Something worth a passing glance

[A. G. Maisey]

No Sid, not really any cultural connection.

If we look at old examples of Javanese pendok we find most of them are quite plain. The ethic is, and has been for a long time, that it is best to hide the nature of one's keris from the sight of others. If the characteristics of the keris itself are known, those characteristics can be used against the possessor of the keris. In various places & at various times, the gonjo of the keris was made without pamor, & the underlying reason for this was to effectively seal the nature of the keris from the knowledge of other people.

However, a pendok can carry a message, & that message is not linked to the keris itself, but rather to the possessor or wearer of the keris. In kraton society the sunggingan pendoks are colour coded to show the rank of the wearer.

Traditional motifs can be read in the same way that those motifs are understood in batiks & other decorative arts. In some cases a pendok might carry a motif that relates to the wearer's character or profession, for example, in Bali a dancer might have a pendok with a dancer embossed on it.

However, I believe that in most cases the pendok fitted to a keris is simply one that the person who fitted it believes is a harmonious combination with the rest of the dress.