Keris

By Paul Duff y

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The first keris is from Madura, which is an island off the north coast of Java. the blade makers, the empus, did not sign or date their work. So, it is perhaps best to use the Javanese system of blade classification which uses stylistic and material characters to place a blade in an historical or geographic context, (Tangguh).

I acquired this keris over thirty years ago, and I think that the blade was made in the late 19th century. The hilt and sheath are more recent, although they came with the keris when I acquired it.

This keris from Madura has 13 waves, and a pamor called trailing water weeds. I have included an illustration showing the name of features in the physical composition of the keris. These features are not present in every keris, that is up to the blade marker. However, on this one the greneng encompassing the rondah is well carved. So is the elephant trunk”, the kembang kacang on the other side of the base of the blade. There is also a prominent blumgangan. The depression at the blade base gripped between the thumb and forefinger.

The scabbard is described as solo gayaman, or informal. The hilt sits in a silver mendak, the small cup between the blade and hilt. The scabbard and the hilt are made of a burl teak, kayu jati gambol. The scabbard is encased in a silver pendock. This oversheath, like the mendak is finely worked silver. These parts are valued not only for their intrinsic worth, but also for their contribution to the colour and harmony of the ensemble.

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This second blade has 11 waves, is old and well made, showing a winged elephant carved at the kembang kacang. The carving of the rondah within the greneng is worn, but still delicate and well done. The ridge along the back of the blade (the ada ada) is well formed and is picked out in a lighter metal, probably nickel, and flows through the waves to the point of the blade.

The dress, the scabbard (wrongko) is in Ladrang or formal form. I assume it is aromatic sandalwood, taken horizontally from the crotch of a tree to accentuate the grain of the wood. The hilt is made of the same wood and is in planar form. The hilt is also finished to accentuate the beautiful grain of the wood. This hilt sits in a finely made silver mendok.

The hilts on both keris are in planar form, and both have elaborated incised designs. These small mask like faces carved in the front of the hilt, once apparently a feature indicating rank. The planar handle has a long history. One former court handlemaker said his teacher had a record from Mataram (c 1586-1755, a Javanese Islamic Kingdom which later was a protectorate of Dutch East Indies), handed down among his court predecessors, which named at least two handle types, samban (with a wayang head, and tunggaksemi (old tree trunk sprouting anew), that today identify as planer type. Possibly the planar form is a highly abstracted human figure.

I acquired the Madura keris over 30 years ago. Since then, I have learnt more about keris and life in Java and Bali.

I know these keris are in my house, with others, I am a collector living in Australia.

I had to learn about keris. I enjoy having them in my house. I experience an inner warmth when I think about my keris collection. I experience this same feeling sometimes listening to music, Keith Jarratt playing the Koln in concert, or Dame Joan Sutherland with Luciano Pavarotti at the opening of the Sydney Opera House in 1985.

These are artists who had special talents, they trained and developed these talents, Jarrett playing piano at the Kolnn concert, Sutherland and Pavarotti singing. They touch this feeling in me.

It is the same with being able to understand a keris, we need the experience, knowledge and understanding that can be learnt, but then we need that special gift that permits us to move from the world that we see into the world that we feel.

Literature

Ethnographic Arms & Armour Forum 1. 2.

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