DOEHOENG KASOENDAN (A Soenda Perspective)

[jagabuwana]

Haha, might need more stamps in my passport to get away with that one.

I should add that the reason "duhung" is archaic in everyday Sundanese usage is likely because the keris has little to no significance to Sundanese people nowadays (where it once used to, though of course not anywhere close to its importance in Javanese culture), and therefore very few would really care or pick up on it if you referred to someone else's duhung as a "keris".

Interestingly, the only thing referred to as "duhung" at the Prabu Geusan Ulun museum in Sumedang is a badik, and the keris are just called keris.

If I recall correctly, I think Eiseman in Sekala and Niskala mentioned that it the keris , at least where he lived in Bali, was almost never referred to as "keris" but as words that were euphemisms for it, out of respect for the power and place of the object in society and culture, and that these euphemisms were "high" Balinese.

[A. G. Maisey]

It is a characteristic of Javanese & Balinese language patterns to use euphemisms to refer to anything at all that might be a little, let us say, "touchy". There are euphemisms spread right through keris terminology.

In Javanese there are a number of names for the keris, and they refer to the keris in various situations, probably so in Old Javanese as well, but we cannot be certain of this.

Language changes all the time, when we use the concept of "archaic" usage, it can be a matter of something being archaic in common usage, but utterly correct in a specific situation.

[Amuk Murugul]

Hullo everybody!

Further additions for sharing.

_000_Setjang Lempeng

Desc: Doehoeng Setjang Lempeng.
Char: Both edges similar, Lempeng.
Blade: LxOALxWxT=30.5x37x7.16x0.88cm. GALOEHPANGAOEBAN.
Handle: Wood Pralamba Jaksa Baradjaperdana w/ yellow-metal seloet.
Wt: 172g.
Sheath: Wood Djoengkoeng w/ pakoe-hadji motif.



_001_SampanaHiras 11Eloek

Desc: Doehoeng Sampana Hiras 11Eloek SOENDAPAKOEAN.
Char: Kembang-katjang , Kotjop , 11 Eloek .
Blade: LxOALxWxT=36x42.5x7.06x1.03cm..
Handle: Wood Pralamba Koewera Oepaja.
Wt: 202g.
Sheath: Wood Widjajan w/ yellow-metal o/sheath.



_002_Sampana 9Eloek

Desc: Doehoeng Sampana 9Eloek.
Char: Kembang-katjang , Kotjop , 9 Eloek .
Blade: LxOALxWxT=36x43x9.08x1.21cm. GALOEHPAKOEAN.
Handle: Wood Pralamba Jaksa Apoen w/yellow-metal wewer.
Wt: 256g.
Sheath: Wood Djoengan



_003_SampanaLeres 9Eloek

Desc: Doehoeng Sampana Leres 9Eloek.
Char: Kembang-katjang , Makoeta , Kotjop , 9 Eloek .
Blade: LxOALxWxT=36.5x44x7.07x1.05cm. SOENDAPAKOEAN.
Handle: Wood Koewera w/ copper seloet.
Wt: 176g.
Sheath: Wood Djongtjoetjoer.


_004_ Sampana 9Eloek

Desc: Doehoeng Sampana 9Eloek.
Char: Kembang-katjang , Kotjop , 9 Eloek .
Blade: LxOALxWxT=34.5x44x8.06x1.03cm. GALOEHPAKOEAN.
Handle: Wood PraLamba Jaksa Tjakra w/ seloet studded w/ clear-stones.
Wt: 171g.
Sheath: Wood Lantjaran.

[Jean]

Very nice and rare pieces as usual, thank you! I like the sarong of 000 especially

[David]

Agree with Jean. More nice old and unusual dress examples. Very nice.
Just curious, is there some reason you keep all your hilts facing in the opposite direction from what is generally considered the correct position?

[Amuk Murugul]

Originally Posted by David

Agree with Jean. More nice old and unusual dress examples. Very nice.
Just curious, is there some reason you keep all your hilts facing in the opposite direction from what is generally considered the correct position?

Hullo David,

I try to avoid mentioning it; but since you asked:

The hilt faces the 'rear' as a reminder to djatisoenda to 'watch one's back'. Harks back to 1357 when treachery perpetrated by the 'Mahapatih wong-wetan', resulted in the massacre of the Soenda royal wedding-party.

Best,

[A. G. Maisey]

1357 was the year that a princess of Sunda was taken to Majapahit as a bride for the ruler, Rajasanegara (AKA Hayam Wuruk). The Mahapatih Gajah Mada wanted nothing but complete submission from Sunda and would only accept the Princess Pitaloka as a concubine. The Sundanese ruler --- who was with the wedding party --- was not agreeable to this.

The result was the Battle of Bubat, which was not much of a battle, more of a cruel massacre totally without honour for Majapahit and led to Gajah Mada's fall from grace. The Sundanese were a wedding party of at most a few hundred, the permanent soldiers and palace guards in Majapahit would have numbered into the thousands. The Sundanese fought until all were dead, the women in the party, including Princess Pitaloka took their own lives.

The Sundanese lost the "battle" but won everlasting honour.

Majapahit was disgraced because it acted without honour.

After this affair, Gajah Mada was removed from the capital and relieved of his command.

mahapatih wong wetan = prime minister of the people of the east, Majapahit is to the east of Sunda.

Javanese history is not always history as people from European societies understand history to be, but it sure does make interesting reading, I have often thought that it has a lot in common with the history of the Mafia, especially the Mafia in America.

[jagabuwana]

Originally Posted by Amuk Murugul

Hullo David,

I try to avoid mentioning it; but since you asked:

The hilt faces the 'rear' as a reminder to djatisoenda to 'watch one's back'. Harks back to 1357 when treachery perpetrated by the 'Mahapatih wong-wetan', resulted in the massacre of the Soenda royal wedding-party.

As an urang Sunda I enjoy this for the sake of this pseudo grudge Though I can't say I'm about to reverse my hilts to honour the sentiment. I too much enjoy the neatness and aesthetic of it being the right way around.

This isn't something I've observed in Sunda either in public viewings or private collections, pusaka and non-pusaka alike. I think that it might be impossible to determine the chain of transmission but I do wonder where and who this convention (if it even is a convention) came from.