Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

David · 2nd February 2007, 03:17 PM

Thanks for the link Ben. I don't suppose there is an English translation of this page. is there.

This raises an interesting question for me. We often hear people saying that this keris or that still has some "power" in it, but really that is such a vague thing to say. What exactly do we mean when we say such a thing? Not only what did it mean to the original owner of the keris, but what does it mean to us who now collect them? Is not the "power" of an old pusaka keris based on the strong link of family ties and the energy of cultural belief placed into them over the generations? What does it mean when that chain is broken? What actual "power" can a pusaka keris hold for the collector, especially if he is from outside of the culture? Can this "power" be accessed, and if so, what can it actually do?

2nd February 2007, 03:17 PM	#2
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,027	Thanks for the link Ben. I don't suppose there is an English translation of this page. is there. This raises an interesting question for me. We often hear people saying that this keris or that still has some "power" in it, but really that is such a vague thing to say. What exactly do we mean when we say such a thing? Not only what did it mean to the original owner of the keris, but what does it mean to us who now collect them? Is not the "power" of an old pusaka keris based on the strong link of family ties and the energy of cultural belief placed into them over the generations? What does it mean when that chain is broken? What actual "power" can a pusaka keris hold for the collector, especially if he is from outside of the culture? Can this "power" be accessed, and if so, what can it actually do?