Small kris from Sumatra?

[David]

Originally Posted by mariusgmioc

Do you know why are they so small?

Marius, keris of this size from certain regions of Indonesia are generally referred to as patrems and it is usually believed that they are intended for women. Frankly i do not believe nearly enough has been written about these and their place within keris culture, but it does seem to me that they were only intended for women of a certain status. Patrems seem to be found mostly in Jawa, Madura and Sumatra and to a lesser extent in Bali. Words other than "patrem" might be used outside of Jawa.
Similarly small keris can also be found in amongst the Malays, though in those cases they are called Keris Selit or Sisip (which i believe means "slotted", referring to how it is worn in the waistband) and serve a completely different cultural purpose. They are carried mostly by men in that culture and are a secondary and rather ceremonial weapon.