Nicolas (right) counters his opponent’s high line attack with a left hand check and a direct slash of the kris on the arm.
The kris is among the many types of swords and daggers endemic in the southern Muslim part of the Philippines. By a wider definition, the kris (also called keris) is the most popular bladed weapon of the Malay world. In his book The Kris Mystic Weapon of The Malay World Edward Frey wrote, “The kris is the distinctive weapon of Malaysia and Indonesia. These countries form the geographical and cultural area once referred to as the Malay world. The kris is found in a variety of forms ranging from northern Sumatra and Malaysia and to far-distant Mindanao in the Philippines.”