Dagger

Dagger with straight blade, watery pattering (pamor). Guard at top of blade (ganja) is detached. Bent, faceted Javanese-style 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 has a circle of tiny beads and a band of larger balls. Tuft of coarse black hair beween ring and hilt. 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.