KRIS | KERIS KALIS | SUNDANG/Tausug/Maguindanao/Maranao/Iranun Population
TEMPERED IDENTITY
Along with the kampilan, the kris is probably one of the Bangsamoro blade types that captured the popular imagination. It has become so iconic and has grown to represent the authority & very identity of the Bangsamoro. In general, the kris comes in two basic shapes, the wavy and the straight. In Sulu, the wavy type is called kalis seko (elbow) and the straight is kalis tulid (straight). The sinuous types have subtypes according to the number of elbows or bends in the blade. Preference is given to the blades with odd numbered bends—three, five, seven and nine. In some hybrid types called kalis tulid seko/kalis taluseko in Tausug, the upper half is sinuous and the lower half is straight. A shared heritage among our Southeast Asian neighbors, the kris has many variations throughout maritime Southeast Asia. It is known as keris in the Malay region, similar to the Sulu kalis. Among the Samal of Sulu Province, the preferred term is katai. Among the Maranao and Maguindanao, it is sondang/sundang, also a generic term for large single-edged blades in the Philippines. This kris demonstrates how it changed from a dagger intended for stabbing into a sword used for cutting. The tang, which was round and thin in older versions, became square and sturdier to avoid rotation when slashing, and from fracturing when hitting another weapon. Later on, the kris also increased in length and weight to match the swords from other cultures, like the ones used by the Spanish conquistadores of the Philippines. The wavy blade is interpreted as the undulating body of a Naga (the mythical serpent or dragon). It is also engraved with a plant/vine motif. Many Moros feel that the horse-hoof shape is the ideal kris handle. To them, the motif symbolizes the equine qualities of sharpness, strength, and stability—the attributes most admired in a warrior.