Identify a Keris

[A. G. Maisey]

Jean, WD40 has very limited capability as a long term protective against corrosion. It does have good short term capability, and as a moisture displacer I personally believe that it is supreme in its field. I have used and recommended WD40 for moisture displacement prior to applying oil and after blade cleaning & staining for many years, I believe I started to use WD40 some time in the 1950's, and I have been using it ever since. It is not just a good product, it is a great product. But it does have limitations.

The manufacturer advises that in a protective environment it has about a two year life as a rust preventative, and in an unprotective environment about half this time.

Prior to oiling a blade my complete preparation is to remove old congealed oil with a toothbrush & mineral turpentine, I then drench with WD40 and stand the blade and allow it to dry off overnight, the following day I brush on a mixture of +/- 50% sandalwood oil and either Singer sewing machine oil or medicinal paraffin.

I buy the sandalwood oil by the litre, it works out a lot cheaper that way.

I then tightly wrap the oiled blade in a plastic envelope.

Blades prepared in this manner can go for 20 years and longer with no maintenance at all.

I live waterfront to a salt water lake. I do not have any rust problems with my blades stored in this way.

The tradition in Jawa for oiling a blade with sandalwood or rose or jasmine oil is to comply with the concept of respect to the keris and to make it a pleasant place for any entity which may care to visit. Yes, the fragrance of the oil does penetrate the wood of the wrongko and the open grain of a blade, and this is exactly as is intended.

The downside of oil penetrating wrongko wood is that it leads to staining and material deterioration, which mean that in a wrongko where the gandar is attached to the atasan with an adhesive, this bond will eventually be loosened, and the gandar will become detached. Once oil has contaminated the joint surfaces of atasan & gandar there is only one adhesive that I know of that will give a degree of adhesion, & that is button shellac used as a hotmix glue. Button shellac is a very weak adhesive, and the joint will separate very easily.

Javanese wrongko joints frequently use button shellac, but keris from other keris bearing societies normally use a fish based wood glue (traditionally) or a modern adhesive at the present time. These other societies do not observe the same traditions as those which apply in Jawa.

In any case, whether one relies on oil soaked wood to prevent rust, or plastic film & oil, or constant repeated maintenance, this much is true:- nowhere in the world will we find a museum curator or conservator who recommends storing ferric materials on or against wood or any other cellulose based material.

Another thing that is true is this:- a good quality gun oil will provide far better protection against corrosion than either WD40 or Singer sewing machine oil --- but the stink of the stuff will surely guarantee that no spiritual entity will ever come anywhere near that keris.

[A. G. Maisey]

David, I cannot answer your questions in Post #13.

I simply do not know.

My guess is that these various styles were deemed suitable for certain usage at certain times in the past, but that is a guess, it is not a supportable answer.

I just had a look at what Haryoguritno says about the naming of various styles of wrongko, both for Surakarta & for Ngayogyakarta, and although he goes into how the styles are named and from where some of those names came he does not go into explicit detail. He seems to mostly associate the various forms with the stature and physical appearance of the wearer.

[David]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

David, I cannot answer your questions in Post #13.

I simply do not know.

My guess is that these various styles were deemed suitable for certain usage at certain times in the past, but that is a guess, it is not a supportable answer.

I just had a look at what Haryoguritno says about the naming of various styles of wrongko, both for Surakarta & for Ngayogyakarta, and although he goes into how the styles are named and from where some of those names came he does not go into explicit detail. He seems to mostly associate the various forms with the stature and physical appearance of the wearer.

OK thanks. I appreciate your caution in not forming a definitive opinion here. But i assume you can see why i might wonder is a sheath form called "gayaman ladrang" would be acceptable formal wear given the use of "ladrang" in the name. I can understand how this might not have the most obvious meaning though.

[A. G. Maisey]

Yep, for sure.

Your guess might be right, or it might not.

Even HG's identifications might be subject to different terms.

You know the name of the game:- everything changes everywhere, all the time and always.

HG was a very conscientious gatherer of information, I was present on one of his visits to Empu Suparman and watched him in action.

If there was more to be known about these wrongko forms I believe he would have included that info in his book.

