kris for comment

[kai]

Hello David,

Sorry for being late to respond:

Might i suggest that these asang-asang were never attached to this hilt. The position of the back one seems too far away

Once turned, I guess that the hilt will be much more evenly situated between those 2 asang-asang.

and how would these be attached with the MOP anyway. Given the fragility of the MOP i can't imagine the attachment bands running up under the MOP. I believe these a sang-asang are leftover from the previous hilting as i do not believe this is the original hilt for this blade.

I'd like to see more close-ups of the base of the hilt, especially interesting would be details of a removed hilt (pics taken at an angle may suffice though).

If present, those metal straps could be fastened to the hilt with pins and any small ring-like ferrule or even a tiny band of rattan might be enough to stabilize them under stress despite the (weak and brittle) MOP. OTOH, I agree that this kris in its present incarnation wasn't intended to be a personal weapon but rather something to show off status.

Regards,
Kai