Grandfather's Kris...

[Nathaniel]

This is my Grandfather's....at least over 60-70 years old...

My Mom says that this is a dress/ ceremonial knife my grandfather was given to by her brother in Singapore......guessing it's from Malaysia...any comments...or information you might have about it...I took a close up of the emblem/ seal...it's written in Arabic...any translation???

The material seems to be some type of ivory...fittings are gold and the blade is silver...the blade is 19cm...25cm from handle to tip and 28cm when in it's sheath.

[Alam Shah]

Originally Posted by Nathaniel

This is my Grandfather's....at least over 60-70 years old...

My Mom says that this is a dress/ ceremonial knife my grandfather was given to by her brother in Singapore......guessing it's from Malaysia...any comments...or information you might have about it...I took a close up of the emblem/ seal...it's written in Arabic...any translation???

The material seems to be some type of ivory...fittings are gold and the blade is silver...the blade is 19cm...25cm from handle to tip and 28cm when in it's sheath.

Yes, this is a ceremonial piece from the Malaysian state of Selangor. The emblem is the coat of arms of Selangor, also known as "Darul Ehsan" (Abode of Sincerity).

The traditional culture of Selangor's Malay majority is influenced by those of Bugis, Johor, Minangkabau, Mandailing and Javanese ancestry. Did your grandpa's brother held an official post there?

Hilt and sheath are from elephant ivory. The blade is for decoration, but still aesthetically pleasing, gentle 5 (luks) meandering curves.

[Nathaniel]

Thank you very much Alam Shah for your very informative response. It was very interesting then to look up information on the location of that state of Selangor and see the state emblem of Wikipedia. Until now it has been a mystery as to the origins of this Kris.

To answer your question, my mother tells me that my great uncle was not an official in Selangor, but involved in the import/export business in Singapore ( know that is kind of vague...but that is just what my mom said). I may have to ask further some of my relatives if they know how he would have received this Kris, but I'm guessing it was as a gift.

Do you have any estimate as to how old this piece might be?

Would it be that rare?

So in the emblem of Selangor it looks like their are two kris in the seal?

My mother remembers it from her childhood...so it should be at least 50 + years old...maybe not 60-70 as I said above.

[Alam Shah]

Originally Posted by Nathaniel

... So in the emblem of Selangor it looks like their are two kris in the seal? ...

Selangor's emblem is an interesting amalgam of items that represent courage and royalty. The crescent moon and star in the centre represents Islam, the official religion. The central red spear, the Sambu Warna, the sword on the right, the Keris Pendek and the sword on the left, the Keris Panjang, are part of the state's Royal Regalia. The Jawi calligraphy in red reads the state's motto, 'Under the Protection of Allah'. A tali bengkung or broad belt worn by warriors of the state in ancient times appears below the motto.

[Antonio Cejunior]

Hi Alam Shah,

Same place for Pewter, huh?
This is a very beautiful and highly stylized piece. Does the handle has any special meaning? Very geometrical and contemporary looking.

Thanks for your input.
Thank you Nathaniel for posting such a beautiful piece.

[David]

Well, the dress is fancy and valuable, being of ivory and gold, but i am afraid the blade leaves me a bit cold. It certainly isn't a traditional keris. Does anyone know the purpose of such a thing?
Antonio, the hilt is known a Jawa Deman, literally the "feverish Jawanese" and is a stylised image of a figure bent forward with his arm across his belly as if ill. It is a common style of keris hilt, especially from the Peninsula area, though i haven't seen one that uses this exact design before. This one seems even more geometric and less organic than the ones i have seen.

[Antonio Cejunior]

Originally Posted by David

Antonio, the hilt is known a Jawa Deman, literally the "feverish Jawanese" and is a stylised image of a figure bent forward with his arm across his belly as if ill. It is a common style of keris hilt, especially from the Peninsula area, though i haven't seen one that uses this exact design before. This one seems even more geometric and less organic than the ones i have seen.

David,

Thanks for the explanation. Although we agree on the blade, I wonder if the absence of a baca-baca is due to the scabbard design.
But I surely like the ensemble, and mainly the handle as it strikes me how nicely stylized it is.

Wonderful IMHO.

[David]

Originally Posted by Antonio Cejunior

Thanks for the explanation. Although we agree on the blade, I wonder if the absence of a baca-baca is due to the scabbard design.

Antonio, baca-baca is a feature to be found on Moro kris. It is not a feature that is usually on Malay or Indonesian keris so it has nothing at all to do with scabbard design.