The name of something does not always lead to an obvious conclusion where Javanese/ Indonesian usage is concerned. Sticking with wrongkos, we can find the word "bancih" or "bancihan" used.

In Javanese "bancih" means "hermaphrodite", and in Indonesian "banci" means a transvestite homosexual but in Javanese, the same word "banci" is a kind of vegetable soup, this word "banci" has other meanings as well, depending on context & language.

Some people used to believe that a wrongko that contained the word "banci" or "bancihan" in its name was a special kind of wrongko for use by homosexuals, but in fact use of the word indicates that it is a wrongko that is part way between the two basic forms of wrongko, the ladrang & the gayam.

[jagabuwana]

"The tradition in Jawa for oiling a blade with sandalwood or rose or jasmine oil is to comply with the concept of respect to the keris and to make it a pleasant place for any entity which may care to visit" (A. G. Maisey, Post #14)


Alan, in the Javanese belief system, what would make a keris worthy or eligible of being visited?

I'm mainly asking my question from the perspective of before and during the actual manufacture of the keris - the planning, the intents, the focusing of that intent through spiritual practices and so on.

[A. G. Maisey]

Jaga, this is a big question, principally because it involves going back into the past and restating things that as far as I can see have largely been forgotten.

The element of "respect" is still there, Empu Suparman used to say it was respect for the maker, but there are other principles tied into the character of the keris that Jawa under Islam has forgotten in detail but remembers in principle in that respect must be given.

If we wish to adopt a way in which to differentiate between the keris made as an item of trade, or dress, or a weapon, and a keris that has been made with spiritual content, then the easy way is to simply look for an old keris that bears the hallmarks of manufacture by a master craftsman, an empu. Such a keris might have been made with spiritual content. But then again it might not have been. One thing is believed to be certain, and that is that an ordinary trade, dress or weapon keris made by an ordinary smith cannot have been made with spiritual content, simply because such a maker would not have known the mantras.

In my "Interpretation" article I did touch on this idea of the keris as shrine, but that was in the context of Old Jawa and of Bali.

Essentially we are considering elements of ancestor worship. Where a keris has been made as pusaka it has been made with the intent that when called upon the ancestors can visit the custodian of that keris and through him reach the present day kin group.

But then a similar idea can exist where a keris has been dedicated to a particular deity. The visitor, ancestor or deity is not present all the time, but the keris is held in readiness for such a visit. During those times when the keris is empty it must be guarded against becoming occupied by an unwanted, perhaps evil or malicious entity, and that is the purpose of the hilt figure.

[jagabuwana]

I might have to get into the weeds abit here so that I can better understand the moving parts. Please excuse what might be pedantic.

The element of "respect" is still there, Empu Suparman used to say it was respect for the maker

Do you mean respect for the maker of the keris, by its current custodian or owner?
I suppose then this also means respect for all who have taken care of this keris ever since it was made, and the families and groups that it has bound together.

One thing is believed to be certain, and that is that an ordinary trade, dress or weapon keris made by an ordinary smith cannot have been made with spiritual content, simply because such a maker would not have known the mantras.

Yes that makes sense, and is a reminder that an empu is very different to a pandai keris, and that the empu was a person who through his works was able to create a conduit for the unseen in ways that are legitimate and potent to a Javanese person.

~~

The original question was "in the Javanese belief system, what would make a keris worthy or eligible of being visited?" (emphasis added).

What if we were to remove that part of the question?

Could a keris have spiritual content or the potential for it, if it was to be made in a way that does not include all the Javanese belief system's particulars such as the right mantras?

I ask this question to Alan and others, but will attempt to elaborate and answer it myself to add to the discussion.

It makes sense that there are particularities that go into any artefact, product or outcome born from a belief system. Islam, for example, has many prayers and supplications for very specific things. Whatever it is that one needs to do in life, one can find in Islamic texts the right supplication to God. The specific utterances vary but invariably they are either praises to God or the Prophet, permission-seeking from God or protection-seeking from God.

No scholar of Islam would ever argue that your own words, with the right intent, directed to God would fall on deaf ears, but I guess the existence of specific prayers and supplications are a way of reaching God in a way that is deemed to be more refined. And refinement of the individual is probably the whole point of prescribed prayer and practices.

