little kris

[David]

Originally Posted by manteris1

the blade is 83/4", thanks all............jimmy

In that case Jimmy this might also be a "patrem", a keris made for a woman. These keris are small like this. So are talismanic keris like keris sajen (which this certainly isn't) and yes, i suppose some so-called dukun keris. So i couldn't completely discount that this keris was once a dukun keris, but i'd be more likely to call it a patrem. Patrems (like most of the so-called dukun keris i see) are also generally lower-end pieces in terms of blade quality, generally not very artistic blades. I don't know exactly why that is except that generally being a symbol of maleness perhaps it is felt that the same kind of work and attention is not necessary for a keris made for a woman. Why the same low artistic level is also true of most of the so-called dukun blades i see on the market i cannot say with any certainly though since i suspect that most of those are not in fact blades that were truly owned by any dukun that might be a clue of some sort.