[A. G. Maisey]

A long time ago, back when I was still in Keris Kindergarten, I was wandering around the environs of the Jogja kraton with a guide and I noted the keris that an abdi dalem who had stopped to talk to us was wearing.

At that time I did not speak nor understand Bahasa Indonesia, and I did not understand one hell of a lot of other things too.

I asked my guide in English if it might be possible for the gentleman who was speaking with us (in Javanese) to let me have a look at his keris. I had in my mind that if this keris measured up to my very ignorant & misguided standards of that time in my life, I would make him an offer for it that he could not refuse.

My guide blanched under his very good natural suntan and carefully explained to me that such a request would be understood by the abdi dalem as an insult, it could make him very angry, and it would be best if I said no more about this subject.

Later in my education I found that serious Javanese people do not permit anybody other than close family and close friends to lay eyes upon a personal keris. By "keris" I mean the blade, it is the blade that is a sacred object, the dress bears a similar relationship to the blade as clothes do to a man.

Photographs of personal keris are anathema. In Javanese culture such requests are invariably refused.

In collector culture, quite the opposite is true.

One either observes the standards of one culture, or of the other.

Personally, I do not permit photographs of my own personal kerises to be seen by people other than those whom I believe will keep the photographs to themselves.

It is generally accepted that it is very unwise to allow others to see a personal keris, or photos of a personal keris, until such time as one takes the decision to move that keris to a new custodian.