Apropos display

[A. G. Maisey]

David, regarding these double blawongs.

The blawong actually has its roots as a wall decoration, not as something used to display keris. You can still sometimes see the old blawongs in village houses that are just a picture of a wayang character, or some other significant thing, hung as probably a protective device.

At some point, keris with particularly protective qualities began to be placed on these picture boards.

I have a number of old blawongs, the oldest probably dating to the second half of the 19th century, none of these old blawongs have been made specifically to hold keris, but have had holes to accept a cord to hold a keris put into them, seemingly, as an after-thought.

It seems to me that these double blawongs, and blawongs made to accept tombak and pedang and other things in all sorts of combinations, are a comparatively recent development and are a purely commercial production, intended only as wall displays.

We could theorise about the place of the double blawong:-

as Guwaya has pointed out, Javanese thought and culture is permeated by the concept of duality;

within a Javanese house, parts of the house can be identified as male, parts as female;

sometimes keris will be found in pairs, one male, one female, usually as a patrem;

if the keris is hung on the wall as a protective device, and that keris has a paired mate, then if the full protective effect is to take place, it can only take place within the presence of the pair, rather than only one of the pair;

because of the duality of the house, and the duality of paired keris, there is no contradiction in this, as the keris have been put together not as a displayed item, but as protective device, and protective effect flows from the concept of duality.

I repeat:- theorization.

I have never heard this, nor read it, nor even considered the question, but if we want to play cultural guessing games, I'm as willing as the next to float unsupported ideas.

Just don't hold me to them.

We can have discussion, we can have theory, we can have assertion, and we can have fact.

The above is neither assertion, nor fact.

Fact must be supported by evidence or logical argument.

Assertion must be something that the asserter truly believes to his own satisfaction.

What I have given you is theory as a part of discussion.

But I'll also give you an assertion:- double blawongs were produced to provide a marketable commodity to be purchased by people to whom Javanese cultural mores did not apply.

[rasdan]

G'day Alan,

Thank you for an interesting explanation. What about kerises that are attributed as female or a patrem, if it have luk why do you think it still have odd numbered luks? Or is it a female keris or a patrem must be a straight one? Does a straight keris portrays both gender etc?

[Marcokeris]

About the symbolism of this thread:
There is a book "Der javanische "Keris" : Funktion und sozio-religiose Symbolik by Wolfgang Spielmann" written in german language that i think would be very interesting (but i don't know this language)
About this book : there are any Forum friend that has some news about a future english version of the work?

[David]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

It seems to me that these double blawongs, and blawongs made to accept tombak and pedang and other things in all sorts of combinations, are a comparatively recent development and are a purely commercial production, intended only as wall displays.

Yes, i would agree that these double blawongs are being made commercially with the intent for display. However you stated earlier:
If we display our keris in a even quantity we are, in my opinion, exhibiting a lack of cultural sensitivity, and acting in a way that could draw anything from a quietly amused smile to harsh criticism, from people who are Javanese, or who are accustomed to Javanese mores.
For me this begs the question, why then would Javanese people who are accustom to Javanese mores create such a display piece for the commercial market? It seems unlikely that they were being swamped with requests from foreigners who don't know any better for double blawongs. So would you say then that possibly the idea for these is born out of a more ritual concept of being intended as a protective display for the home, meant for an esoteric pairing of two keris? Otherwise i don't understand why Javanese people would get the idea to commercial produce these in the first place.
Photos below borrowed from Adni.

[A. G. Maisey]

David, let me try to explain the idea of "Jawa".

If you look at a map you will see an island that is identified as Jawa (or Java) as a part of Indonesia.

But to traditional Javanese people, this island is not The Land of Jawa. Jawa to the Javanese is the place where the Javanese language is spoken, and the core area of this is Central Jawa, in the localities under the influence of the Karatons of Surakarta and Jogjakarta.

