Introduction

[David]

Originally Posted by Gajah

Gentlemen, thank you very much for the warm welcome!

So far I have studied the following books:

Bambang Harsrinuksmo - Ensiklopedi Keris
Frey - The Kris, Mystic Weapon of the Malay World
Gardener - Keris And Other Malay Weapons
Ghiringhelli - The Invincible Krises 2
Ghiringhelli - Kris Hilts - Masterpieces of South-East Asian Art
Gronemann - The Javanese Kris
Kerner - Keris-Griffe aus dem malayischen Archipel
La Nyalla - The Power of Iron
Solyom - The World of the Javanese Keris
Tammens - De Kris I

I'm therefore familiar with the terminology to a certain degree, but have trouble memorizing all those "alien words". But even the Indonesians do, as I found out recently. When using ukiran for the hilt, an Indonesian friend told me that only the carving is meant, the hilt itself is called hulu. Only after sending him a link to a website explaining it in both English and Bahasa Indonesia did he accept my usage of ukiran. With him, I didn't use the term ganja so far …

Well again, words are only a means of communication. What is important is understanding, so i would not sweat the "alien words" too much. Regarding understanding, i would also recommend you try some books that are not so directly about the keris itself, but the culture that surrounds it. Some excellent books in this regard are Visible and Invisible Realms - Margaret J.Wiener and Sekala and Niskala - Fred B. Eisman, Jr.
You may also find Malay Magic - Walter W. Skeat helpful. Historical background of the region found in books such as Bali Chronicles - Willard Hanna and The Seen and Unseen Worlds of Java - M.C. Ricklefs can also be useful for greater understanding of the dynamics of the area.