Bontoc Pinangpanga or Tribal Pendant

Two small stylized figures stand on the upper corners, and the whole pendant is split straight down the middle.

This pinangpanga or tribal pendant is from the Bontoc peoples of Baguio, Philippines, and is contemporary, in coin silver. The pinangpanga is a traditional Cordillera form, usually described as an ancestor or fertility emblem, and its split shape is widely read as a stylized human or animal figure. This one is a broad, rounded shield of polished silver with openwork cut through the upper half. A narrow slit runs from the center to the bottom edge. It hangs on a knotted black cord. It is 1.5 inches long, 0.25 deep and 1.5 high.

An old shape still doing honest work.