Teuku Umar keris - Gayo?!

[erikscollectables]

Originally Posted by Maurice

Hi Erik,

I can't give any answers but maybe nice to add in this thread a photo of the state jacket and kupiah of teuku Umar, which I took in the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam.

Thanks Maurice, nice addition. Makes a picture of this historical person.

Regards, Erik

[asomotif]

Makes a picture of this historical person.

Teuku Umar (born in 1854, Meulaboh; died February 11, 1899) is a Pahlawan Nasional Indonesia (National Hero of Indonesia). He led a guerrilla campaign in Aceh during the period of the Dutch occupation. He fell when Dutch troops launched a sudden attack in Meulaboh. His body was buried in the Mugo area. After Teuku Umar's death, his wife Cut Nyak Dhien continued to led guerillas against the Dutch.

adding some info from Wikipedia.

But back to the gayo keris.
A few years back there was an exhibition in Delft with very nice keris.
Sad enough there was no catalogue, and I did not take any pictures.
Among them several gayo keris. with main features being :
- very simple blades (pamorless),
- huge ivory hilts.
- Ganja's protruding out of their scabbards
- and indeed the scabbards being dressed in silver and suasa with the typical faceted ball shaped scabbard end.

As for the RMV keris.
Hilt seems like the right gayo style
wrangka seems right, be it covered in gold :-)
and the bottom of the scabbard is missing its decoration. If this scabbard had some kind of golden ball shaped decoration I think all would not doubt and call it a gayo keris.

[erikscollectables]

Here a somwhat better picture of my handle in the same "position" as the museum picture. Very close in style and motif to this one!

Regards, Erik

[erikscollectables]

Originally Posted by asomotif

[I]
As for the RMV keris.
Hilt seems like the right gayo style
wrangka seems right, be it covered in gold :-)
and the bottom of the scabbard is missing its decoration. If this scabbard had some kind of golden ball shaped decoration I think all would not doubt and call it a gayo keris.

Hi Willem thanks for the background info!

Yep the gold cover shows rank/status and whealth of the owner I think.

Looking at the pendok and that it obviously misses a bottom part. My hypothesis is that is must have been one of those typical Gayo ball like endpieces as you mention. Otherwise it is a strange place to miss a part of the pendok I think...

Regards, Erik

[asomotif]

Very close in style and motif to this one!

Hello Erik,

Very close in style. even the same crack.
I would almost go to Leiden to check if the hilt is still there

[erikscollectables]

Originally Posted by asomotif

Hello Erik,

Very close in style. even the same crack.
I would almost go to Leiden to check if the hilt is still there

Yep and I melted the gold

[asomotif]

Yep and I melted the gold

To make a golden "gayo" rolex ?