Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

A. G. Maisey · 8th August 2008, 07:10 AM

This is an interesting question, Rick.

But I think it is one for which we cannot find an answer.

The concept of dhapur as we know it today is probably a Javanese one. The various dhapurs conform to parameters that are laid down in guidebooks (pakem) , and the most authoratative pakems are held to be those that originate from a kraton.

I rather suspect that the names applied to Javanese keris dhapur are not applicable to Balinese keris.

Keris Lombok, by Djelenga, is probably the best guide we have to Balinese keris, and he does not go into the subject of dhapur.

I guess that we could always work through the various ricikan and affix a suitable dhapur name to a Balinese keris, but this would not be accurate in Balinese terms.

To be honest, I personally avoid the use of dhapur names, except for the ones that just about everybody seems to agree on--you can't get into too much trouble with tilam upih or brojol, but its another story entirely with dhapur anoman, and some others.

8th August 2008, 07:10 AM	#2
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,697	This is an interesting question, Rick. But I think it is one for which we cannot find an answer. The concept of dhapur as we know it today is probably a Javanese one. The various dhapurs conform to parameters that are laid down in guidebooks (pakem) , and the most authoratative pakems are held to be those that originate from a kraton. I rather suspect that the names applied to Javanese keris dhapur are not applicable to Balinese keris. Keris Lombok, by Djelenga, is probably the best guide we have to Balinese keris, and he does not go into the subject of dhapur. I guess that we could always work through the various ricikan and affix a suitable dhapur name to a Balinese keris, but this would not be accurate in Balinese terms. To be honest, I personally avoid the use of dhapur names, except for the ones that just about everybody seems to agree on--you can't get into too much trouble with tilam upih or brojol, but its another story entirely with dhapur anoman, and some others.