Two Tajong?

Jeff Pringle · 12th May 2007, 04:26 PM

I recently found these two Keris, and would like to learn more about them. From a couple searches of the forum (and a long interest in ethnographic patterned steel), it seems they are Patani tajong, at least in hilt. The one with the darker handle is more roughly carved, and has no sign of pamor on the blade. The lighter handle is carved with a high degree of care and finish, and the blade has more shape and signs of pamor.
Both are in need of TLC!

BluErf · 13th May 2007, 08:06 AM

Hi Jeff,

The keris on the right is not in the correct sheath form, hence it can't exactly be called a tajong. The keris on the left is in the correct sheath form, though the right daun (the up-curling tip) has broken off.

You may have seen these 2 tajongs before - archetypal examples.
http://www.kampungnet.com.sg/modules...view_album.php

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

Very interesting blade form for the keris on the left though... It's not the usual sort of blade found in a Tajong keris. Judging from the depth of the greneng and the style of the base of the blade, could be a Narathiwat blade, like this:

ganjawulung · 13th May 2007, 03:11 PM

Dear Jeff,

According to Indonesian point of view, we call such types of hilt as: "hulu pekakak". Bambang Harsrinuksmo wrote in his Ensiklopedi Keris (2004), that hulu pekakak is the hilt type used in Malaysian peninsula, Riau Island (Sumatra, Indonesia), Jambi (Sumatra, Indonesia), Serawak (Malaysia) and Brunei Darussalam. But excuse me, you put the hilt in the wrong direction. Actually, the hulu pekakak must face the opposite site of your blade. So, please turn the hilt 180 degree...

In Java Island (Indonesia), this type of hilt or handle is almost similar with Rajamala. But the nose is shorter, and the hulu's bend is a little bit more upward. Cirebon (the north-western part of Central Java) also have Rajamala with shorter nose like Solonese type. Some (Javanese) keris lover call the hulu pekakak as Raja Ikan or the King Fisher.

Pekakak is actually a kind of bird in the border of Malaysia and Thailand (Pattani). The Latin name of the bird is Pelargopsis amauroptera. There are two kinds of pekakak: (1) pekakak hutan (forest pekakak) and (2) pekakak udang (shrimp pekakak).

The right sheath, if I'm not mistaken, is a Bugis sheath. I don't exactly the different or the similarity between Bugis type sheath and Malay sheath. Anyway, you have old and good kerises...

Jeff Pringle · 14th May 2007, 02:25 AM

So a ‘Tajong’ is a fairly specific combination of elements; sheath, handle and blade?
If I wished to describe these correctly, should my friends ask what they are and where they come from, would “Keris with ‘kingfisher’ hilts, North Peninsular Malaysia or Southern Thailand” be reasonably correct?

Quote:

Actually, the hulu pekakak must face the opposite site of your blade. So, please turn the hilt 180 degree...

Ah, that is how they were when I got them. I have corrected the situation, thank you for bringing it to my attention!

I cleaned most of the rust from the blade with more shape in the sorsoran (lime juice and toothbrush method), and have taken this photo with side lighting to show more details. The joint at the ganjah is usually straight, no? The metal has subtle layering, but no flashy pamor.

ganjawulung · 14th May 2007, 03:48 AM

Yessss, Jeff,

Better situation, isn't it? The blade with double curves in the ganja is younger, but better. We call ganja with two curves like that as ganjawilut. Good Mataram era kerises (16th century) usually had ganjawilut. There is an other double curves type of ganja, we call it kelaplintah. An the kelap lintah is more beautiful, more artistic. The best javanese empu in the past who is known best maker of the kelaplintah ganja is Empu Supa, and the younger Supa Anom.

Your ganjawilut blade is almost similar with kerises from Empu Supa. Usually not to big (the Javanese call it, wiwing) good blade curf, and ricikan (details). Your wilut blade has a good ada-ada (higher contour in the middle of the blade, from bottom sor-soran until almost to the top of the blade). Small but beautiful... (I prefer to clean my blades not with sikat gigi or toothbrush, but with sikat sepatu or white nylon shoe-brush, on a plate of wood).

