This little nasty is a "keris" (or, alternatively, a "kris"). These are from Southeast Asia (Java, Philippines, Bali, etc.). It is said that they were sometimes made for killing one single specific target. That's it. An example commission may have gone something like this:
Guy:"I need to get back at that fellow who slighted me by stealing my pigs and courting my daughter."
Knife maker:"Would you like be to make you a really sharp and sinister looking knife, imbued with the necessary magic to kill that fellow and him specifically, for you to regain your lost honor?"
Guy:"Uh, OK...but only if you put into it your finest craftsmanship using the best available materials - after all, this knife must find my enemy's heart without fail. And I'm willing to pay quite a lot for it".
Knife maker:"OK, come back in about eight months, and I should have your order ready."
So much for the seven day "cooling off" period...
The Wikipedia entry on them goes into far more detail on this than I ever could...
I'm not up on the arcane details of determining age or country of origin - the blade of this one appears to be of much older vintage than the handle or the brass and wood scabbard. It's a bit thin for use as a serious weapon - this one may have been ceremonial or intended for a single use (a.k.a. assassination). The blade has a "Damascus" type patterning typical of these knives. Overall, this whole piece is about 17" long.
It is worth noting how tightly the blade fits this scabbard - the photo below does not really do the fit justice. It fits such that extraction is very easy, yet there is no lateral movement of the keris once sheathed...
Just after this image was taken I snicked my finger with the edge of the blade, so maybe I have to retract my earlier statement about it not being a serious weapon. Perhaps I slighted some Javanese guy by stealing his pigs and/or messing around with his daughter. Ouch...
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