Newly-made Minangkabau Keris Naga

[Rick]

I'm very sorry; I would have to classify this new piece as an 'Indonesian style dagger'.
For me it just does not fit the required parameters to be called 'Keris'.

We own AKC recognized dogs; Rhodesian Ridgeback hounds; they are judged on a very strict set of standards.
Some people these days are breeding Poodles (an AKC breed) with Golden Retrievers (another AKC recognized breed); they call the end product 'Golden Doodles'; they are not recognized as a AKC breed; therefore they are considered Mutts by the people who set the standards.

So when you toss tradition out the window either with keris or purebred dogs I fear the end products achieve the same result.

[alexish]

Dear David and Rick,

Any opinion on the keris sarung? As you can see in the attached pictures, both the hulu and warangka were almost completely influenced and inspired by the design of old antique pieces, unlike the blade which had more innovation. For your reference, I also enclose pictures of an antique carved Minangkabau keris pendok that inspired my new piece.

[Jean]

Hello Alexish,
IMO the sarong shown in your post # 18 and which inspired your new piece is not at all an antique Minang sarong but a recent bone replica very popular since about 20-30 years and probably not even made in Sumatra. You can find plenty of similar krisses on Ebay or other commercial sites.
Regards

[alexish]

Originally Posted by Jean

Hello Alexish,
IMO the sarong shown in your post # 18 and which inspired your new piece is not at all an antique Minang sarong but a recent bone replica very popular since about 20-30 years and probably not even made in Sumatra. You can find plenty of similar krisses on Ebay or other commercial sites.
Regards

Please refer to picture of the entire bone keris including blade and handle. The blade looks to be of genuine Minangkabau origin. I think that the keris originated from the early 20th century, at least from the pre-war era. Very possibly, it could be among the very first bone kerises made in the Minangkabau area, before the practice of making bone kerises was copied in other areas such as Borneo. For comparison, I also enclose the pendok/batang sections of my new keris after staining.

[shayde78]

Originally Posted by Rick

I'm very sorry; I would have to classify this new piece as an 'Indonesian style dagger'.
For me it just does not fit the required parameters to be called 'Keris'.

I find this fascinating. I am heartened whenever I see traditional culture practiced by new generations. The alternative is a loss of heritage. That said, there are strong opinions of what qualifies as a continuation of tradition, and a cheapening of one's culture. I find alexish's newly commissioned piece very nice, a nifty example of smithing, but understand why it may offend some.

So this begs the questions:
1-What parameters MUST be met for a subject to be definitively dubbed "Keris"?
2-What elements exclude an object from qualifying as a Keris?

[David]

Originally Posted by shayde78

I find this fascinating. I am heartened whenever I see traditional culture practiced by new generations. The alternative is a loss of heritage. That said, there are strong opinions of what qualifies as a continuation of tradition, and a cheapening of one's culture. I find alexish's newly commissioned piece very nice, a nifty example of smithing, but understand why it may offend some.

So this begs the questions:
1-What parameters MUST be met for a subject to be definitively dubbed "Keris"?
2-What elements exclude an object from qualifying as a Keris?

I would just like to direct your attention to this old thread. This is certainly not the first time these questions have been discussed. If you find something to question or add after read it Shayde i might recommend that to make your comment there and revive that old thread.
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...=defines+keris

[alexish]

Dear collectors,

Thanks for all your insightful comments. By the way, I was inspired to incorporate Malela-style fullers in my keris, because there actually exist old examples of Minangkabau kerises with Malela-style fullers. I enclose a picture of such an example.

[David]

Originally Posted by alexish

Dear collectors,

Thanks for all your insightful comments. By the way, I was inspired to incorporate Malela-style fullers in my keris, because there actually exist old examples of Minangkabau kerises with Malela-style fullers. I enclose a picture of such an example.

Yes they do...but this is not a Naga keris. Just because you mix and match features that are in various Minangkabau keris forms does not mean that you have created a keris that can pass as authentic Minangkabau. But what you really don't find on any authentic Minangkabau NAGA keris is sogokan.