Coyness in posting keris pics

[Green]

I've been to quite a few keris exhibitions in Indonesia over the years - in Bali, Jakarta, Jogjakarta, Medan, Bone Sulawesi among others. This practically covers all keris centres in Indonesia. This means that basically there are no taboos regarding displaying personal pusakas. The preference to show or not to show your kerises are just that. Personal preference (for whatever reasons).

Also, in Malaysia, and Southern Thailand (another major keris culture region) they hold keris competition almost annually where collectors and enthusiasts bring their best keris (pusakas and antiques keris) to participate and can be seen by all.Again no taboos about displaying keris in this region as well.

In short, it is just personal choice.

[A. G. Maisey]

I agree completely Green.

Absolutely a personal choice.

However, for the traditionalists of Central Jawa whom I know and have known, that personal choice was and is to observe the ways of their forefathers, and these ways include and have included the non-display of personal keris.

The people who arrange keris exhibitions do so to exhibit keris, most would be dealers, makers, collectors. If there were any Central Javanese traditionalists amongst them I would be prepared to place a wager that none of these traditionalists had placed a keris that he regarded as a personal keris, on display.

In fact, I can very clearly recall a discussion between some gentlemen I used to know (all have passed now) in Solo during the 1980's who were debating the morality of putting keris on display.

Some of these men were of the opinion that it was quite OK to display keris, provided that the keris displayed were not keris that a person regarded as his personal property.

Others maintained that the only time a keris should be shown to other than close, trusted friends was when that keris was being offered for sale.

But others thought that apart from being morally wrong to display keris that were in one's custody, it was an act of extremely poor taste to engage in any act of display, be that display of keris or any other object. To these men it was just plain bad manners, indicative of a person who had no personal standards, or who "was not yet Javanese", ie, one who behaved like a child.

So --- yes personal choice, and we all have our own standards.

[rasdan]

I have a bit digressing question about personal keris for our fellow forum member Alan.

On keeping a personal keris private, does this include the secrecy of the dhapur/pamor type of the particular keris and the naming (Kiyai X and Kyai Y) of the keris?

If the dhapur is a secret, I would imagine that a keris with dhapur X will never be named Kyai X. Or is it considered OK?

I have seen a list of kraton pusaka and some of the pusakas are named Kyai Sangkelat (for example), does this means that the keris is dhapur sangkelat or could the keris be of a different dhapur than the name suggests?

[A. G. Maisey]

Rasdan, I cannot give a definite, factual response to that question, all I know for certain is that amongst the people who were close friends & associates of PP, and amongst some older people whom I know well, there are a couple of things that should not be done:-

1) no open display of a personal keris to strangers

2) no display of personal belongings, wealth, or self ever; one should always appear to be less than what one really is; the idea behind this is, I think, that if a person is truly a force to be reckoned with, that will be obvious to all, no matter what the eyes might see of the person concerned.

None of this gets down to specifics or regulated instructions, it is all part of an overall pattern of behaviour.

Here is a little story, personal experience.

About 30 years ago I was invited to a wedding dinner. It was the marriage of an Indonesian relative to the son of an Indonesian gentleman who had made his wealth through timber concessions and had then diversified into manufacturing & tourist accommodation. The family was one of the wealthiest in Indonesia at that time.

As seems to be customary for a lot of Indonesians who have one foot in Indonesia & one foot in some other country, this couple did not have a single wedding, they had several, a couple in Indonesia in different locations, a couple in Australia, one in Sydney, one in Melbourne, I attended the Sydney one.

At the wedding dinner, the father, a gentleman of about 70, weighing no more than about 60kg & standing no more than about 5'2" tall, was wearing a badly fitting, crumpled, dusty, worn, blue pinstripe suit. His watch was a black plastic Casio. No personal jewellery, not even a wedding ring. His wife looked as if she had spent the entire day before the dinner in Sydney's most talented beautician's premises, she wore a simple black frock that I was later told she had ordered from her regular supplier in Paris. She wore only one piece of jewellery, a simple pendent:- the chain was gold and about as thick as my little finger, the pendent itself was a single diamond, about the size of a large pigeon egg.

Was the father of the bride a powerful man?

Well, by himself nobody would take the slightest notice of him, but in company with his wife anybody with half a brain would know to step very carefully indeed.

In Javanese society statements are never made directly, one needs to be able to understand that which is not spoken, that which is not obvious. One speaks by not speaking.

[David]

Originally Posted by Green

I've been to quite a few keris exhibitions in Indonesia over the years - in Bali, Jakarta, Jogjakarta, Medan, Bone Sulawesi among others. This practically covers all keris centres in Indonesia. This means that basically there are no taboos regarding displaying personal pusakas. The preference to show or not to show your kerises are just that. Personal preference (for whatever reasons).

Also, in Malaysia, and Southern Thailand (another major keris culture region) they hold keris competition almost annually where collectors and enthusiasts bring their best keris (pusakas and antiques keris) to participate and can be seen by all.Again no taboos about displaying keris in this region as well.

