Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

A. G. Maisey · 26th March 2019, 10:04 PM

Nik, over the time I have been a contributor to this Forum I have made it clear that I will not show a blade of a keris, or other item of tosan aji that I regard as a part of my personal collection. I could probably write a 5000 word essay on why I feel that it is improper to display one's personal possessions, and I could give reasons based in my own Australian/Irish culture, reasons based in Chinese culture, with which I have a strong connection, and reasons based in Javanese culture.

But I'm not going to write that essay. David has covered some of my rationale in his post # 12; in this thread, post 14,

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=24790

Jean raised a similar matter, and I responded in this way:-

Jean, any keris that a person regards as his keris should only be shown to another person subject to certain restrictions. These restrictions very definitely apply to me, but to you and other collectors who are outside the culture of the keris the restrictions do not apply. When I was accepted for training by Empu Suparman I lost a lot of the freedoms that I might otherwise have had. I have certain commitments to fulfil, certain obligations and a very strict code of ethics. These things do not apply to you.

Reduced to bare minimums, this is probably the most accurate answer I can give. I could give a multitude of examples to re-enforce that answer, but when it gets right down to the bone, that is the reason.

Now, as for the keris culture of the present day, as it is practiced in a multitude of places. I am most definitely not a part of that culture, and I will never be.

As for images viewed on a computer screen being a good way to learn about keris, I'm sorry, but although it may be possible to gain some extremely superficial knowledge that relates only to form, it is simply not possible in my opinion to learn much that is worthwhile about the Keris from an image on a computer screen --- and even less, as is increasingly the case, from an image on a hand phone (mobile, cell, or whatever else one may call these inventions of Satan).

But I guess, in the final analysis it all comes down to one simple thing:- if one needs to ask a question like this, one will never understand the answer.

26th March 2019, 10:04 PM	#17
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,700	Nik, over the time I have been a contributor to this Forum I have made it clear that I will not show a blade of a keris, or other item of tosan aji that I regard as a part of my personal collection. I could probably write a 5000 word essay on why I feel that it is improper to display one's personal possessions, and I could give reasons based in my own Australian/Irish culture, reasons based in Chinese culture, with which I have a strong connection, and reasons based in Javanese culture. But I'm not going to write that essay. David has covered some of my rationale in his post # 12; in this thread, post 14, http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=24790 Jean raised a similar matter, and I responded in this way:- Jean, any keris that a person regards as his keris should only be shown to another person subject to certain restrictions. These restrictions very definitely apply to me, but to you and other collectors who are outside the culture of the keris the restrictions do not apply. When I was accepted for training by Empu Suparman I lost a lot of the freedoms that I might otherwise have had. I have certain commitments to fulfil, certain obligations and a very strict code of ethics. These things do not apply to you. Reduced to bare minimums, this is probably the most accurate answer I can give. I could give a multitude of examples to re-enforce that answer, but when it gets right down to the bone, that is the reason. Now, as for the keris culture of the present day, as it is practiced in a multitude of places. I am most definitely not a part of that culture, and I will never be. As for images viewed on a computer screen being a good way to learn about keris, I'm sorry, but although it may be possible to gain some extremely superficial knowledge that relates only to form, it is simply not possible in my opinion to learn much that is worthwhile about the Keris from an image on a computer screen --- and even less, as is increasingly the case, from an image on a hand phone (mobile, cell, or whatever else one may call these inventions of Satan). But I guess, in the final analysis it all comes down to one simple thing:- if one needs to ask a question like this, one will never understand the answer.