ITS GOOD TO KNOW WHERE THE LEGEND WAS FIRST WRITTEN DOWN THE WRITER MOST LIKELY HEARD IT FROM SOMEONE SO IT MAY HAVE EVOLVED IN THE CULTURE ITSELF RATHER THAN BEEN MADE UP BY AN OUTSIDER.
I AGREE WITH ALAN THIS WOULD MOST LIKELY BE CONSIDERED A TOMBOK THOUGH THE KERIS STYLE HANDLE IS NOT TYPICAL FOR MOST TOMBOK I HAVE SEEN.
THERE IS PROBABLY A LARGE VARIETY OF THESE ODD KNIVES MADE FROM BITS OF OLD PARMOR OR BROKEN KERIS AND SPEAR BLADES. THESE WERE NO DOUBT POPULAR WITH PEOPLE WHO COULD NOT AFFORD TO HAVE A MORE EXPENSIVE KERIS MADE BY A PANDAY. THEY WOULD NOT BE COLLECTED BY THOSE INTERESTED IN KERIS AS THEY WILL NOT HAVE AS HIGH A STATIS IN THE SOCIETY. IF THEY WERE IN COMMON USE FOR WORK THE OLDER ONES WOULD LIKELY BE WORN OUT AND SCRAPPED WHEN STEEL WORK KNIVES BECAME INEXPENSIVE AND EASILY OBTAINED. SOME MAY HAVE BEEN KEPT AS A SORT OF TAILSMAN OR FAMILY HEIRLOOM.
WHEN I FIRST READ ABOUT THE KERIS I FOUND THE MANY LEGENDS ABOUT THEM VERY INTERESTING. KERIS WERE SAID TO BE MADE OF METEOR IRON AND POISONED AND THERE WERE MANY MAGICAL POWERS ASSOCIATED WITH THEM. SINCE THEN I HAVE LEARNED THESE THINGS WERE NOT EXACTLY TRUE. THERE WERE KERIS MADE USING A METEOR BUT WERE ONLY A FEW IN NUMBER. THE ODD TEXTURE OF THE BLADES RESULTING FROM THE TECKNIQUE USED TO MAKE THEM. THE POSION MAY HAVE BEEN FROM THE DEEP RAGGED NATURE OF THE WOUNDS AND INFECTION IN THE TROPICS. THE INFORMATION THAT ARSENIC WAS USED TO STAIN BLADES AND THE USE OF POSIONS ON SOME WEAPONS IN THAT PART OF THE WORLD WOULD ADD TO THE BELIEF. NO DOUBT THERE ARE A LOT OF SMALL COMMON KNIVES AROUND THAT PART OF THE WORLD, BUT THERE IS LITTLE INTEREST IN COLLECTING OR CATALOGING THEM.
DON'T TAKE THIS AS REFRENCE BUT AS INTERESTING INFORMATION WITH A BIT OF CONJECTURE.
