English: "The gangya (guard) of a kris blade is made in such a manner that their lines flow very elegantly into the blade, never interrupting in continuity from transition from gangya proper to blade. Antique kris (kris made before 1930) were made with a separate gangya (guard) like their Malay cousins, while more modern made kris lack this feature and have gangya that are in fact integral to the blade. Some newer kris do have an engraved line to simulate the appearance of a separate gangya, but when inspected closely it is evident that this is only a cosmetic engraved line, and not a true separate gangya. However, it must be noted that often the fit of the guard on older kris is so good, and combined with age/corrosion, often the demarcation line that would indicate a separate gangya is not visible without first re-etching the blade. Kris made before the early 19th century featured a gangya that met the blade proper in a straight line. However, at some point near the early 19th century, gangya started to be made with a distinct 45-degree angle near the terminus. Opposite the hook-like fretwork on the gangya, exists a curved cavity. It has been suggested that this cavity is representative of the trunk of an elephant, others contend that it is the mouth of the naga (serpent) with the blade being the tail, and still others contend that it is in fact the open mouth of an eagle." From <http://home.earthlink.net/~federicomalibago/moroweapons.html>

In the above example, the demarcation line indicating the separate gangya (guard) can be seen.

The above kris' overall photo can be seen here <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kalis_seko_kris_moro_sword_2_overall.jpg>

The kris is a 19th century piece, and it came from the Cheney Cowles museum (Spokane, Washington).

Other uploaded materials by the same author are here:

(a) Luzon weapons; (b) Visayan weapons; (c) Moro weapons; and (d) Lumad (non-Moro Mindanao) weapons