Jejeran Pulungan

[A. G. Maisey]

Bjorn, I think that the real truth of the matter might be that we do not really know what the true name of any of these was at the time they came into use. In fact, it seems likely to me that the name "Raksasa" is simply something that is also a comparatively modern invention , just an invention that pre-dates the others.

In the elite levels of society prior to, say, 1800, what were these hilt styles really called?

I do not know, and I doubt that anybody else does either.

I'll take this a little bit further:- the keris has been around for over 1000 years, in one form or another.

But what was it called in ancient times?

We have a number of names to choose from, but we do not with any certainty know exactly what that asymmetric dagger was called, in fact, it seems likely that just as is the case today, it had several names, each name depending upon style of wear or method of use.

[Bjorn]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

In the elite levels of society prior to, say, 1800, what were these hilt styles really called?

I do not know, and I doubt that anybody else does either.

I fear you are completely right here, Alan. One of the frustrating aspects of keris study is how much knowledge has been lost to time.

[rasjid]

As Alan, mentioned: naming game, we do not know where originally certain names pops up. It could also from within the area we found the items ( in this case hilts).

Just to add a few, we could also get names from local people for example :cirebon then the elders told them this is what they called or could be some marketing guys thinking of selling his item and call something fancy to sell things. We do not know, for me: i just accepted the information and with times and other information we could come into a conclusion of our own.

My samples here: its just a variation from the carver?
1. One crown over the head
2. With snake over the shoulder
3. Something in front the chest, or pendant?
4. Round head?

We really do not know for sure, but what we can be sure is:
1. Material used
2. Carving quality
3. Old or newly made or processed
4. If any fixing being done


Regards
Rasjid

[Jean]

Very interesting questions Rasjid, I have the same with no definite answers
However it seems to me that these are just variations of the Cirebon "buta bajang/ Bima" style whatever you call it. In his book "Gods, Demons, and Ancestors" Marco Noris calls the hilts with a bird shaped nose/ beak as "pulungan".
Regards

[rasjid]

Yes Jean, agreed. They all similar but from local discussion they talks some differences if they have crown and no crown? Means younger age or older?
When we discuss like more specific detailed about hilt, its become more complicated as who is the real trend setter to make statement?
For Keris, we can from keraton Solo for example about Solo keris.
Alan mentioned many times, keris knowledge change following which group you are belong too... its the nature but if we are discussing a high level keris, even from photo given at certain degree we can come into a conclusion or general agreement.

[Jean]

Originally Posted by rasjid

Yes Jean, agreed. They all similar but from local discussion they talks some differences if they have crown and no crown? Means younger age or older?

Yes Rasjid, the specimens with a crown look a bit different and generally older, may be from a specific area or period? However they probably date from later than the 17th century as no such specimen seems to have been brought to Europe at that time? (but I may be wrong).
Regards

[David]

I've been leaning towards calling these hilts Buta Bajang, but then, what's in a name.
This name game thing can be very annoying at times, but then we must consider that if it ever is possible to find the original name for something that name could, i suppose, lead to some deeper understanding of the thing itself...or not.
Even if we can determine if "pulungan" was ever a possible original term for such hilts, was it a general term or a more localized speciality term? And would such a naming lead us to any greater understanding of the hilt itself and it's place within Javanese/Cirebon keris culture? Strangely enough i do not yet have a good Javanese/English dictionary (yes, i know ). Google translator is horrible, but it does translate "pulungan" as "meeting". This is probably incorrect and maybe Alan has a more accurate translation as this one does not seem to add any particular incite into the nature of these hilts.
Ultimately though it seems that we are past the point where we can ever be sure of the origin of these names or what may or may not be more correct. I find that in many circles "knowledge" of the most amount of specialized keris terminology is part of the i-know-more-than-you-do game of one-upmanship. Unfortunately this game seems to often be inserted into discussions as a substitute for any substantial understanding about the nature of keris.
Here are a couple of my Buta Bajang hilts. One is very old and the other is a nice contemporary hilt that i believe holds to traditional design. I don't know if either of these has characteristics that would lead a more knowledgeable collector to label it "pulungan". It does seem that the body position in these two hilts are somewhat different, with the contemporary one in a deeper squatting position and the old one seems more seated atop something. That in itself might designate these hilts by completely different specific names.

[rasjid]

Originally Posted by Jean

Yes Rasjid, the specimens with a crown look a bit different and generally older, may be from a specific area or period? However they probably date from later than the 17th century as no such specimen seems to have been brought to Europe at that time? (but I may be wrong).
Regards

Yes Jean, some discussion also mentioned its older ( means by age) not in period making. To me, its just the carver's design and imagination.

Rembrant 1632 already have keris or some sort of dagger in the painting. So i never go to the detailed yet