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Old 3rd May 2020, 06:35 PM   #2
David
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Location: Nova Scotia
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Well, it's not a bad question Mickey. I would say however the reality, in this situation, the only issue to be at all concerned about would indeed be the copyright issue. A keris you own is not the same as a fiancé you have broken off an engagement with. It is your property now, so showing images of that keris if you choose to do so should not be a matter of ethics or morals. The photograph, however, may be considered the property of the person who took it. I would say that in most cases there would probably be no issue since the photograph was probably taken as a tool to sell the keris and the sell could probably not care any less what you do with it at this point. But it would indeed be good practice to check with them first. I speak these words not without any experience in these matters as i am, myself, a professional photographer so i am stating a professional option here, for whatever that is worth.
In a reverse scenario, where you have photographs YOU have taken of a keris that you have since sold and wish to show those images in a public forum, that might be more of an ethical question, but not really a legal one. The photographs are legally yours and a keris is not considered a "person" under most legal systems i am aware of, but it would probably be a good courtesy to ask the new owner of that keris if it was alright to publish those images since that person might now consider that keris their own private matter. Kind of like your wife's old boyfriend posting naked photos of her that he took on the internet, but not quite, since again a keris is not a person by law. But it would be good manners to ask first.
But to answer what the "traditional, moral, and ethical perspective in 'the home of the keris'" actually is, that is probably a more complicated question. Times have certainly changed. A lot. And i suppose we would need to examine that from the perspective of both time periods and geographic location to give any specific answers here. I would say that at one time it would probably have been unheard of, or at least considered extremely gauche, for someone to be very public with showing off their keris blade, let alone publishing photographs of it on an international public venue such as the internet provides. In a cultural sense the keris is a personal object of power, representative of not only the owner himself, but if keris pusaka, his entire kinship group. The dress is meant to be viewed in public, but not the blade itself. I would suspect that in days past you would only show your keris blade to people that you were very close and comfortable with. But i am speaking about the keris as it served as a cultural icon, not as a collectable. In the keris collecting world we have all types of people form all different cultures who view and interact with this object in very different ways. This is even true of collectors who are themselves a part of the Javanese or over all Indonesian cultures. For some it is a collection of deep spiritual significance, for others it is just a collection of art objects or a way to collect wealth. For some it is all of these things simultaneously. We live in a modernized world and many people in Indonesia have either by want or circumstance become rather Westernized, for better or for worse. So there are indeed many Javanese collectors who don't think twice about showing off parts or even all of their collections in online forums. But there are still people within those cultures who would find this inappropriate.
What you note about Alan's practice is a decision to take to heart the old school approach to the keris, so if Alan isn't selling a keris in his collection he does not show the blades. This is a practice that i expect was instilled into him through his apprenticeships and contact with people in high-level traditional Javanese society.
To a certain extent i have also embraced this idea of the privacy of one's keris blades, though not to the great extent that Alan has. I have many keris where i have freely shown images of the blade, but i do maintain a private sector of my collection that i am only wiling to show to people i know well. I must say that i don't particularly see any need for or make any judgements about people living outside of the world of keris cultures who show their blades freely. As a Western collector there is no reason why i should feel these blades should be kept private for any cultural or spiritual reasons. Still, sorry to say, but there are keris in my collection you will probably never see posted in this forum. That said, what others do is their own business.
Of course all this does indeed make discussing the keris and our collections difficult at best. Many collectors such as myself don't live in regions where they have keris clubs or other opportunities to view keris in person. We rely on people who are willing to show parts of their collections so that we can approach any meaningful discussion about these blades. Image what it would be like to have a keris forum were no one was willing to show their keris blades. Though photos on a computer screen are certainly not the best way to view a keris it certainly beats a complete blackout of images. So i am grateful to all of those willing to share their collections so openly even if do still withhold a portion of mine.
I do still find it odd when i do see an Javanese person post photos of keris that they say is their family pusaka. I have found that in recent years the concept and meaning of the word "pusaka" seems to be changing somewhat, or at least widening, but i tend to hold onto an old school interpretation of that word. But again, it is a new age and old traditions seem to be fading away. Many collectors from outside the culture that i encounter these days seem to believe that they can own someone's pusaka. The very word "pusaka" has become a selling point in many keris sales, a keyword to spark and encourage interest in the keris for sale. While i do see that someone's keris pusaka can indeed be sold, i am afraid that i do not understand how someone else's pusaka can then become their own. A part of their collections, yes, but still maintain it's status as pusaka? That confuses me. But i do think that maybe i have become a little sidetracked and am now off the general topic you intended for this thread.
These are, of course, just my opinions. Others may think differently on these questions. Your mileage may vary.

Last edited by David; 5th May 2020 at 12:59 AM.
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