[Sajen]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

Don't be too convinced Sirek.

Yes, Pak Ganja calls it adeg tiga, and if I picked it up somewhere and I was talking to somebody about it, I'd call it it adeg tiga.

But adeg tiga is Indonesian.

adeg means standing (amongst other meanings) in both Javanese and Indonesian, but tiga means three in Indonesian only, not in Javanese.


So what does somebody who is Javanese-Javanese call it?

What is it called in Central Jawa as opposed to Jakarta as opposed to East Jawa as opposed to the North Coast?

What if somebody decides that it does not quite conform exactly to adeg tiga parameters in some way and wants to call it something else entirely?

One of the great products of this classification business associated with keris is that it is a wonderful generator of conversation and discussion. Effectively you can discuss all day and be no more knowledgeable at the the time you go to bed than you were when you woke up, but you have managed to fill the day with talk.

I've just about reached the point where I'm prepared to accept any name or any classification, provided that the reference is given. What I mean by this is that I look askance at an opinion that is not backed up by reference to some generally accepted source.

So, we have the situation here where Pak Ganja and I agree, but if Pak Ganja said it was adeg tiga, and I called it some name that he had never heard of, he would be quite justified in asking what my reference was.

If I said that I'd learnt this name from a book on cake decorating that my wife had, well, that would say it all, wouldn't it?

But what if I said, well, that's what we call it in my village.

Then Pak Ganja would store this other name away as an alternative used in one place.

However, when it comes down to appraisal as an art work, only one name should be applied, and that is the name used under the aegis of a karaton.

It's now late in the evening here in Germany and I have had a hard day. By reading your post I have to laugh maybe the first time this day!

Thank you for that Alan,

Detlef