The point here is that mantras and prayers alike, specific ones as prescribed from a legitimate place in any belief system, matter.

But to who do they matter?

To continue with the Islam example, I would say that they mean less to God than they do to us. They are for humanity's sake, not for God's. But what about in the Javanese believe system where there are gods (including plenty enough room for the unitary, Abrahamic god), but ancestors, demons, animal spirits, nature spirits and so on? Do they need to hear those very specific words uttered with the right intents before they can do what they are called upon to do, like a password that only the initiated have? (I apologise in advance if that question comes off as crass. That isn't my intention).

There are many more questions and digressions I could add but it would all just be arriving at a final question, which is a metaphysical question within which the keris can be situated but stands on its own.

And that is:- how much of the unseen, and our relationship with it, can be accessed in a way that is unmediated by particulars, but in a way that is universal?

To bring that back to the keris:- suppose it is true that the ancestors can be honoured or worshipped, god can be honoured or worshipped, unseen beings can be offered to, by anyone in any way that is respectful, dignified and with sincere intent.
What does this mean for the keris when situated outside of its mother culture, belief system and practice? Can it still objectively (for lack of a better term) or truly be a spiritual object to the person with those beliefs who holds that keris? Or can a smith who is, say, an Aboriginal Australian shaman forge a keris and have it be a spiritual object?

[A. G. Maisey]

Jaga, you have, I think, provided a platform for discussion, rather than a straightforward, simple question that can be met with a straightforward simple answer.

Further, that platform is loaded.

I could dive headlong into this and in the process antagonise & offend a lot of people.

I'd sooner not do this.

I'm going to assume that you have read this:-

http://www.kerisattosanaji.com/inter...e-keris-page-1

and that you understand what I have written and do not wish to debate anything in this article that has a bearing on your thoughts in respect of the matters you wish to address.

I would also like you to go here:-

https://books.google.com.au/books?id...Maisey&f=false

and read the content of Chapter 6, this has not yet been published, but is scheduled for publication in the USA on 1st. December 2021

In this chapter I have touched on what happened with the Javanese keris after Islam decided that in order to facilitate the replacement of Hindu-Javanese culture with Islamic culture, one of the things that Islam needed to deal with was to change the nature of the keris in Javanese society.

If what I have written in both of these pieces of writing is insufficient for you to form your own opinions in respect of this matter, perhaps you might care to break your enquiries down into simple direct questions that can be addressed in less than 5000 words.

I actually started to write a response to your post last night, but after about 1200 words, I decided that I could not do justice in a public Forum based discussion to the ideas you have formulated.

Break those ideas down into a format that an educated 8 year old child can understand and put them before us one idea at a time, and I think we might have something that has the potential to teach all of us, something of value.

The "8 year old child" idea was given to me many years ago by a well known Australian journalist, I was advised to always try my best to never write anything for public consumption that an 8 year old child could not easily understand. I think this was very good advice, I do not always succeed , but I do try to follow it.

So, I'd like to put the hard stuff that you have set before us, off to one side for the moment.

But you have also asked a couple of uncomplicated things, so I'll try to get rid of those.

You have asked:-

"--- The element of "respect" is still there, Empu Suparman used to say it was respect for the maker ---

---Do you mean respect for the maker of the keris, by its current custodian or owner?
I suppose then this also means respect for all who have taken care of this keris ever since it was made, and the families and groups that it has bound together. --- "

For Empu Suparman the respect was limited to only the maker


As you have noted, all keris are not equal. The role of the keris as a link between the perceived world and the hidden world is really only applicable to the pusaka keris of a kin group. In Balinese culture this facet of keris culture is still alive, in Javanese culture the link to ancestors seems to have been considerably watered down. I feel that within some kin groups the acceptance of this link might still be real, in other kin groups I believe this aspect of the keris, both as pusaka and as link to the hidden world has been lost.

I think that as a general principle at the present time, the broad acceptance of the keris as a personal piyandel (a talisman, belief, reliance), is perhaps a more accurate placement in Javanese society of the keris. There is still that connection with the unseen, the esoteric, but not to the same extent, nor in the same way as is the case in Bali. Probably in rural areas, where people are still closer to animism & ancestor worship, the original nature of the keris has stronger recognition than in the Islamised urban setting.

