Cleveland Museum of Art

Sword (Kalis or Sundang)

Date

before 1916

Medium

Blade: metal; grip: brass ferrule and silver wire; pommel: ivory

Culture

Philippines, Mindanao

Department

Oceania

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

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

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