In short, it is just personal choice.

I believe it might be a little bit difficult to know what keris at one of these exhibitions were actually "pusaka" in the truest sense of the word. It seems to me that in the last decade or so this word has lost much of its original meaning. Keris that were once held as pusaka, but since released, are presented for sale as a "pusaka" keris. This confuses me because i do not understand how a keris that has been released from its kinship group can still be regarded as a pusaka keris. Many dealers these days present every antique keris they are selling as "pusaka". But how can i buy someone else pusaka keris and then say that i own a pusaka keris? If i am not part of the original kinship group how can this keris rightfully still be called pusaka once it joins my collection.
I have never understood the concept of presenting antique keris in a competitive format. New keris, yes, i can see that. Who and what are these competitions rewarding for "best" keris. A long dead empu? While i can certainly see contemporary smiths competing for best in show with their newly made blades, pitting old blades against each other makes little sense to me. It seems that the honour of winning first place in a contest of antique keris is really an award for one's financial status and ability to afford the very best in high end antique keris. Or perhaps it is an award for being clever enough to be in the right place at the right time to be able to obtain such keris. Either way, it is has nothing to do with any particular skill set possessed by the current custodian of the keris.
Considering the keris as an art form, i have always had difficulty judging one piece of art against another. Once you reach a certain level of quality art becomes rather subjective. And if we are indeed talking about people competing with their personal pusaka, keris that actually hold kinship lineage going back generations in one's family, i personally find the idea of judging one person's pusaka against another rather distasteful. But as you say, this is a personal preference.
But no, Nik, i don't believe prohibitions against showing your personal keris to strangers of in public places is in any way the general practice throughout all keris bearing cultures. Alan's preferences are formed based upon the practices of a relatively small group of people. Customs regarding keris have changed greatly as the keris has moved away from it's origin centers.
That said i believe that the vast majority of keris that we see presented in public spaces as "pusaka" are not really pusaka in the original sense of the word. But if one does indeed wish to present the symbol of their family lineage on display the entire world that is indeed their right.

[A. G. Maisey]

David, regarding the word "pusaka".

It has several meanings, in Bahasa Indonesia it simple means "heirloom".

In Javanese it can mean an heirloom or revered object that has been passed down through a family, it can mean any sort of inheritance, it can mean a family ricefield, it can mean any weapon that the owner considers to be a personal talisman.

In colloquial speech, people who are a part of keris culture will sometimes use the word "pusaka" to loosely refer to any weapon.

I personally think that the already colloquial use of this word has become even more loose as it is used by some dealers.

[Green]

David;

The explanation by Alan about 'pusaka ' is exactly what is also meant in the Malay world of Malaysia and Southern Thailand. And there is no taboo or restriction whatever from selling whatever heirlooms(pusaka). Except for personal emotional attachment to it. No mumbo jumbo about spirits of pusaka or jins or whatever. At least in modern Malay muslim world.

With regards to keris competition in Malaysia and Southern Thailand I've been to many (but not participating in the competition itself) and know many of the pioneers of these competitions and judges. Basically the original intention was so as to generate more interest and encourage more people to love their keris culture and to bring to the public the best kerises for all to appreciate. There are specific criteria for judging and these are done as objectively as the judges can. Criteria include types of blades, complete and undamaged blade without and repairs, symbolisms (ketandaan), pamor, etc.The quality of hilts and Sheath and added decorations .Old antiques kerises and new creations are judged separately.

[A. G. Maisey]

I think that what you relate in post #25 is probably pretty true of Indonesia also Green, however, my experience of Indonesia is limited to Central Jawa, mainly Solo, East Jawa, mainly Malang, places south & east of Malang, Madura, and Bali.

I have spent very little time in major cities like Jakarta & Surabaya, in fact I have not been to Jakarta since 1978. Virtually all the contact I have with people in Jawa is with quite conservative Javanese people on the one hand, and very humble grass roots Javanese people on the other hand.

Most of what I know about keris, most of what I believe about keris I learnt in Solo in the period between 1966 and 2015. Most of that instruction came from men who began their journey with the keris prior to WWII. I think all these people have now passed, but I still have friends and acquaintances in Solo who are of senior generations, and from what I can understand, their values do not seem to vary much from the values of my past teachers.

I have set forth in post #22 my observations in respect of keris display.It seems to me that both the bulk of the people I used to know & who have already passed, and the bulk of people I still know and who are still in this world hold the opinion that keris display of virtually any kind is, in a word, crass, and not really the correct way for a Javanese gentleman to behave.

There is an immense variation between overall Indonesian standards & values as they are now, and the standards & values of conservative Central Javanese traditionalists.

[rasdan]

Thank you for your reply Alan. I guess to the traditional Javanese the public space is not a place for flaunting their strength or knowledge, but they will add indicators of caution. It is not a place for pretenders. It is a rather different kind of worldview.

