Friday Photo: Balinese Kris

This is Empu Nyoman Punduh, a kris-maker in Kintamani, Bali, with his masterpiece. The Balinese kris is central to the culture. A young man gets his first kris aged around 15, when he has his tooth-filing ceremony; priests, healers and magicians use them in their rituals; the pecalang, or village police, carry them on duty. They’re beautiful objects, crafted just with hammer and tongs: this one has gold in the alloy and jewels on the hilt. Nyoman worked on it for two whole years.