Keris Sajen - original vs. fakes

[A. G. Maisey]

I have difficulty in going along with the "tourist" idea associated with physical keris-like objects, especially since the end of WWII.

In my experience more locals buy these keris-like confections than any tourists. In recent years, since maybe around 1990, sales of keris and other weapons to tourists is pretty much at a dead stop in Indonesia's tourist areas.

During the last 15 or so years tourism has fallen into a hole in Central Jawa, yeah, you still see the few adventurous foreigners wandering around Jogja and the nearby major attractions, but in Solo and other places in Central Jawa you can go weeks at a time without seeing another European face.

Bali is still big, of course, but you'd be flat out trying to even a find a keris or weapon for sale in Bali, and if you did get your driver to locate some for you, you sure wouldn't like to pay the prices asked. Then you need to get it past two Customs services. Not so easy in some countries.

I suppose we can still find tourist purchases of those things that have become unacceptable in many countries of the world, but the tourists buying them are from Jakarta and other places in Indonesia. Local tourists.

In fact, just about anything can be a talisman, if the holder of that talisman has full belief in it. So you get the situation where a dukun (shaman) will go to the market a buy the crappiest little piece of junk he can get cheap, if he's genuine he will call the powers into it, if he's not, he'll convince his client that he has called the powers into it, but either way that little keris-like object will finish up as somebody's treasured talisman.

Talismans are all about belief.

Quality of workmanship, high art, these things have nothing at all to do with talismans. Talismans in the form of small keris, or any other talismans.

[David]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

In fact, just about anything can be a talisman, if the holder of that talisman has full belief in it. So you get the situation where a dukun (shaman) will go to the market a buy the crappiest little piece of junk he can get cheap, if he's genuine he will call the powers into it, if he's not, he'll convince his client that he has called the powers into it, but either way that little keris-like object will finish up as somebody's treasured talisman.
Talismans are all about belief.

Alan, i believe what you are saying here is pretty much in line with what i have just said in my last post. I do understand where you are coming from with the word "tourist", however i am using the term more to describe items that find their way into export and are not necessarily conceived for indigenous use. I realize that you don't spend quite as much time on eBay as some of us do, but while the actual tourist trade may indeed be down in Jawa you will find that these type of items are virtually flooding the keris pages on eBay.

[A. G. Maisey]

Yes David, I am pretty much endorsing your remarks.

As for "tourist", well I guess we can have ebay tourists as well as real ones, and you're right I gave ebay cruising away years ago, for me its simply a waste of time for keris & etc --- but I do buy other stuff from ebay, just don't waste my time on keris krusin'.

[David]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

As for "tourist", well I guess we can have ebay tourists as well as real ones, and you're right I gave ebay cruising away years ago, for me its simply a waste of time for keris & etc --- but I do buy other stuff from ebay, just don't waste my time on keris krusin'.

Well Alan, given what i suspect resides in your personal collection i would image there would be much reason for you to spend much time cruising there. However, some of us who are apt from time to time to buy ourselves a lottery ticket do sometimes entertain ourselves with the notion that we might find something sleeping there. Actually i would say that it pays off far more frequently than the lottery...which, i know, isn't saying much...