Object Name: Ginuttu

Provenance: Kiangan, Ifugao
Shell, rattan, mother of pearl, conus shell
MK Collection

The ginuttu is a belt exclusively worn by male Ifugao kadangyan. It is made of numerous buttons, gradually decreasing in size, carved out from giant clams (Tridacna gigas). The ginuttu serves as a sword belt and is worn over the loincloth, with the end hanging loose on the left side. On one end of the belt hangs the portaika (wooden sheath) which holds a bolo (machete). A centerpiece of the belt is a buckle, called upod, that is also made from shell. Its use is limited to certain occasions such as weddings and funerals (Maramba 1998, 126).