YES, IT IS VERY DEFINITELY AN OLD KERIS. IT IS IN VERY BAD CONDITION, BUT IT IS AN OLD KERIS, AND BEFORE IT BECAME SO BADLY DEGRADED, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A FAIRLY ATTRACTIVE KERIS. FROM WHAT I CAN SEE IN THE PHOTO, IT LOOKS AS IF IT COULD BE PAJAJARAN, BUT TO CORRECTLY READ THE INDICATORS OF TANGGUH,IT IS OFTEN NECESSARY TO HANDLE A BLADE.THE CONTRASTING PAMOR MATERIAL IN YOUR KERIS PROBABLY IS WHITE IRON.
THE WORD "PUSAKA" MEANS, IN BROAD TERMS, "HEIRLOOM", BUT IT IS APPLIED COLLOQUIALLY TO KERIS, TOMBAK, AND OTHER WESI AJI TO MEAN THE ACTUAL BLADE OF THE KERIS OR TOMBAK.
WHEN THE WORD IS USED IN A FORMAL SENSE , IT HAS AN IMPLICATION THAT GOES BEYOND THE IDEA WE ASSOCIATE WITH THE IDEA OF HEIRLOOM. A PUSAKA KERIS IS A KERIS WHICH BELONGS WITHIN A KINSHIP GROUP, AND DESCENDS FROM ONE GENERATION TO THE NEXT. IT IS BELIEVED TO TIE THE CURRENT HOLDER OF THE KERIS TO HIS FOREBEARS, AND ALSO TO THE OTHER MEMBERS OF HIS KINSHIP GROUP.IT CAN BE REGARDED AS A COSMIC CONNECTOR THAT JOINS PAST AND PRESENT IN ONE DIMENSION, AND ALL IN A KINSHIP GROUP IN THE PRESENT DIMENSION.
A PUSAKA DOES NOT NEED TO BE AN ITEM OF WESI AJI, IT CAN BE A RICE POT, A SADDLE, OR EVEN A BUILDING.
A JAVANESE RULER NEEDS TO HAVE POSSESSION OF THE ROYAL PUSAKAS TO LEGITIMISE HIS RULE.
THE CLOTH BAG IS CALLED A SINGAP. IT IS THE WAY IN WHICH JAVANESE KERIS ARE NORMALLY STORED. EVEN WHEN A KERIS IS STORED IN A SPECIAL KERIS CHEST, IT WILL NORMALLY BE PLACED IN A SINGAP FIRST.
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