],<ref name=SunStar /> it was also a common tool for harvesting narrow row crops found on [[Terraces (agriculture)|terraces]] such as [[rice]], [[mungbean]], [[soybeans|soybean]], and [[peanut]].<ref name="International Rice Research Institute">{{cite book|title=Small Farm Equipment for Developing Countries: Proceedings of the International Conference on Small Farm Equipment for Developing Countries: Past Experiences and Future Priorities, 2-6 September 1985|year=1986|publisher=International Rice Research Institute|location=Manila, Philippines|page=314|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8etw_T_UXW4C&q=bolo+as+farming+tool&pg=PA314|isbn=9789711041571}}</ref>

===Use in warfare===
During the American period in the Philippines, Filipino fighters armed with bolos were known as "bolomen". They were used as auxiliary troops by the Americans during the various battles with Moros, and others. They were often placed in front of riflemen, as beliefs in ''[[anting-anting]]''.<ref>{{cite book |title=American Medicine |date=1902 |publisher=American-Medicine Publishing Company |page=478 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hK5CAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA478 |access-date=23 March 2022 |language=en}}</ref> The bolo men were effective in close combat with riflemen using [[bayonets]] but were easily defeated if riflemen opened fire on them.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hotema |first1=Hilton |title=How I Lived to Be Ninety |date=September 1996 |publisher=Health Research Books |isbn=978-0-7873-0431-7 |page=89 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z6viFLRQ2i0C&pg=PA89 |access-date=23 March 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

The bolo was adopted by the [[US Military]] as the '''bolo knife'''. [[List of individual weapons of the U.S. Armed Forces|Produced from 1897 to 1918]], they remained in service both as a tool for clearing brush and for combat until [[World War II]].<ref name="King">{{cite book |last1=King |first1=Martin |last2=Collins |first2=Michael |title=Lost Voices: The Untold Stories of America's World War I Veterans and Their Families |date=2018 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=9781493031658 |page=104}}</ref>

The bolo is also used in [[Filipino martial arts]] or [[Arnis]] as part of training.<ref name=MartialArts>{{cite book|editor-last1=Green|editor-first1=Thomas A.|title=Martial Arts of the World|date=2001|publisher=ABC-CLIO|location=Santa Barbara, Calif.|isbn=1-57607-150-2|page=429|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v32oHSE5t6cC|access-date=12 November 2014}}</ref><ref name=DocePares>{{cite web|title=Eskrima Martial Arts|url=http://www.doceparesinternational.com/eskrima-martial-arts/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140720011647/http://www.doceparesinternational.com/eskrima-martial-arts/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=20 July 2014|website=Doce Pares International|access-date=12 November 2014|date=28 May 2014}}</ref><ref name=InsightsPhil />

== Design ==
[[File:Filipino knives.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Bolos and related tools: '''(1)''' An all-purpose ''bolo''; '''(2)''' A ''haras'' or ''lampas'' scythe; '''(3)''' A ''[[punyal|punyál]]'' knife; '''(4)''' A small ''bolo''; '''(5)''' A ''[[guna (knife)|guna]]''; '''(6)''' A ''[[garab (sickle)|garab]]'' sickle; '''(7)''' A ''[[pinuti|pinutî]]'' sword; '''(8)''' A ''súndang'' or ''iták'' sword (also "tip bolo")]]
[[File:Krieger 1926 Philippine ethnic weapons Plate 12.png|thumb|300px|Various types of weapons usually considered "bolos" (c. 1926): '''(1)''' A [[Tagalog people|Tagalog]] ''[[iták]]''; '''(2)''' A Tagalog ''bolo''; '''(3)''' A [[Bagobo people|Bagobo]] sword; '''(4)''' A [[Visayans|Visayan]] ([[Cebu]]) ''bolo''; '''(5)''' A [[Tausug people|Tausug]] ''[[Barong (sword)|barong]]''; '''(6)''' A Visayan (Cebu) ''[[pirah]]'' sword; '''(7)''' A Bagobo sword; '''(8)''' A Bagobo ''[[kampilan]]'' sword; '''(9)''' A Visayan ([[Panay]]) ''súndang'' sword; '''(10)''' A [[Yakan people|Yakan]] ''[[pirah]]'' sword]]
A bolo is characterized by having a native [[hardwood]] or animal horn handle (such as from the [[carabao]]),<ref name=ReflectionsofAsia>{{cite web|title=Bolo Knife|url=http://www.reflectionsofasia.com/bolo.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001202231400/http://www.reflectionsofasia.com/bolo.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 December 2000|website=Reflections of Asia|access-date=12 November 2014}}</ref> a full [[tang (tools)|tang]], and a [[steel]] blade that both curves and widens, often considerably so, towards its tip.<ref name=SunStar /><ref name=InsightsPhil /> This moves the [[centre of gravity]] as far forward as possible, giving the bolo extra momentum for chopping.<ref name=ReflectionsofAsia />

