Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

David · 6th March 2019, 08:43 PM

I watched the entire video. Very nice Pusaka, thank you for posting it. It may be one of the most detailed presentations i've seen in youtube videos on the process of making keris. It's a shame that i don't speak the language and could only understand certain key keris terms that were used throughout, but the visuals were informative.
I also noted the use of the metal scribe being used early in the process in that video. As i stated before, it is not at all surprising to me to see this. You asked me earlier if i was aware of the term "Rerajahan" before you brought up this topic. While the term was not completely familiar to me, the practice most certainly is. Similar processes are enacted in the creation of talismanic objects across all cultures. The letters, sigils and mantras might differ, but the application and desired result is basically the same. So while it is nice to see a video of a keris pande actually performing this aspect of empowering the material used in the early stages of keris creation it is not at all surprising to me. No one here has argued that this is not a part of the process.
It is also nice that you seem to have found the word "Rerajahan" in conjunction with keris being used in Jawa. My internet searches on that front came up empty. As you noted, i am not sure if it is understood in the same context in Islamic culture since in the interview his response was that one must know the "Rerajahan Keris text which explains the requirements to become a master or cleric.". Given the confusion of online translators it's hard to say exactly what their understanding of the term is, though i would be surprised to find Islamic empus using Vedic mantras and symbols in the making of keris. As you stated before, they may well have substituted passaged from the Quoran instead.
What i wonder now that you feel you have established that Rerajahan was and perhaps still is a part of the process for making a spiritual keris, where you would like to take this discussion? I seriously doubt we will be able to go into much detail on the specifics of the practice, nor, if we could that we even should. So what should we be learning here?

6th March 2019, 08:43 PM	#23
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,026	I watched the entire video. Very nice Pusaka, thank you for posting it. It may be one of the most detailed presentations i've seen in youtube videos on the process of making keris. It's a shame that i don't speak the language and could only understand certain key keris terms that were used throughout, but the visuals were informative. I also noted the use of the metal scribe being used early in the process in that video. As i stated before, it is not at all surprising to me to see this. You asked me earlier if i was aware of the term "Rerajahan" before you brought up this topic. While the term was not completely familiar to me, the practice most certainly is. Similar processes are enacted in the creation of talismanic objects across all cultures. The letters, sigils and mantras might differ, but the application and desired result is basically the same. So while it is nice to see a video of a keris pande actually performing this aspect of empowering the material used in the early stages of keris creation it is not at all surprising to me. No one here has argued that this is not a part of the process. It is also nice that you seem to have found the word "Rerajahan" in conjunction with keris being used in Jawa. My internet searches on that front came up empty. As you noted, i am not sure if it is understood in the same context in Islamic culture since in the interview his response was that one must know the "Rerajahan Keris text which explains the requirements to become a master or cleric.". Given the confusion of online translators it's hard to say exactly what their understanding of the term is, though i would be surprised to find Islamic empus using Vedic mantras and symbols in the making of keris. As you stated before, they may well have substituted passaged from the Quoran instead. What i wonder now that you feel you have established that Rerajahan was and perhaps still is a part of the process for making a spiritual keris, where you would like to take this discussion? I seriously doubt we will be able to go into much detail on the specifics of the practice, nor, if we could that we even should. So what should we be learning here?