Artwork Page for Sword (Kalis or Sundang)

Details / Information for Sword (Kalis or Sundang)

Sword (Kalis or Sundang)

before 1916

Philippines

Medium
Blade: metal; grip: brass ferrule and silver wire; pommel: ivory
Measurements
Overall: 79.8 cm (31 7/16 in.); Blade: 60.4 x 3.9 cm (23 3/4 x 1 9/16 in.); Handle: 18 x 20 x 7.8 cm (7 1/16 x 7 7/8 x 3 1/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of J. H. Wade 1916.744
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

The asang-asang (“fish gill”) clamps at the blade’s base stabilize it while referencing the purifying quality attributed to fish gills.

Description

This sword features a long kalis blade with a straight profile and deep fuller running nearly the entire length. The hilt terminates in an enormous ivory pommel, a prestige marker associated with high-ranking ownership in the Sulu and Lake Lanao regions. The commanding blade, functional and symbolic clamps, silver-braided grip, and pommel identify this as an exceptional example of elite Moro weaponry used among the Tausug or Maranao groups in the southern Philippines.
Kris, a sword with an asymmetrical, triangular base extending into a straight, silver metal blade with a rounded tip. The blade's triangular base cuts off into jagged edges on one side. A cylindrical hilt alternates between bronze colored and braided black bands, topped by a a light-yellow-brown piece that extends out in a diagonal flattened "S" shape. Two pieces of dark-bronze metal flank the hilt and fasten around the blade's base.

Sword (Kalis or Sundang)

before 1916

Philippines

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