A QUESTION OF TIMELINES AND EVOLUTION OF FORM

A. G. Maisey · 9th December 2011, 09:41 PM

Barry, my comments here will refer only to Jawa. Jawa is the point of origin of the keris, and all development in other areas occurred after the spread of the keris from Jawa to these other areas. I have made no study worth mentioning of keris in areas other than Jawa and Bali, thus I am not qualified to comment on development of form in areas other than Jawa.

The very earliest form of the keris in Jawa occurred in the Early Classical Period, Central Jawa, approx. pre-1000 CE.

The hilt on these keris appears to have been a purely functional form designed for use with a downwards stabbing action. The form was derived from and similar to some Indian daggers.

The cultural center of Jawa moved to East Jawa around 1000CE, and in East Jawa the hilt underwent development that saw it assume the figural forms of hyangs. This change occurred over at least a 300 year period.

With the rise of Demak , and the collapse of Majapahit( nominally 1468), Islamic cultural mores began to exercise an effect upon the Hindu-Buddhist and indigenous cultures of Jawa. The change in cultural mores saw the disappearance of recognizable humanoid forms, and their replacement with symbolic forms. This change occurred over approx. a 300 year period.

In Jawa, by the beginning of the 19th century, the Javanese hilt forms with which we are now familiar, had replaced in most, if not all, of Jawa, the hyang form.

The Solonese hilt form of which you have provided a photograph is certainly very prevalent, but only because Solonese culture is the dominant cultural thread of Jawa, and has influenced other Javanese sub-cultures.

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9th December 2011, 09:41 PM	#2
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,015	Barry, my comments here will refer only to Jawa. Jawa is the point of origin of the keris, and all development in other areas occurred after the spread of the keris from Jawa to these other areas. I have made no study worth mentioning of keris in areas other than Jawa and Bali, thus I am not qualified to comment on development of form in areas other than Jawa. The very earliest form of the keris in Jawa occurred in the Early Classical Period, Central Jawa, approx. pre-1000 CE. The hilt on these keris appears to have been a purely functional form designed for use with a downwards stabbing action. The form was derived from and similar to some Indian daggers. The cultural center of Jawa moved to East Jawa around 1000CE, and in East Jawa the hilt underwent development that saw it assume the figural forms of hyangs. This change occurred over at least a 300 year period. With the rise of Demak , and the collapse of Majapahit( nominally 1468), Islamic cultural mores began to exercise an effect upon the Hindu-Buddhist and indigenous cultures of Jawa. The change in cultural mores saw the disappearance of recognizable humanoid forms, and their replacement with symbolic forms. This change occurred over approx. a 300 year period. In Jawa, by the beginning of the 19th century, the Javanese hilt forms with which we are now familiar, had replaced in most, if not all, of Jawa, the hyang form. The Solonese hilt form of which you have provided a photograph is certainly very prevalent, but only because Solonese culture is the dominant cultural thread of Jawa, and has influenced other Javanese sub-cultures.