BluErf · 14th May 2007, 04:36 PM

Hi Jeff,

"Pekaka" is not the correct term to use for tajong hilts. It is an erroneous term propagated by quite a number of books and authors, both from this region and in the West.

"Tajong" and "Pekaka" are 2 different hilt forms, and the tajong hilt is certainly not a kingfisher bird. If you look carefully, there is a mouth with fangs underneath the long nose, and the hilt actually has a highly abstract body, complete with vestigial arms in front and highly stylized legs. The posture is just like the rashaksa hilts from Java, hands on knees. The closest relative from Java to the tajong is the tegal hilt. See 1st pic. There had been some discussions on the possible evolution of the tajong hilt somewhere in this forum. You may want to look for it. In short, the tajong could be an extremely evolved form of rashaksa hilt.

In North Malaysia and South Thailand, where the pekaka and tajong hilts originate from, "hulu pekaka" refers to a special type of Jawa Demam with very strongly protruding head and acute beak (tanjak) and back spike (garuda mungkur). See 2nd pic.

The tajong form is unique to Kelantan and Pattani. Those tajong-like hilts found in Sumatra or Kalimantan are most likely copies of the archetypal form found in Kelantan/Pattani. We notice a rise in attempts to make copies of the tajong today. The hilts look approximately like the tajong, especially when viewed sideways. However, when viewed head-on, the proportions and shapes are all wrong. The attempts to copy the tajong could be attributed to the scarcity and relative high-value of this rare keris form.

As to the configuration of the hilt, turning it left certainly conforms to the Javanese way of configuring the hilt. However, Malay and Bugis kerises are more likely to have their hilts facing forward, perhaps tilted slightly to the left. This is a practical and ergonomic grip, especially with the Jawa Demam form, or the pistol ("kerdas") grip. For the tajong, which is a Malay keris, and a status piece more than a functional keris, the same configuration would apply, though many a times, we would turn the hilt left or right so that the full impressive side profile can be seen. You may want to note that if you turn the hilt to the right, somehow, it is better accentuated by the daun (the up-curling tip) of the sheath. See 3rd and 4th pics.

12th May 2007, 04:26 PM	#1
Jeff Pringle Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 189	Two Tajong? I recently found these two Keris, and would like to learn more about them. From a couple searches of the forum (and a long interest in ethnographic patterned steel), it seems they are Patani tajong, at least in hilt. The one with the darker handle is more roughly carved, and has no sign of pamor on the blade. The lighter handle is carved with a high degree of care and finish, and the blade has more shape and signs of pamor. Both are in need of TLC! Attached Images

13th May 2007, 08:06 AM	#2
BluErf Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,180	Hi Jeff, The keris on the right is not in the correct sheath form, hence it can't exactly be called a tajong. The keris on the left is in the correct sheath form, though the right daun (the up-curling tip) has broken off. You may have seen these 2 tajongs before - archetypal examples. http://www.kampungnet.com.sg/modules...view_album.php http://www.kampungnet.com.sg/modules...view_album.php Very interesting blade form for the keris on the left though... It's not the usual sort of blade found in a Tajong keris. Judging from the depth of the greneng and the style of the base of the blade, could be a Narathiwat blade, like this: Attached Images

