This polearm is a variation of a barbed spear from Northern Luzon in the Philippines called the Igorot Falfeg. The Falfeg is an ordinary war spear with a single pair of barbs. This spear has 7 pairs of barbs and it is called the Sinalawatan. It is not used in war or hunting but is valued solely as a protection from anito, or evil spirits. When a man goes alone into the mountains the anito are very apt to trouble him. If, however, he carries one of these spears they will not molest him as they are afraid of the formidable array of barbs. The more barbs, the more effective the spear. This Sinalawatan has a hardwood haft with a diameter of 2.2 cm. The forged iron head and ferrule has a length of 42 cm and the head is loose in the haft. The butt end is tapered and without a metal spike. Very nice condition with a fine patina. Probably from 1915-1925. This item was purchased from the Fagan Arms catalog in the 1990s.. Because of it's length, it would be very difficult to ship this item overseas.. Length = 178 cm ; Weight = 810 gm

This artifact is from the estate of Dain Torguson. The family will use the proceeds from the sale of this artifact to display a sculpture crafted by Dain in a public library in Rapid City, North Dakota.