Pauzan Pusposukadgo was one of the first, and one of the most talented keris makers of the modern age. He was also a devout Muslim. He was regarded as an empu keris by the general populace and within Surakarta Karaton society, but he refused to use the title Empu, preferring to style himself as "Pandai Seni Keris".

It was his firm belief that only a person who could bring life to a keris could call himself an Empu Keris. He was a Muslim, a very devout follower of Islam, and for him it was absolutely unthinkable that a human being could bring life into anything. This idea alone was sacrilege, as only God can give life.

So for Pauzan, good, solid Muslim that he was, it was a pretence of Man that anybody with the supposed powers that were attributed to the Empu, could ever have existed.

Nothing made by Man can be greater than Man, and only God can give life.

But on the other side of the page we have the ideas and beliefs of Sufic Islam, which the Javanese adherents of Javanese indigenous belief systems found to be quite acceptable and close to their own beliefs.

Thus, when we consider the entire, convoluted morass of keris belief, what we are left with is a web of interwoven belief systems, and for any true believer in anything, what he believes is indeed true for him. It is all a matter of perception and perspective.

One belief is that a keris, like a shrine, is created empty, but it can be visited by a spiritual entity. So then, perhaps we need to ask if it is legitimate for any lay person to create a shrine, or perhaps further, if something that was not created as a shrine can in time become one. This question again becomes one that is open to belief.

Jaga, if my short response is insufficient for you to be able to find your own answers, I am happy to continue, but only on a step by step basis.

[David]

Alan, thank you for taking the time to attempt to approach, at least in part, Jag's difficult questions, and Jag, thanks for asking them in the first place. At first i too wondered whether this forum was the place to even attempt to approach these subjects, buy your response, though of course not all encompassing, should be immensely helpful for anyone who has been ruminating upon these subjects, even an eight year old.
Also great thanks for the link to your chapter in this upcoming book. If the other writers involved have offered chapters even half as well written as what you have contributed to the subject of the personal object i believe it would be well worth acquiring.

[A. G. Maisey]

Thank you for your compliments David.

I have not yet read all of the contributions to this book, I have read a couple, and it does seem to me that there is some worthwhile & thought provoking writing between its covers.

It has been a very long time in production. It has been driven by a group of philosophers, so I suppose we should expect to meet with some ideas that might be considered to be brain-food.

Actually, I rather enjoy the questions & comments that our Guardian of the Universe posts to our Forum. Jaga has managed to get a firm grasp of the dimensions of the keris that most people fail to acknowledge, if indeed they are even aware that such dimensions even exist.

[Interested Party]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

Jaga, you have, I think, provided a platform for discussion

Thus, when we consider the entire, convoluted morass of keris belief, what we are left with is a web of interwoven belief systems, and for any true believer in anything, what he believes is indeed true for him. It is all a matter of perception and perspective.

One belief is that a keris, like a shrine, is created empty, but it can be visited by a spiritual entity. So then, perhaps we need to ask if it is legitimate for any lay person to create a shrine, or perhaps further, if something that was not created as a shrine can in time become one. This question again becomes one that is open to belief.

Jaga, if my short response is insufficient for you to be able to find your own answers, I am happy to continue, but only on a step by step basis.

It seems we are entering a nature vs nurture discussion with all answers filtered through the lens of worldview and experience. Although, if I am correct, the question is "what is the Javanese perspective?"

This topic makes me wonder if I am rather simple.

[A. G. Maisey]

IP, there is no single Javanese perspective.

My own perspective is very strongly influenced by a number of Javanese perspectives, but it has also been influenced by some Balinese perspectives.It would be fair to say that when I say "my perspective" this is an incorrect statement, because I really do not have a single way of considering the keris.

The other thing that we need to consider is this:-

time alters perspective

so when we start to consider perspectives we need to consider each perspective relative to the window of time through which we are looking.

When we scratch below the surface , the surface that can be seen by everybody, we find that the nature of the keris is an exceptionally complex matter.

Probably a useable way to come to some sort of an understanding of the keris is to use a three dimensional matrixical approach. We could construct such a matrix by having places across the top, times running down one side, then running back into the third dimension, an analysis of the variations on the entry to two dimensional box.