Sulawesi (toraja?) keris

[Jean]

Originally Posted by David

1. Since they do not follow the design seen here are they still traditional Toraja keris. Have you both IDed them as such based on place of purchase or some kind of provenance?

2.AFAIK the Torajan populous is, on the outside at least, about 82% Christian and only 6% Islamic, so it seems unlikely that they would ban Hindu deities bases on Islamic prohibition of form. And in spite of their conversion to Christianity they have held on to many of their animistic traditions.

1. They still basically follow the original design but with some variations (shape of the hilt and sampir) and a lower manufacturing standard. My impression is that they are modern Toraja krisses (20th century) and the manufacturing tradition of the original ones seems to have been lost unless somebody could show us the contrary (except replicas like mine of course). I bought my "Toraja" piece from an antique dealer in Jakarta in 1998, and I just knew that it was used and originated from Sulawesi but not more than that.

2. I don't mean the Toraja people but these gold krisses were probably made in South Sulawesi and exported to the Toraja area, so after the conversion of the Bugis and Makassarese to Islam at the beginning of the 17th century, these krisses with Hindu features probably became less popular among the Muslim population except those made for the Toraja market as they remained animists. Again this is based on the observation that these krisses can't be found anymore in South Sulawesi (except probably some pusakas in the noble families) but are still present among the Toraja elite.