Bontoc Pinangpanga or Tribal Pendant with Crab Motif

Claws up, legs out, and a slit down the middle that keeps the whole thing honest.

This pinangpanga, or tribal pendant with crab motif, is from the Bontoc peoples of Baguio, Philippines, and is contemporary, in coin silver. Split, open-ring ornaments are found throughout the northern Luzon highlands and are generally associated with fertility and prosperity, though their meanings vary from one community to the next. The silver is cast thick, with a round opening at the center and a single cut running down to the bottom edge. Curved hooks spring from the sides and top like pincers and legs. The surface has a soft, satiny wear. It is 1 inch long and 0.85 high.

A crab that keeps its claws to itself.