Within this Land of Jawa there are people from many different ethnic backgrounds, there are people who identify themselves as Arab, Indian, European, Chinese, Balinese, Madurese. There are Javanese people who, although Javanese, pay lip service only to Javanese cultural mores, and seem to think of themselves as Indonesians, rather Javanese. There are Javanese people who are very rigorous in their devotion to Islam, or to Christianity or Buddhism, and the tenets of their faith prevent them from acting in ways that are not in accord with their religious beliefs.

Then there are people who identify themselves first and foremost as Javanese.However, just because they do identify as Javanese does not necessarily mean that they understand or practice every principle of being Javanese. They may recognise a principle if reminded of it, but the reality of every day life no longer requires that they practice those principles on a day to day basis.

To this demographic that I have outlined above we can add all those people who live outside the Land of Jawa, and we then have the demographic from which the buyers of keris are drawn.

A trader will sell anything that his customers will buy. If a buyer wants something, it is a trader headed for bankruptcy who does not ensure that he makes every effort to provide what the buyer wants.

David, you have asked:- "--- why then would Javanese people who are accustom to Javanese mores create such a display piece for the commercial market?---"

I feel that if you consider what I have written above, you will have the answer to your question.

The truly Javanese people whom I know and who have a number of keris, do not ever place those keris on public display. A man may have many keris, and he may think of himself as a keris collector, but his collection will not be on display.It might be necessary to visit that man several times before he will allow you to see one of his keris. My daughter's brother-in-law is a collector of keris, and he is a Javanese who follows Javanese philosophy. He keeps his keris in a locked wooden cupboard in a particular room of his house that is not open to visitors. Because I'm family, I have been into this room and I have seen and handled his collection, but not even a friend will normally be permitted into this room, and that friend will only only see one or two keris at any one time, which will be brought into the front visitors area for him to see.

Empu Suparman had a display of 7 keris in his front visitors room. They were keris that he himself had made. His three personal keris were kept in a locked cupboard in a private room and were never seen by anybody except very close friends or family.

In a village situation a family may have a keris that is considered to have certain protective powers. From time to time that keris may be placed in a public area of the house, it may be hung high on a wall, and if the family also has a blawong, it may be hung on the blawong, but it is unlikely that it will be a permanent fixture in that public position.

I could go on all day quoting similar examples, but it is probably sufficient to say that to a person who truly subscribes to Javanese philosophy and standards, it is anathema to place his personal keris on public display.

But the bulk of people who are members of this discussion group are not traditional Javanese. Yes, there are members here who are ethnic Javanese, but I rather doubt that many of those people are hardcore traditional Javanese.

So possibly we need to ask ourselves if it really matters to us how we keep, store, display and treat our keris.

If a collector in New York or Sydney or Amsterdam has a primary focus on the physical object and only a more or less general interest in the attendant culture, he can probably display his keris in any way he wishes.

However, if his involvement in keris study is perhaps a little deeper, he may wish to follow at least some of the basic principles of traditional Javanese society and culture.

[A. G. Maisey]

David has just raised a question that I have answered that probably requires a little further explanation.

Guwaya has also commented in respect of the principle of numerical assignment on the basis of gender :- "--- interpretation of uneven numbers of a javanese keris-blade as a symbol for the male princip of the keris is in my eyes or after my understanding an overinterpretation---"

The modern keris made its appearance in Jawa at a time when the dominant philosophy and religious system in Jawa was Hindu. Thus, although the keris is beyond doubt a product of Javanese thought, it is Javanese thought under the influence of Hindu culture.

Hindu culture cannot be understood in the absence of an understanding of numerology and astrology. These are basic principles in the organization of Hindu society. Thus, if we are to understand the nature of the keris at the time of its development to the modern form, we need to understand it within the parameters of Hindu culture in Jawa. This understanding necessarily involves an understanding of Hindu principles of numerology in their Javanese context.

It also involves an understanding of duality as this applies within Hindu and Javanese thought.

