My Bugis keris

Johan van Zyl · 19th October 2016, 10:19 AM

Thank you Jean & Kai, I have taken serious note of your helpful comments and am amplifying my own personal keris dictionary with your help.

One of my remaining questions is about the "gold" mendak/pendokok. I'm not saying it is impossible that my cousin could be mistaken, but I'm now thinking along the lines of "gilded" instead, as a possible explanation for the positive acid test that he reported. Was gilding practised in mid-19th century by the empus? Does the gilded (if that is the case) mendak fit in with the class of this keris, or with the keris-crafting practices of those days?

Secondly, coming to the 7 luk blade, is there any cultural distinction in terms of meaning between luk 3, 5 and 7? I know that wave counts above 7 are seen as special. Does 3, 5 and 7 each have different significance?

Any ideas about the wood type of the hilt and gandar? I myself am tempted to call the hilt kemuning, but I do not have a clue with regards to the gandar.
Cheers
Johan

David · 19th October 2016, 04:11 PM

Johan, it is indeed quite possible that your pendokok could be gilded or have a gold wash, probably over brass. This is certainly not uncommon for such things.
I would say that it is highly unlikely it is solid gold.
On the meaning of the number of luks, i would say finding a definitive answer there might prove frustrating. Certainly different numbers luks were assigned different meanings or purpose, but from my studies those meanings shift from culture to culture and era to era. So what a 7-luk keris meant to a Bugis from Riau in the 19th century may not be the same as for a Javanese man in the 17th century, and so on.

Johan van Zyl · 21st October 2016, 07:19 AM

Thanks David. Well, it seems to me this thread is drawing to a close. I still have some questions about my Bugis keris, but there seems not to be many collectors specialising in this type of keris. I am truly indebted to those who have volunteered answers up till now. I have become better informed with regard to my two kerisses, thanks to you all! Perhaps I could just, in parting, try to still get confirmation for my guess that my Bugis keris hilt is made of kemuning wood? But I do not have a clue with regards to the gandar wood.

Johan

Jean · 21st October 2016, 09:15 AM

Hello Johan,
Yes, the hilt of your kris seems to be made from kemuning, and the gandar (stem) possibly from angsana (pterocarpus indicus). See the Malay Art Gallery site for reference.
Regarding the number of luks, I agree with what David said, the maximum number of luks for standard Javanese dapurs is 13 (not 7), and the Bugis seem to favor the blades with either 7 or 9 luks. The blades with more than 13 luks are called kalawija.
Regards

A. G. Maisey · 21st October 2016, 10:48 AM

Yes, I know I said I wouldn't comment, and I will not --- on the keris.

This is about the word "kalawija".

Kalawija is a variation of palawija.

In the courts of old Jawa cripples, deformed people, dwarfs and so on were kept as servants and clowns. These people were called "palawija".

The people who were palawija, along with other unusual individuals such as artists and eccentrics were deemed to be the ones who could carry a palawija (kalawija) keris: they were deformed, and in the Old Javanese value system, so was the palawija keris.

The maximum number of luk for a "normal" keris was held to be 13 luk. This of course raises the question of why 13 should be the barrier between normal and not normal.

And that is a whole other story.

kai · 21st October 2016, 11:25 AM

Sorry, just saw that Jean already answered.

Quote:

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

And that is a whole other story.

Take a peek here: http://kerisattosanaji.com/INTERPRETATIONPAGE1.html

Regards,
Kai

kai · 21st October 2016, 11:42 AM

P.S.: I'm with David and Jean:

1. These pendokok are almost universally made from brass; might well be (fire-)gilded though (I believe the close-ups show some areas where the plating has come off already). If you remove the hilt (recommended to clean rust off the pesi (tang) which can crack hilts after long storage), you will see patinated brass on the inner surface of the pendokok.

2. The Bugis nor Malays were not bound by the constraints (neither earlier Hindu nor central Javanese etiquette); 5-9 luk are quite commonly seen with these Straits keris though. I'm afraid there's not enough known about any esoteric implications for this area and time frame to make any reasonable speculations.

