Inlaid Kris and Punang

[kai]

Hello Wayan,

Welcome to the forum!

Please be careful since keris/kris threads are somewhat notorious to get a little quarrelsome once in a while...

On this forum we follow the convention of distinguishing between the "kris" (aka keris sundang) from the southern Philippines (but also found across Borneo, Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula) and the "keris" (i.e. the more traditional styles mainly found in Malaya, Sumatra, Jawa and Bali/Lombok (also Borneo, southern Thailand, etc.).

I would like to see a kris from the Philippines without its hilt, in order to judge the size of the tang in relation to the blade.

The kris is a really different animal which also affects the usual tang construction - here's a thread with pics: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1243

In Indonesia, and particularly in Bali, the kris is regarded as pusaka, a revered work of the gifted Empu who wrought it...

... For a man in Indonesia, his kris is his soul, and a direct extension of his body.

I can assure you that it's exactly the same cultural tradition in the southern Philippines!

I can assure any reader of this forum that no serious Indonesian collector of kris would even pass a thought of including a kris such as this Philippine kris in their collection.

Well, keris sundang are not exactly unknown in Indonesia/Malaysia...

I'd also stipulate that aesthetics are bound to differ from one ethnic/cultural group to another so we need to be careful with our own preferences. Among the different keris styles I also see quite large differences (i.e. Malay/Sumatran/Bugis keris vs. Jawa vs. Bali/Lombok, keris panjang and many other keris styles which may appear odd to outsiders!).