The keris can be understood in a purely numerological context, but with Hindu numerology the interpretation of the numbers involved requires an understanding of the basic matrix governing the thing that is to be evaluated.

In the case of the keris, we have an object that is undeniably a symbol of the male, but an object that in some circumstances can be a symbol of the family, community or society.

In its incarnation as a male symbol it requires assessment within a purely male matrix, but in its assessment as family symbol, that matrix alters, as it does for assessment as a community or society symbol.

For example, keris waves in a Javanese keris normally range between 1 and 13. The numbers from 3 to 9 are undeniably male numbers, however, when we come to the compound numbers of 11 and 13, these can be interpreted as either 1 + 1 and 1 + 3, or 2 and 4. The number 1 can be read as an absolute, thus representative of the divine, or it can be read as male. The way the interpretation is applied is dependent upon the factors influencing the interpretation.

If we consider the nature of the numbers from 1 to 5, we will see that there is an overwhelming spiritual tone to a reading, however, when we move beyond 5 we find that there is a tendency to move towards the material.

Thus, although the primary interpretation of gender assignment to the keris must always be male, a much deeper knowledge of applicable factors may introduce elements of the female as a part of the male. In Hindu thought no man is complete in the absence of a woman, no woman is complete in the absence of a man:- the two together make the whole, and that whole forms the basis for the fabric of society.

Thus, consideration of the keris itself, that is, the blade, must always be within the male matrix, however, when that blade gains a hilt and a scabbard we are looking at the addition of things which contribute to completeness, and the complete keris is thus able to considered within a matrix that incorporates the female element, just as family and society incorporate the female element.

The above attempt at explanation is an extremely simplistic one, but I have tried to keep it within parameters that I hope will be easily understood.

[A. G. Maisey]

Rasdan, my interest is primarily in origin of the keris, as such I look at the keris from the viewpoint of the keris at the time of its appearance in its modern form.

In any culture, time alters perception.

Javanese and all other cultures as we see them today and in the immediate past, are not the same, nor do they have the same standards, that they may have had at some time in the past.

In the year 2010 we are 200 years in advance of the time when Raffles observed that the keris in Jawa had become similar in its place in society to the small sword in Europe in the middle of the previous century.

You have asked:-

"---What about kerises that are attributed as female or a patrem, if it have luk why do you think it still have odd numbered luks? Or is it a female keris or a patrem must be a straight one? Does a straight keris portrays both gender etc?---"

To answer this question we need to first know the time, place and reason for some women to be permitted to carry keris.

We know that in Bali in comparatively recent times it was not at all unusual for a woman to stab herself in the heart with a family or borrowed keris before throwing herself upon her husband's funeral pyre. This also occurred during the puputans, and in olden times women would commit suicide, sometimes by stabbing, rather than be taken captive by invading soldiers.

Consider this within the Hindu framework:- a woman cannot have an existence in the absence of her male counterpart, be that woman wife or concubine. Philosophically she has no alternative but to leave society at the same time as her husband.

I doubt that we can answer the question of when and why women were first permitted to carry keris, but what we do know is that the women who carry patrem are usually members of a Kraton hierarchy. It could be theorized that the keris is symbolic of intention to commit suicide in the event of the death of her husband, or of her honour being put under threat.

In a case where a patrem has a waved blade, I believe that we can have confidence that this blade was made at a time subsequent to general understanding of the principles governing correct fabrication of a keris blade.

In other words, whoever made it got it wrong.

[A. G. Maisey]

Regarding Wolfgang Spielman's doctoral thesis.

This has been reviewed and mentioned in David van Duuren's bibliography.

My understanding of this review is that Dr. Spielman has provided a comprehensive, scientific and tightly organised over-view of the keris, which Dr. van Duuren rates as "---deserves to be included with the best general inroductions to the Javanese keris---"

Dr. van Duuren goes on to say:- "--- the author does not develop a personal viewpoint;rather, the value of his work lies in the way it ties facts into fiction and vice versa.---"

Wolfgang Spielman's work is a good general introduction which incorporates information to be found in other already published works.

