In buffalo horn inlaid with ivory cabochons, with a decoration of Hindu influence representing a divinity of the “mahabharata”, probably the demi-god “nawa-sari” holding one arm raised to the back of his head, the left fist closed, the long curled hairs, the angry face. The handle slightly curved seems to have a little reliquary at the reverse.
Filled of surnatural powers in the javanese culture, the “kriss” or “keris” is a social emblem essential for all javanese men. Bali and the east of Java are the only places which kept their pre-Islam traditions. The hilt, called “ukiran” in javanese and “hulu” in malay, translate the “high world”, and the blade “wilah” the underground world and the “naga”. Commonly worked in wood, ivory and  gilt copper (Bali), it is less frequent to find it in horn.