Dagger

Dagger with straight, thin blade with some watery patterning (pamor). Bent, faceted wood handle (“young shoot in tree trunk”) with two carvings on the inner side, possibly the stylized representations of masks or monster (kala) faces. The metal ring between the blade and the handle is decorated with beading top and bottom and bands of prongs and balls in between. One of a class of daggers called kris, defined by the widening at one side of the blade base. Kris are not only weapons but also works of art and objects of mythical, ritual, and ceremonial significance: in 2005, UNESCO gave the title “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity” to the kris of Indonesia.