Gavin, I'm pretty firmly in the camp that believes in the concept that all peoples, societies, cultures own their own culture.
What I have been taught by people who actively participate in Javanese culture is that it is disrespectful to keep an old blade in damaged and/or inferior dress.
The keris is not to be regarded as some sort of generic artefact that has been frozen in time, rather it should be regarded as a living entity & treated with the respect that is due to a living entity.
Added to this more or less general perspective there is the perspective of Empu Suparman, who in addition to upholding the "living entity" perspective added to that the belief that failure to respect and maintain a keris in proper dress & condition was immensely disrespectful to the maker of that keris.
We do not have the right to adopt the attitude that we own any keris, we do not and cannot own a keris. All we have is the obligation to care for a keris as long as it is in our own custody. That concept of "care" is similar to the way in which we might care for a family member.
If we have any love & respect for our family members we do not dress them in rags and fail to provide soap & water, nor do we deny them food.
At the moment you are blessed with the opportunity to care for this quite beautiful keris. You should consider yourself fortunate.
|