There is nothing new in his work. As I was told by one very highly respected student of the keris who has German as his second language:- "you will not find anything in this work that has not already been treated elsewhere."

In other words, nothing new, but the content is very well presented.

[guwaya]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

Regarding Wolfgang Spielman's doctoral thesis.

This has been reviewed and mentioned in David van Duuren's bibliography.

My understanding of this review is that Dr. Spielman has provided a comprehensive, scientific and tightly organised over-view of the keris, which Dr. van Duuren rates as "---deserves to be included with the best general inroductions to the Javanese keris---"

Dr. van Duuren goes on to say:- "--- the author does not develop a personal viewpoint;rather, the value of his work lies in the way it ties facts into fiction and vice versa.---"

Wolfgang Spielman's work is a good general introduction which incorporates information to be found in other already published works.

There is nothing new in his work. As I was told by one very highly respected student of the keris who has German as his second language:- "you will not find anything in this work that has not already been treated elsewhere."

In other words, nothing new, but the content is very well presented.

Alan G. Maisey:

Literature - we had this theme already. To Spielmann's thesis:

1. It is no doctaral thesis - it is an MA-Thesis and it is also mentioned in the Encyklopedi and other scientific written works.

2. Literature and new ideas is always to be seen when the book or paper was written or published and in context with the knowledge standard at that time. Spielmann's thesis was researched in the mid until the end 80's and by that time the literature situation was different - Harsrinuksmo's 1st edition of the Enciklopadi was not yet published. There was Solyom, Frey and the other essays. Double sided copies in copy-shops were not yet possible.

3. The aim behind this work was for the first part to give an introduction "what is a keris". If by that time somebody would visit a n ethnographic museum and would have seen a keris and then later would search literatur to know "what is a keris?, he would not find any systematic book which explains it. So the first half or two third are systematic organisations of collected information of articels etc.

4. The last 3rd part handles with theoretical conceptes - already difficult for many german native speekers to read and understand and I really doubt that your "highly respected student of the keris with German as his second language" is able to understand the text - or, he didn't read it because to difficlt.

5. The book was never published in another language but interesting is for somebody who goes to Leiden in Holland - there you will find the original book and not just the small paperback - a bit different, but if somebody looks for new informations I only see one possibility - go yourself to Jawa and other places and research! Or pay for it, that somebody does the researches! We had this theme already.

Facit: No new informations but an excellent sample how serious literature should be written. Every statement you can proof via citates. I whised somebody nowadays would create such a serious book, than all this for me boaring picture books with many not proofable statements. Kerner is the best example how literature not should be written. (Besides - I didn't forget you and the statistic of Kerner - give me some time please).

guwaya

[guwaya]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

David has just raised a question that I have answered that probably requires a little further explanation.

Guwaya has also commented in respect of the principle of numerical assignment on the basis of gender :- "--- interpretation of uneven numbers of a javanese keris-blade as a symbol for the male princip of the keris is in my eyes or after my understanding an overinterpretation---"

The modern keris made its appearance in Jawa at a time when the dominant philosophy and religious system in Jawa was Hindu. Thus, although the keris is beyond doubt a product of Javanese thought, it is Javanese thought under the influence of Hindu culture.

Hindu culture cannot be understood in the absence of an understanding of numerology and astrology. These are basic principles in the organization of Hindu society. Thus, if we are to understand the nature of the keris at the time of its development to the modern form, we need to understand it within the parameters of Hindu culture in Jawa. This understanding necessarily involves an understanding of Hindu principles of numerology in their Javanese context.

It also involves an understanding of duality as this applies within Hindu and Javanese thought.

The keris can be understood in a purely numerological context, but with Hindu numerology the interpretation of the numbers involved requires an understanding of the basic matrix governing the thing that is to be evaluated.