Regards,
Kai

Green · 21st October 2016, 11:53 AM

i wonder why mr maisey would not want to comment on the blade whilst he probably had done so on other occasions on non javanese blades ? . it's not for lack of knowledge i am v sure!

as for me, in terms of keris knowledge I'm admittedly somewhere between mt stupid and the valley of despair on the dunning-kruger effect graph (as someone previously posted somehere in this forum before) , however in the interest and benefit of us keris lovers here, I would like to mention the following:-

In April this year I attended a keris exhibition in Bone, Sulawesi. This is the heart of Bugis keris culture and what I noticed was this. Not one blade exhibited (among probably 200 or so ) showed clean shiny surface as the keris owned by Johan here. Admittedly I also have quite a few kerisses that are cleaned as Johan's (and they were ALL bought from western dealers/collectors!).

I managed to purchase one from the exhibition (see pic) and since this one was rusty at the base the seller (who happened to be one of the main organizers of the exhibition) volunteered to clean it for me. And he did so right in front of me simply by using lime juice and rubbing with the thumb and fore finger to get rid of the rust.

He maintined that this is the only method the Bugis clean their blades and Bugis do not warang the blades unlike the Javanese. (Pics below show the cleaned keris with the sheath newly covered with silverwork done in Kelantan Malaysia. The hilt is from kayu kemuning.

Jean · 21st October 2016, 01:41 PM

Hello Green,
Nice Bugis kris and I am amazed that the blade could be cleaned so easily!
Regards

A. G. Maisey · 21st October 2016, 09:56 PM

Green, I know I've commented in the past on Bugis and other keris from outside the Jawa/Bali nexus, however, I believe that my comments would not have addressed the aspects of those keris that are concerned with classification and naming.

Most collectors of keris, especially beginning collectors of keris, seem to be extremely interested in names and classifications. Where keris from outside Jawa are concerned, I have little to offer in this regard.

Moreover, if I were to comment as I would wish to comment, I would alienate too many people, as I have sometimes done in the past. Under these circumstances it is best to say nothing.

kai · 21st October 2016, 11:15 AM

Hello Johan,

Processed woods are often not easy to identify, especially since often burl woods or stunted growth were selected by the carvers for their special features. So take my opinion with a lump of salt...

The hilt would very likely referred to as kemuning in the Malay world. It is (or is supposed to come) from the small tree Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack and usually pieces of burl are selected for hilts. I would not be surprised to see some other burl wood utilized, too; kemuning is widely cultivated and relatively available though (despite good pieces getting rarer).

The default identification for the typical wood utilized for the gandar would be angsana, (ang)sena (Pterocarpus indicus Willd.); the nice chatoyance shown in your example is not a defining character - it depends on the individual piece of wood, how it grew, and how it was cut and surface-treated.

I note that in the keris Bugis book, the apparently same wood is referred to as cenrana = sendana (Santalum album L.): This is the well-known sandal wood (non-fragrant sapwood is not rarely utilized on Jawa for this purpose); IMHO this wood looks and ages differently and I believe this is an error.

Regards,
Kai

19th October 2016, 04:11 PM	#2
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,237	Johan, it is indeed quite possible that your pendokok could be gilded or have a gold wash, probably over brass. This is certainly not uncommon for such things. I would say that it is highly unlikely it is solid gold. On the meaning of the number of luks, i would say finding a definitive answer there might prove frustrating. Certainly different numbers luks were assigned different meanings or purpose, but from my studies those meanings shift from culture to culture and era to era. So what a 7-luk keris meant to a Bugis from Riau in the 19th century may not be the same as for a Javanese man in the 17th century, and so on. Last edited by David; 20th October 2016 at 05:51 AM.

