New User Introduction/Question for all

[Raja Muda]

Being a Malay, the keris is part and parcel of my nation's culture and history. On one hand, it is the ethnic sidearm of our people, just as the Dha is that of the Thais and the Kukri for the Gurkhas.
For many of us, the keris is often intertwined with some family tradition, as even today, some keris and other traditional weapons are still passed down from father to son as in the old days, often with half remembered, half forgotten lore attached to it. Some people collect keris to delight themselves in the aesthetics, while others are interested in its innate spiritual qualities. Personally, I started collecting in an effort to replace a keris panjang and a tumbuk lada, as well as several other pieces owned by my maternal grandfather, which has been dispersed amongst family members. Sure, nothing beats owning a real pusaka of your own but I felt i had to start somewhere.
In this part of the world, there's still plenty of old people who could speak at length on the subject.