Comments/Opinions on keris singa barong

Mudi · 10th July 2006, 02:24 PM

Maybe this keris is Bali? Ukiran is not right for Bali, but all else looks Bali to me, and 13 luk too! Barong singa is lion, not tiger. Chinese influence on keris Malay or keris di Majapahit has never been proven, but why not could it be? Chinese merchants were here by 800 AD, maybe earlier, and all over Malaysia, and Indonesia, it is clear their influence.

Yes, a 13 luk keris barong singa is a powerful keris, so be careful. Give it lots of oil and always keep the point up, when out of its gandar, never down, and don?t sniff it. If you can smell its oil, OK, but never hold a keris like this to your nose to enjoy its smell. I think too if you change the ukiran to ukiran di Bali, it will be a happier keris!

BluErf · 10th July 2006, 03:16 PM

Hi Mudi,

Greetings and welcome!

The ukiran is not original. The ukiran that came with the keris was East Javanese, but one with a dark band burnt round it with a hot solder.

The patra on that ukiran was not very nice, so I replaced it with this spare Solo ukiran I have (temporarily only). I'm just waiting for the right East Javanese ukiran to come along, but it would probably be a long wait because the peksi on this keris is very very long; all my other E. Javanese ukiran could not sit properly on the keris.

This keris is most probably not from Bali, because it is too small.

May I ask as to why we should refrain from sniffing at a keris Singa Barong? Or is that for kerises in general?

Mudi · 11th July 2006, 12:30 AM

Good morning

About smelling the keris, that is custom in Indonesia not to do this. It is considered not polite to the keris. But, I guess it only matters if you believe keris can get angry.

If the peksi is long, that sounds more like Bali. Ukiran in Bali are usually bigger than in Java. In Bali keris can be small. There are keris there made for women or younger man.

kai · 11th July 2006, 09:46 AM

Hello Kai Wee,

I think we should be seriously considering the possibility of a Balinese origin for this nice piece. Could you post a pic of the peksi, please?

BTW, what's the blade/peksi length? (KampungNet is slow again...)

Regards,
Kai

Lei Shen Dao · 11th July 2006, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mudi

Good morning

About smelling the keris, that is custom in Indonesia not to do this. It is considered not polite to the keris. But, I guess it only matters if you believe keris can get angry.

Mudi hi

Nice to hear it from another person too.
Some Javanese people say that it is bad to smell it (his oil and incence) because it is considered like stealling the "food" from it.

BluErf · 11th July 2006, 04:36 PM

The blade length is 13.85 inches (35cm)
The peksi length is 3 inches (7.6cm)

Dimensionally, I've not seen any old Balinese keris that is this small. Most Balinese kerises are around 16 - 18 inches long. The sheath is East Javanese and not Balinese. The original hilt (not shown) was also East Javanese. Even the mendak (though a cheap one with glass beads) is not the typical Balinese or Central Javanese type.

Compare the sheath to the other Balinese kerises that have been posted in the forum, or in Kampungnet (for those with decent access speed.

). You can see that they are related, but very different.

http://www.kampungnet.com.sg/modules...view_photo.php

And then, compare the greneng style on this singa barong to a Balinese/Lombok keris. Again, there is significant stylistic differences.

http://www.kampungnet.com.sg/modules...view_photo.php

I am confident that this keris is not Balinese. My doubt lies only in the age of the piece, and whether it may have been modified.

10th July 2006, 02:24 PM	#1
Mudi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Makassar, (Ujung Pandang), Sulawesi, Indonesia Posts: 38	Maybe this keris is Bali? Ukiran is not right for Bali, but all else looks Bali to me, and 13 luk too! Barong singa is lion, not tiger. Chinese influence on keris Malay or keris di Majapahit has never been proven, but why not could it be? Chinese merchants were here by 800 AD, maybe earlier, and all over Malaysia, and Indonesia, it is clear their influence. Yes, a 13 luk keris barong singa is a powerful keris, so be careful. Give it lots of oil and always keep the point up, when out of its gandar, never down, and don?t sniff it. If you can smell its oil, OK, but never hold a keris like this to your nose to enjoy its smell. I think too if you change the ukiran to ukiran di Bali, it will be a happier keris!

10th July 2006, 03:16 PM	#2
BluErf Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,180	Hi Mudi, Greetings and welcome! The ukiran is not original. The ukiran that came with the keris was East Javanese, but one with a dark band burnt round it with a hot solder. The patra on that ukiran was not very nice, so I replaced it with this spare Solo ukiran I have (temporarily only). I'm just waiting for the right East Javanese ukiran to come along, but it would probably be a long wait because the peksi on this keris is very very long; all my other E. Javanese ukiran could not sit properly on the keris. This keris is most probably not from Bali, because it is too small. May I ask as to why we should refrain from sniffing at a keris Singa Barong? Or is that for kerises in general?

11th July 2006, 12:30 AM	#3
Mudi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Makassar, (Ujung Pandang), Sulawesi, Indonesia Posts: 38	Good morning About smelling the keris, that is custom in Indonesia not to do this. It is considered not polite to the keris. But, I guess it only matters if you believe keris can get angry. If the peksi is long, that sounds more like Bali. Ukiran in Bali are usually bigger than in Java. In Bali keris can be small. There are keris there made for women or younger man.

11th July 2006, 09:46 AM	#4
kai Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3,255	Hello Kai Wee, I think we should be seriously considering the possibility of a Balinese origin for this nice piece. Could you post a pic of the peksi, please? BTW, what's the blade/peksi length? (KampungNet is slow again...) Regards, Kai

11th July 2006, 04:36 PM	#6
BluErf Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,180	The blade length is 13.85 inches (35cm) The peksi length is 3 inches (7.6cm) Dimensionally, I've not seen any old Balinese keris that is this small. Most Balinese kerises are around 16 - 18 inches long. The sheath is East Javanese and not Balinese. The original hilt (not shown) was also East Javanese. Even the mendak (though a cheap one with glass beads) is not the typical Balinese or Central Javanese type. Compare the sheath to the other Balinese kerises that have been posted in the forum, or in Kampungnet (for those with decent access speed. ). You can see that they are related, but very different. http://www.kampungnet.com.sg/modules...view_photo.php And then, compare the greneng style on this singa barong to a Balinese/Lombok keris. Again, there is significant stylistic differences. http://www.kampungnet.com.sg/modules...view_photo.php I am confident that this keris is not Balinese. My doubt lies only in the age of the piece, and whether it may have been modified.