Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

David · 27th May 2008, 07:29 PM

Firstly Parong, everybody here gets respected, whether they are a master of using the keris as a weapon or not. I suggest you get agrasp of that or your stay here will be regrettably short.

I certainly agree with you that keris martial arts are not generally taught in Indonesian schools of silat. This does not, however, indicate that Indo keris were never used as weapons, that they weren't originally created to be a weapon. The keris in these area did evolve into more of a status and talismanic weapon, especially in Jawa. Other islands such as Bali and Sulawesi certainly used keris as a weapon much closer to the present. I have many examples that i assure you are weapon-ready. The history of the keris is not necessarily what your silat instructors have taught you. They have taught you what the keris in these regions have become, not what they were or what their original intention was.
You are also just a bit assuming that there are no silat students among the membership here. I can assure you that there are. I am sure most of the collectors here are familar with the proper grip for a keris and a few are also familiar with how to use them. However, this is not a silat board. This is a forum for collectors. If you have a problem with that, please move on. Please do not continue to further disrespect the members of this board with your admittedly rude manner. You are welcome to disagree with anyone's viewpoint, but in a civil and respectful way.

27th May 2008, 07:29 PM	#19
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,023	Firstly Parong, everybody here gets respected, whether they are a master of using the keris as a weapon or not. I suggest you get agrasp of that or your stay here will be regrettably short. I certainly agree with you that keris martial arts are not generally taught in Indonesian schools of silat. This does not, however, indicate that Indo keris were never used as weapons, that they weren't originally created to be a weapon. The keris in these area did evolve into more of a status and talismanic weapon, especially in Jawa. Other islands such as Bali and Sulawesi certainly used keris as a weapon much closer to the present. I have many examples that i assure you are weapon-ready. The history of the keris is not necessarily what your silat instructors have taught you. They have taught you what the keris in these regions have become, not what they were or what their original intention was. You are also just a bit assuming that there are no silat students among the membership here. I can assure you that there are. I am sure most of the collectors here are familar with the proper grip for a keris and a few are also familiar with how to use them. However, this is not a silat board. This is a forum for collectors. If you have a problem with that, please move on. Please do not continue to further disrespect the members of this board with your admittedly rude manner. You are welcome to disagree with anyone's viewpoint, but in a civil and respectful way.