[Alam Shah]

Originally Posted by David

Well, the dress is fancy and valuable, being of ivory and gold, but i am afraid the blade leaves me a bit cold. It certainly isn't a traditional keris. Does anyone know the purpose of such a thing?

What is a traditional keris?

Originally Posted by David

Antonio, the hilt is known a Jawa Deman, literally the "feverish Jawanese" and is a stylised image of a figure bent forward with his arm across his belly as if ill...

Is that what the stance symbolizes?
Why is it known as a Jawa Demam?

[David]

Originally Posted by Alam Shah

What is a traditional keris?

Is that what the stance symbolized?
Why is it known as a Jawa Demam?

This is not what i understand as tradition material for a keris blade. It appears to be pewter, though i suppose it might be silver as originally posted. Either way, it isn't what i expect, or even want from a keris blade. Not knowing all that much about keris from this area i ask if this material has any significance, because to my untrained eyes this just looks like a very well dressed souvenir. Kind of like a mannequin in an Armani suit. So if there is some cultural significance to this blade i would love to hear about it.
Good questions about the Jawa Demam. I was merely stating what is commonly known for Antonio's sake, but i have always suspected there is a greater untold story behind the symbolism of this hilt form. The name implies the assumed symbolism, but what is really behind this facade? This could be a great thread question on it's own.

[Alam Shah]

Originally Posted by Antonio Cejunior

Hi Alam Shah,

Same place for Pewter, huh?
This is a very beautiful and highly stylized piece. Does the handle has any special meaning? Very geometrical and contemporary looking.

Thanks for your input.
Thank you Nathaniel for posting such a beautiful piece.

Yup, the well-known Selangor Pewter... there are some keris pewter-ware too, but not really following the aesthetics of a 'real' keris. As for the handle, it's a common form of malaysian northern peninsular.

[Antonio Cejunior]

Originally Posted by Alam Shah

Yup, the well-known Selangor Pewter... there are some keris pewter-ware too, but not really following the aesthetics of a 'real' keris. As for the handle, it's a common form of malaysian northern peninsular.

Right.
When when our son was about 7 or eight, we spent a month in Malaysia, starting at Penang where we stayed at a resort called Battu Ferringhi, they told me at the time it meant Portuguese Stones, so I'm just selling for the same price I bought it. Then we proceeded to Kuala Lumpur (what is the meaning of the city's name, please?) then we went to the Portuguese Settlement in Melacca (we call it Malaca) and saw the A Famosa built by Afonso de Albuquerque (Note that Alfonso is Spanish, not Portuguese) and we then went to Kota Kinabalu. It was a fantastic time we spent in Malaysia.

I appreciate whatever language meaning you can explain to me.
I noticed in Malaca that the school bus had a sign saying SEKOLA, which is very close to ESCOLA, the Portuguese word for School.
I'm interested very much in understanding why did the Portuguese words stuck, no matter how twisted, whereas a could not find any Dutch words.

Linguistics are very important to understand the language of affection.
In Macau, women used to go out with the Saraça which was of Malaysian origin.

In the late 1960's I travelled to Europe with someone who asked me what was my nationality and I told him, Portuguese: he immediately recited these four words: djanela, bandera, pistola, cadera. This is pure Portuguese and that really hit me hard.

The Japanese have incorporated about 400 Portuguese words in their vocabulary.
So you may understand my interest in linguistics involving influences of the Portguese in the Far East.

Then you have Emilio Salgari, the Italian writer who wrote Sandokan, the Tiger of Malaysia.


Kabhir Beddhi was the star. For many years, while my beard was black, many folks in Portugal called me Sandokan

Thank you in advance.

[Alam Shah]

Originally Posted by Alam Shah

... this is a ceremonial piece from the Malaysian state of Selangor. The emblem is the coat of arms of Selangor, also known as "Darul Ehsan" (Abode of Sincerity).

Hilt and sheath are from elephant ivory. The blade is for decoration, but still aesthetically pleasing, gentle 5 (luks) meandering curves.

My initial comments stated that it is a ceremonial piece... a more accurate term would be, a presentation piece.

Originally Posted by David

I am more of the mind that this is not a common souvenir piece, but perhaps some kind of presentation gift.
I am still a bit confused by Shahrial's initial response connecting this to a particular office. I would think that would be served by a "real" keris blade.

The emblem is the coat of arms of Selangor, also known as "Darul Ehsan" (Abode of Sincerity). Selangor is one of the richest state in Malaysia. Looking closely at the crude emblem works, it was probably commissioned to commemorate a certain event, by the state. Hence, the hilt, hilt cup, blade doesn't look much like the traditional keris parts we are familiar with.

[David]

Hi Shahrial. Thanks for clarifying your remarks.