A Klewang (Kelewang) is large, single edge slasher, often with a blade that is somewhat or quite a bit wider near its tip. These swords are found in the Indonesian Archipelago, principally Malaysia and Borneo.
In Kalimanten (Borneo), the kelewang may be sheathed. Elsewhere in Indonesia, the klewang is always carried in hand and not in a belt. The blade might be covered with a skin or palm leaf. In Aceh, Sumatra, the “gliwang” was carried by the guards of the village datu (chief). The sword is so deadly that the colonial Dutch government imposed a rule forbidding the carry of these swords.