So-called "jungle bolos", intended for [[combat]] rather than agricultural work, tend to be longer and less wide at the tip.<ref name=SunStar /><ref name=InsightsPhil /> Bolos for [[gardening]] usually have rounded tips.<ref name=ReflectionsofAsia />

=== Types ===
The term "bolo" has also expanded to include other traditional blades that primarily or secondarily function as agricultural implements. They include:
*'''[[Barong (knife)|Barong]]''' - a leaf-shaped sword or knife favored by the [[Tausug people]].
*'''[[Batangas sword|Batangas]]''' - a single-edged bolo of the [[Tagalog people]] that widens at the tip.
*'''[[Garab (sickle)|Garab]]''' - a [[sickle]] used for harvesting [[rice]].
*'''[[Guna (knife)|Guna]]''' or '''[[Bolo-guna]]''' - A weeding knife with a very short, wide, dull blade and a perpendicular blunt end. It is used mainly for digging roots and weeding gardens.
*'''[[Iták]]''' - a narrow sword used for combat and self-defense in the [[Tagalog people|Tagalog]] regions. Like the ''súndang'', it is also known as the "jungle bolo" or "tip bolo", and was a popular weapon during the [[Philippine Revolution]] and the [[Philippine Insurrection]].
*'''[[Haras (scythe)|Haras]]''' - a [[scythe]] used for cutting tall grass. It is called "''Lampas''" by people from Mindanao.
*'''[[Pinuti|Pinutî]]''' - a narrow sword traditionally carried as a personal weapon for combat or self-defense.
*'''[[Pirah]]''' or '''Pira''' - a wide-tipped sword or knife favored by the [[Yakan people]], it is also common in the [[Sulu Archipelago]], [[Mindanao]], and the [[Visayas]].
*'''[[Punyal|Punyál]]''' or '''Gunong''' - a dagger derivative of the ''[[kalis]]''. Used as a side-weapon in combat, or to kill and bleed pigs during [[slaughter (livestock)|slaughter]]. Also known under the more generic term ''kutsilyo'' (Spanish ''cuchillo'', "knife"). 
*'''Súndang''' - the most common personal weapon used for combat and self-defense in the [[Visayas]]. Also known as the "jungle bolo" or "tip bolo". It was a popular weapon of choice in the [[Philippine Revolution]] against the [[Spanish Empire]] and during the subsequent [[Philippine Insurrection]].
**'''Binangon''' - A form of súndang used in [[Western Visayas]] and [[Negros Island]].

== Historical significance ==
The bolo was the primary weapon used by the [[Katipunan]] during the [[Philippine Revolution]].<ref name=InsightsPhil>{{cite web|last1=Wolfgang|first1=Bethge|title=The Bolo – An indispensable Utensil in the Philippine Household|url=http://www.insights-philippines.de/bolo.htm|website=Insights-Philippines.de|access-date=12 November 2014|date=2007}}</ref><ref name=MalacanangGov /> It was also used by some Filipino [[guerrillas]] and bolomen during the [[Philippine–American War]].<ref name=SunStar /><ref name=ManilaTimes>{{cite news|last1=Mallari|first1=Perry Gil S.|title=The Bolomen of the Revolution|url=http://www.manilatimes.net/the-bolomen-of-the-revolution/104227/|access-date=12 November 2014|publisher=[[The Manila Times]]|date=14 June 2014}}</ref><ref name=InsightsPhil /><ref>{{cite web|last1=Dumindin|first1=Arnaldo|title=Philippine–American War, 1899–1902|url=http://philippineamericanwar.webs.com/thewarin19001901.htm|website=PhilippineAmericanWar|access-date=12 November 2014|date=2006}}</ref>

During [[World War I]], United States Army soldier [[Henry Johnson (World War I soldier)|Henry Johnson]] gained international fame repelling a German raid in hand-to-hand combat using a bolo.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2015/06/02/in-sad-surprise-army-learns-that-new-medal-of-honor-recipient-henry-johnson-has-no-family-left/|title=Army discovers sad surprise in family history of new Medal of Honor recipient Henry Johnson|last1=Lamothe|first1=Dan|date=2 June 2015|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=23 January 2018}}</ref>

During [[World War II]], members of the [[1st Filipino Infantry Regiment|1st Filipino Regiment]] and the [[81st Division (Philippines)|81st Division]] used bolos for [[Hand-to-hand combat|close quarters combat]], earning them the distinctive title "Moro Bolo Battalion".<ref name=InsightsPhil /><ref name=Bakitwhy>{{cite web|last1=Ruiz|first1=AJ|title=Pinoy Patriots|url=http://www.bakitwhy.com/articles/pinoy-patriots|website=Bakitwhy.com|access-date=12 November 2014|date=13 July 2012}}</ref>

