Cute but what is it really?

A. G. Maisey · 13th November 2016, 05:28 AM

Marcus, I understand that you might believe that your tour guide contact in Bali is a very good source of local information, however, it is recognised by those people who have had long and intimate experience with Bali and Jawa that the information that any outsider receives from local people is information that must be checked and cross checked numerous times before it can be accepted as being even remotely accurate. In my 50 year experience it is seldom accurate.

In all of my more than 100 visits to Bali, I have never seen any knife that is at all like this one, and when I'm in Bali, I immerse myself in knives, keris and all associated matters.

This knife is not at all like any current production general purpose Balinese knife, nor any from past times that I have seen.

Your tour guide might be right, and I might be wrong, but I do suggest that you list his opinion with all other opinions and check and cross check before you accept any opinion as correct.

One thing I will add is this:- there is no way on God's Green Earth that this knife can be referred to as a keris. The word selet alone means "in its sheath", "se" is a prefix that means "with" in this context, so "seselet" means "with sheath".:- " keris with sheath".

Not in my book.

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13th November 2016, 05:28 AM	#12
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,992	Marcus, I understand that you might believe that your tour guide contact in Bali is a very good source of local information, however, it is recognised by those people who have had long and intimate experience with Bali and Jawa that the information that any outsider receives from local people is information that must be checked and cross checked numerous times before it can be accepted as being even remotely accurate. In my 50 year experience it is seldom accurate. In all of my more than 100 visits to Bali, I have never seen any knife that is at all like this one, and when I'm in Bali, I immerse myself in knives, keris and all associated matters. This knife is not at all like any current production general purpose Balinese knife, nor any from past times that I have seen. Your tour guide might be right, and I might be wrong, but I do suggest that you list his opinion with all other opinions and check and cross check before you accept any opinion as correct. One thing I will add is this:- there is no way on God's Green Earth that this knife can be referred to as a keris. The word selet alone means "in its sheath", "se" is a prefix that means "with" in this context, so "seselet" means "with sheath".:- " keris with sheath". Not in my book.