I think in essence, we can say that the keris as a pusaka, in traditional Javanese belief is an weapon/talisman/icon of authority that was passed down the generations.

The pusaka keris shows the strength, hierarchy and dreams of the owner and his forefathers. It also probably show the connection between the owner to the Javanese king.

Probably (this is just a guess) the traditional Javanese probably also believe that the amulet will only function if it is passed down as a heirloom (pusaka), not if it is purchased. A Javanese will not carry around his pusaka keris unless that keris was made as an amulet for the occasion that person is participating.

If a keris is purchased, a collection, the function of a keris as an talisman and as pusaka (obviously) no longer applies, thus it is not part of the no display restriction rule. This is clearly not an Islamic practice, but the traditional Javanese belief is a mix between Javanese culture and Islam. If a person does not share his keris collection that are not pusaka(s), the reason is probably he does not want to share the knowledge of the keris. Knowledge is money and money is power - this is also one of the reasons why the pusaka keris are not shared publicly.

That, in my opinion is the meaning of a pusaka keris in a traditional Javanese belief system and why it is treated in such secrecy. I hope fellow forumites can correct me if I am wrong.

[David]

Originally Posted by Green

The explanation by Alan about 'pusaka ' is exactly what is also meant in the Malay world of Malaysia and Southern Thailand. And there is no taboo or restriction whatever from selling whatever heirlooms(pusaka). Except for personal emotional attachment to it. No mumbo jumbo about spirits of pusaka or jins or whatever. At least in modern Malay muslim world.

I don't believe i ever claimed there were taboos or restrictions about selling keris pusaka nor do i have any problem with anyone wanting to sell their pusaka. That is their personal choice and right. Nor did i mention anything about "mumbo jumbo, spirits of pusaka or jins or whatever". So i am a bit confused by this response.

Originally Posted by Green

With regards to keris competition in Malaysia and Southern Thailand I've been to many (but not participating in the competition itself) and know many of the pioneers of these competitions and judges. Basically the original intention was so as to generate more interest and encourage more people to love their keris culture and to bring to the public the best kerises for all to appreciate. There are specific criteria for judging and these are done as objectively as the judges can. Criteria include types of blades, complete and undamaged blade without and repairs, symbolisms (ketandaan), pamor, etc.The quality of hilts and Sheath and added decorations .Old antiques kerises and new creations are judged separately.

I have no problem whatsoever about generating interest in the keris. In fact i very much like to encourage that. But i still find the idea of competitive judging for old blades strange. If i win one of the categories in these competitions it seems to be little more than an indication of my wealth, status and connections that have allowed me to obtain such an award winning keris. With new keris at least the award gives credit and encouragement to living keris makers which i would think is a good thing. But most antique blades we can only guess at who the creator might have been.

[David]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

David, regarding the word "pusaka".

It has several meanings, in Bahasa Indonesia it simple means "heirloom".

In Javanese it can mean an heirloom or revered object that has been passed down through a family, it can mean any sort of inheritance, it can mean a family ricefield, it can mean any weapon that the owner considers to be a personal talisman.

In colloquial speech, people who are a part of keris culture will sometimes use the word "pusaka" to loosely refer to any weapon.

I personally think that the already colloquial use of this word has become even more loose as it is used by some dealers.

Thanks Alan. Yes, i am well aware that pusaka is not a term reserved solely for keris.
I also understand that the word has found its way into Bahasa Indonesian, but my personal feeling is that how the word is defined in the original Javanese perspective is mush more pertinent when it is used to discuss keris.
As for colloquial usage, i find it confusing that it has become a word used to describe any weapon. As for its use by dealers, my feeling is that it is a word they choose to use only to elevate the perceived value of their stock.

[A. G. Maisey]

Actually, the use to describe any weapon that the owner considers to be a personal talisman is listed in my big Javanese dictionary as normal usage, not colloquial.

But with the dealer usage, yeah, sure the intent is marketing.

[David]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

Actually, the use to describe any weapon that the owner considers to be a personal talisman is listed in my big Javanese dictionary as normal usage, not colloquial.

But with the dealer usage, yeah, sure the intent is marketing.

Well, "any weapon that the owner considers to be a personal talisman" is a bit different from "loosely refer to any weapon" as you described in your post #24.

[A. G. Maisey]

Yes, you're right David, as far as I can see, this loose use is only with people who are dealers, craftsmen, collectors.

A tukang wrongko who did a lot of work for me used "pusaka" for everything, it confused me for a while, so I asked Pak Parman why, and what he told me was that it was a way of showing respect, respect for the object, respect for me.

After that I noted that when "pusaka" was used rather than "pedang", or "tombak", or whatever, it was usually in a situation where somebody was being very careful not to offend me, as in a buying situation or where it was wise to keep on good terms with me.

I think this imprecise use of language probably occurs in all languages, and apart from carelessness & ignorance there is probably a good reason for it.