In the case of the keris, we have an object that is undeniably a symbol of the male, but an object that in some circumstances can be a symbol of the family, community or society.

In its incarnation as a male symbol it requires assessment within a purely male matrix, but in its assessment as family symbol, that matrix alters, as it does for assessment as a community or society symbol.

For example, keris waves in a Javanese keris normally range between 1 and 13. The numbers from 3 to 9 are undeniably male numbers, however, when we come to the compound numbers of 11 and 13, these can be interpreted as either 1 + 1 and 1 + 3, or 2 and 4. The number 1 can be read as an absolute, thus representative of the divine, or it can be read as male. The way the interpretation is applied is dependent upon the factors influencing the interpretation.

If we consider the nature of the numbers from 1 to 5, we will see that there is an overwhelming spiritual tone to a reading, however, when we move beyond 5 we find that there is a tendency to move towards the material.

Thus, although the primary interpretation of gender assignment to the keris must always be male, a much deeper knowledge of applicable factors may introduce elements of the female as a part of the male. In Hindu thought no man is complete in the absence of a woman, no woman is complete in the absence of a man:- the two together make the whole, and that whole forms the basis for the fabric of society.

Thus, consideration of the keris itself, that is, the blade, must always be within the male matrix, however, when that blade gains a hilt and a scabbard we are looking at the addition of things which contribute to completeness, and the complete keris is thus able to considered within a matrix that incorporates the female element, just as family and society incorporate the female element.

The above attempt at explanation is an extremely simplistic one, but I have tried to keep it within parameters that I hope will be easily understood.

Alan G. Maisey:

It is true that the "modern keris made its appearance in Jawa at a time when the dominant philosophy and religious system in Jawa was Hindu. Thus, although the keris is beyond doubt a product of Javanese thought, it is Javanese thought under the influence of Hindu culture."

But even if we have to see the context with the hinduistic culture we shouldn't forget the 'old-jawanese' cultural elements. Those indigenious based cultural elements I for myself attribute more importance to then to those of a culture which came later and met upon an already existing own culture and was in some way adapted into this already existing thinkings. The balinese hinduism is a woderfull sample herefore.

If somebody is interested into the keris he naturaly has to understand the hinduistic culture but in my eyes more so about the old-jawanese elements as this is the basis. You can compare it somehow with the todays wayang performances with those some years ago. Nowadays you will often find islamic elements integrated into the stories and Hardionagoro once spoke to me in that direction: "we have to accept the influences of these islamic elements into thejawanese traditional art, otherwise we will loose the control over it competly".

Before I continue I would like to clear the two terms od DUALISM and POLARISM, as polarism is often confounded with dualism.

DUALISM means to build mutually exclusive opposites (yes - no; black - white; top - bottom etc.).

POLARISM bears not only two conditions but three, with a neutral centre between two mutually dependent poles. The polarism you can say closes the dualism and is an implement for the understanding of the world.

Under this aspect the jawanese culture doesn't follow the concept of duality, it follows the concept of polarism which implies the duality - but is a difference.

If you see the jawanese culture (or the keris in as one representant of this culture) it is of great importance to display the polaristic aspect and it is impossible to see isolated just one of these two opposites as they need each other and only together they build an entire. (There is the upperworld and the underworld and between those two is the middle world with the humans who have to arrange their life in that way that not one of the opposites become stronger than the otherone. Both sides have to be kept in balance, to keep the middleworld in harmony).

This concept you will find in in every part of the traditional jawanese culture (and not only the jawanese), and it is very clear if special elements of the material culture are attributed to one of the opposite sides (weapons = male - textiles = female) and going into the details you will find it inside one item of material culture again. The combination of both opposites then again become the symbol of the totality, of the over all standing and everything unifying entirety.

