This is not a Tagalog word. It is a term from the language of the Bontoc Igorots.
pawit: long tail of ax blade
This term was in use in the early 20th century and was recorded by Americans three times between 1906 and 1917.
Igorot, or Cordillerans, is the collective name of several Austronesian ethnic groups in the Philippines, who inhabit the mountains of Luzon. These highland peoples inhabit all the six provinces of the Cordillera Administrative Region: Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Kalinga, Ifugao, and Mountain Province, as well as the adjacent provinces.
The Bontoc people live on the banks of the Chico River in the Central Mountain Province on the island of Luzon.