13th May 2007, 03:11 PM	#3
ganjawulung Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: J a k a r t a Posts: 991	Hulu Pekakak Dear Jeff, According to Indonesian point of view, we call such types of hilt as: "hulu pekakak". Bambang Harsrinuksmo wrote in his Ensiklopedi Keris (2004), that hulu pekakak is the hilt type used in Malaysian peninsula, Riau Island (Sumatra, Indonesia), Jambi (Sumatra, Indonesia), Serawak (Malaysia) and Brunei Darussalam. But excuse me, you put the hilt in the wrong direction. Actually, the hulu pekakak must face the opposite site of your blade. So, please turn the hilt 180 degree... In Java Island (Indonesia), this type of hilt or handle is almost similar with Rajamala. But the nose is shorter, and the hulu's bend is a little bit more upward. Cirebon (the north-western part of Central Java) also have Rajamala with shorter nose like Solonese type. Some (Javanese) keris lover call the hulu pekakak as Raja Ikan or the King Fisher. Pekakak is actually a kind of bird in the border of Malaysia and Thailand (Pattani). The Latin name of the bird is Pelargopsis amauroptera. There are two kinds of pekakak: (1) pekakak hutan (forest pekakak) and (2) pekakak udang (shrimp pekakak). The right sheath, if I'm not mistaken, is a Bugis sheath. I don't exactly the different or the similarity between Bugis type sheath and Malay sheath. Anyway, you have old and good kerises...

14th May 2007, 04:36 PM	#6
BluErf Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,180	Hi Jeff, "Pekaka" is not the correct term to use for tajong hilts. It is an erroneous term propagated by quite a number of books and authors, both from this region and in the West. "Tajong" and "Pekaka" are 2 different hilt forms, and the tajong hilt is certainly not a kingfisher bird. If you look carefully, there is a mouth with fangs underneath the long nose, and the hilt actually has a highly abstract body, complete with vestigial arms in front and highly stylized legs. The posture is just like the rashaksa hilts from Java, hands on knees. The closest relative from Java to the tajong is the tegal hilt. See 1st pic. There had been some discussions on the possible evolution of the tajong hilt somewhere in this forum. You may want to look for it. In short, the tajong could be an extremely evolved form of rashaksa hilt. In North Malaysia and South Thailand, where the pekaka and tajong hilts originate from, "hulu pekaka" refers to a special type of Jawa Demam with very strongly protruding head and acute beak (tanjak) and back spike (garuda mungkur). See 2nd pic. The tajong form is unique to Kelantan and Pattani. Those tajong-like hilts found in Sumatra or Kalimantan are most likely copies of the archetypal form found in Kelantan/Pattani. We notice a rise in attempts to make copies of the tajong today. The hilts look approximately like the tajong, especially when viewed sideways. However, when viewed head-on, the proportions and shapes are all wrong. The attempts to copy the tajong could be attributed to the scarcity and relative high-value of this rare keris form. As to the configuration of the hilt, turning it left certainly conforms to the Javanese way of configuring the hilt. However, Malay and Bugis kerises are more likely to have their hilts facing forward, perhaps tilted slightly to the left. This is a practical and ergonomic grip, especially with the Jawa Demam form, or the pistol ("kerdas") grip. For the tajong, which is a Malay keris, and a status piece more than a functional keris, the same configuration would apply, though many a times, we would turn the hilt left or right so that the full impressive side profile can be seen. You may want to note that if you turn the hilt to the right, somehow, it is better accentuated by the daun (the up-curling tip) of the sheath. See 3rd and 4th pics. Attached Images

14th May 2007, 03:48 AM	#5
ganjawulung Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: J a k a r t a Posts: 991	Yessss, Jeff, Better situation, isn't it? The blade with double curves in the ganja is younger, but better. We call ganja with two curves like that as ganjawilut. Good Mataram era kerises (16th century) usually had ganjawilut. There is an other double curves type of ganja, we call it kelaplintah. An the kelap lintah is more beautiful, more artistic. The best javanese empu in the past who is known best maker of the kelaplintah ganja is Empu Supa, and the younger Supa Anom. Your ganjawilut blade is almost similar with kerises from Empu Supa. Usually not to big (the Javanese call it, wiwing) good blade curf, and ricikan (details). Your wilut blade has a good ada-ada (higher contour in the middle of the blade, from bottom sor-soran until almost to the top of the blade). Small but beautiful... (I prefer to clean my blades not with sikat gigi or toothbrush, but with sikat sepatu or white nylon shoe-brush, on a plate of wood).