If anybody is looking or real interested into the symbolik of the material cultural object of the keris I only can warn to see it to much under the aspect of indian influence - more important, in my eyes, are the old-jawanese aspects as far as they can be still researched. But even if they cannot be researched or requested again it is better to leave a questionmark than to force an answer in a hinduistic direction because it is easier to receive information - otherise we run into a situation what Hardionagoro meant when he said: "we have to accept the islamic influence in the jawanese art but we ghave to watch it critically, if we don't, the influence will still go on but without any chance for us to react."

THE JAWANESE KERIS IS NOT INDIA - elements (a lot) are adapted, but it is not all, although many western like to reduce it to this theme, possibly because it is easy as you can reduce your researches upon literature studies.

Under this, my personal view, I can hardly find an interpretation which attributes the uneven numbers of luk to the male princip of the keris. I am aware about the fact that in some literature is postulated that the term keris from the Jawanese is used for the keris in its completness as well as just for the blade. For myself I don't have any proof of the correctness of this statement and it must be allowed to doubt it.

I am always afraid of overinterpretations brought into mostly from members of an outside culture. Unfortunately it is getting more and more difficult to receive serious research results about such questions - if it is not already too late.

I cannot see any weapon, whereever, which is called sword, dagger, keris etc. without a handle. Blades are generally called what they are, sword blade, knife blade, keris blade or better "wilah". Hence, regarding the theme of symbolism of the keris it would possibly better to take a keris pesi iras as we here better can see an clearify the concept of opposite pairs and tho over all standing concept of polarism.

I think that this is a theme going much to far for a platform like here as it is so complex and you could fill a complete semester or more of studying such questions.

Taking a keris pesi iras is a good way to introduce this polaristic concept as we have the blade (snake = female and the hilt = representing an ancestor or anthropomorphic figure = male). Both controll via the theoretical concept of the polarism each other and finally build the entirety.

The main thing is to understand or let us better say to try to understand the importance of the polaristic aspect and organisation of the traditional jawanese and south-east-asian world view in genral. We western educated and grown up people are to fast gliding into the thinking of a "black- and white" sheme. South-east asia with its completely different religious believing system - which besides is much much older than judaism, christianity or islam - is completely different, different in thinking, different in acting etc. and I for myself, I really hope and wish that it will survive.

Already here I apologize myself for the closer future if answering late - but I have to feed my wife and myself and I am "sibuk with cari uang."

guwaya

[David]

Originally Posted by guwaya

Taking a keris pesi iras is a good way to introduce this polaristic concept as we have the blade (snake = female and the hilt = representing an ancestor or anthropomorphic figure = male). Both controll via the theoretical concept of the polarism each other and finally build the entirety.

I am not so sure that taking the keris iras as an example for this discussion makes that much sense since it is the exception to the rule and the great majority of keris have separate gonjo. In the case of a separte gonjo if we are to discuss it in regards to polarity the gonjo seems the obvious female part that is pierced by the pesi of the wilah. The pesi is an intrinsic part the wilah as a whole. So if i break this down to polarity the blade=male, the gonjo=female. I have heard the hilt described as the head of the keris before, but no necessarily as the male principle. What about hilts that depict female form? They are less common, but certainly exist. The so-called "durga" hilt comes to mind immediately.
You keep saying that the wilah=female, but i don't see anything other than your own personal assertion to this. What do you base this on other than your own personal view? You are the very first person, indonesian or otherwise, in my years of discussion about keris to suggest this. I have spent a great deal of time studying the symbolism of the snake (and naga) in cultures throughout the world. It too has a dualistic (male/female) character and nature. Snakes have been seen as symbolic of the great divine mother in some cultures. But due to it's very physical nature it is most often related to the male principle. So i am open to your interpretation, but i think you thesis needs more than your own personal assertion to carry any real weight.
As for seeing Javanese culture as Hindu and therefore Indian, i don't believe that is what Alan was suggesting at all. Certainly just as the Javanese have shaped Islam to the Javanese cultural model, they did the same with the Hindu religion. This does not mean, however, that we can have a full understanding of the synthesis without also understanding the concepts that the Hindu culture brought to Jawa.