On 7 December 1972, would-be assassin Carlito Dimahilig used a bolo to attack former [[First Spouse of the Philippines|First Lady]] [[Imelda Marcos]] as she appeared onstage at a live televised awards ceremony. Dimahilig stabbed Marcos in the abdomen several times, and she parried the blows with her arms. He was shot dead by security forces while she was taken to a hospital.<ref name=BookofAssassins>{{cite book|last1=Fetherling|first1=George|title=A Biographical Dictionary of the World's Assassins|date=2001|publisher=Random House Canada|location=Toronto|isbn=0-307-36909-9|edition=Unabridged.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yv2tU3yD00gC|access-date=12 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/51273933.html|title=Profiling Imelda Marcos: 10 Reasons She's Still Here|date=22 September 2010|work=Oh No They Didn't!|access-date=15 June 2013}}</ref>

== Symbolism ==
The bolo serves as a symbol for the [[Katipunan]] and the [[Philippine Revolution]], particularly the [[Cry of Pugad Lawin]]. Several [[monuments]] of [[Andres Bonifacio]], as with other notable [[Katipuneros]], depict him holding a bolo in one hand and the Katipunan flag in the other.<ref name=MalacanangGov>{{cite web|title=Imprinting Andres Bonifacio: The Iconization from Portrait to Peso|url=http://malacanang.gov.ph/2942-imprinting-andres-bonifacio-the-iconization-from-portrait-to-peso/|website=Republic of the Philippines: Presidential Museum Library|access-date=13 November 2014|date=29 November 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140911083415/http://malacanang.gov.ph/2942-imprinting-andres-bonifacio-the-iconization-from-portrait-to-peso/|archive-date=11 September 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name=FHL>{{cite web|title=The Bonifacio Monument: Hail to the Chief! |url=http://www.librarylink.org.ph/featarticle.asp?articleid=50|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031203033417/http://librarylink.org.ph/featarticle.asp?articleid=50|url-status=dead |archive-date=3 December 2003|website=Filipinas Heritage Library|publisher=The FHL Research Team|access-date=13 November 2014|date=12 November 2003}}</ref>

== Other uses of the term ==
In the [[United States Military]], the [[slang]] term "to bolo" – to fail a test, exam or evaluation, originated from the combined Philippine-American military forces including recognized guerrillas during the [[Spanish–American War]] and the [[Philippine Insurrection]]; those local soldiers and guerrillas who failed to demonstrate proficiency in marksmanship were issued bolos instead of firearms so as not to waste scarce ammunition. The lowest level of qualification for the Army Marksmanship Qualification Badge ([[Marksmanship badges (United States)]]), ‘marksman’, is unofficially known as a ‘bolo’ badge.<ref>{{cite web |title=Spanish–American War slang |url=http://www.patriotfiles.com/forum/showthread.php?p=667 |publisher=Patriotfiles.com | access-date = 2008-03-30}}</ref>

In hand-to-hand [[combat sport]]s, especially [[boxing]], the term "[[bolo punch]]" is used to describe an uppercut thrown in a manner mimicking the arcing motion of a bolo while in use.<ref>{{cite book |title=Historical Dictionary of Boxing|date = 14 November 2013|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=njefAgAAQBAJ&q=bolo+punch+dictionary&pg=PA62|publisher=Scarecrow Press, Inc |isbn = 9780810878679| access-date = 2020-06-19}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Pambansang Bantayog ni Andres Bonifacio (Bonifacio National Monument).jpg|The [[Bonifacio Monument]] in [[Caloocan]] depicting the [[Katipunan]] and the [[Philippine Revolution]]
File:2011-11-1 Bolo Knife (5375014869).jpg|Bolo given to Captain Lewis A. Kimberly, Commander of USS ''Beneica'' by the Governor of Cebu
File:Luzon igorot pinahig.JPG|A ''pinahig'' utility bolo of the [[Ifugao people]]
File:Two Man Bolo Knife.jpg|A modern bolo
File:Traditional 'bolo' (cutting knife) making (9275225915).jpg|Traditional blacksmiths forging a bolo
File:Basih weapons.jpg|War bolos from [[Basilan]], including [[gunong]] (center) and [[pirah]] (right)
File:Tagalog sungot hipon.jpg|A sinungot hipon from [[Rizal (province)]], a common traditional bolo or ''itak'' of the [[Tagalog people]]
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[Cane knife]]
* [[Dahong palay]]
* [[Golok]]
* [[Kalis]] (also called "sundang" in eastern Indonesia)
* [[Kukri]]
* [[Machete]]
* [[Operation Bolo|Operation: BOLO]], An American military operation during the Vietnam War
* [[Parang (knife)|Parang]]
{{clear}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Filipino weapons}}
{{Knives}}
{{Swords by region}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}

[[Category:Edged and bladed weapons]] 
[[Category:Knives]]
[[Category:Military knives]]
[[Category:Single-edged swords]]
[[Category:Filipino swords]]
[[Category:Philippine martial arts]]
[[Category:Weapons of the Philippines]]
[[Category:Weapons of the Philippine Army]]
[[Category:Philippine Revolution]]
[[Category:Philippine–American War]]
[[Category:World War II infantry weapons]]