21st October 2016, 11:53 AM	#8
Green Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Malaysia Posts: 323	i wonder why mr maisey would not want to comment on the blade whilst he probably had done so on other occasions on non javanese blades ? . it's not for lack of knowledge i am v sure! as for me, in terms of keris knowledge I'm admittedly somewhere between mt stupid and the valley of despair on the dunning-kruger effect graph (as someone previously posted somehere in this forum before) , however in the interest and benefit of us keris lovers here, I would like to mention the following:- In April this year I attended a keris exhibition in Bone, Sulawesi. This is the heart of Bugis keris culture and what I noticed was this. Not one blade exhibited (among probably 200 or so ) showed clean shiny surface as the keris owned by Johan here. Admittedly I also have quite a few kerisses that are cleaned as Johan's (and they were ALL bought from western dealers/collectors!). I managed to purchase one from the exhibition (see pic) and since this one was rusty at the base the seller (who happened to be one of the main organizers of the exhibition) volunteered to clean it for me. And he did so right in front of me simply by using lime juice and rubbing with the thumb and fore finger to get rid of the rust. He maintined that this is the only method the Bugis clean their blades and Bugis do not warang the blades unlike the Javanese. (Pics below show the cleaned keris with the sheath newly covered with silverwork done in Kelantan Malaysia. The hilt is from kayu kemuning. Attached Images

19th October 2016, 10:19 AM	#1
Johan van Zyl Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: I live in Gordon's Bay, a village in the Western Cape Province in South Africa. Posts: 126	Thank you Jean & Kai, I have taken serious note of your helpful comments and am amplifying my own personal keris dictionary with your help. One of my remaining questions is about the "gold" mendak/pendokok. I'm not saying it is impossible that my cousin could be mistaken, but I'm now thinking along the lines of "gilded" instead, as a possible explanation for the positive acid test that he reported. Was gilding practised in mid-19th century by the empus? Does the gilded (if that is the case) mendak fit in with the class of this keris, or with the keris-crafting practices of those days? Secondly, coming to the 7 luk blade, is there any cultural distinction in terms of meaning between luk 3, 5 and 7? I know that wave counts above 7 are seen as special. Does 3, 5 and 7 each have different significance? Any ideas about the wood type of the hilt and gandar? I myself am tempted to call the hilt kemuning, but I do not have a clue with regards to the gandar. Cheers Johan

21st October 2016, 07:19 AM	#3
Johan van Zyl Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: I live in Gordon's Bay, a village in the Western Cape Province in South Africa. Posts: 126	Thanks David. Well, it seems to me this thread is drawing to a close. I still have some questions about my Bugis keris, but there seems not to be many collectors specialising in this type of keris. I am truly indebted to those who have volunteered answers up till now. I have become better informed with regard to my two kerisses, thanks to you all! Perhaps I could just, in parting, try to still get confirmation for my guess that my Bugis keris hilt is made of kemuning wood? But I do not have a clue with regards to the gandar wood. Johan

21st October 2016, 09:15 AM	#4
Jean Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,740	Hello Johan, Yes, the hilt of your kris seems to be made from kemuning, and the gandar (stem) possibly from angsana (pterocarpus indicus). See the Malay Art Gallery site for reference. Regarding the number of luks, I agree with what David said, the maximum number of luks for standard Javanese dapurs is 13 (not 7), and the Bugis seem to favor the blades with either 7 or 9 luks. The blades with more than 13 luks are called kalawija. Regards

21st October 2016, 10:48 AM	#5
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,056	Yes, I know I said I wouldn't comment, and I will not --- on the keris. This is about the word "kalawija". Kalawija is a variation of palawija. In the courts of old Jawa cripples, deformed people, dwarfs and so on were kept as servants and clowns. These people were called "palawija". The people who were palawija, along with other unusual individuals such as artists and eccentrics were deemed to be the ones who could carry a palawija (kalawija) keris: they were deformed, and in the Old Javanese value system, so was the palawija keris. The maximum number of luk for a "normal" keris was held to be 13 luk. This of course raises the question of why 13 should be the barrier between normal and not normal. And that is a whole other story.

21st October 2016, 11:42 AM	#7
kai Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3,255	P.S.: I'm with David and Jean: 1. These pendokok are almost universally made from brass; might well be (fire-)gilded though (I believe the close-ups show some areas where the plating has come off already). If you remove the hilt (recommended to clean rust off the pesi (tang) which can crack hilts after long storage), you will see patinated brass on the inner surface of the pendokok. 2. The Bugis nor Malays were not bound by the constraints (neither earlier Hindu nor central Javanese etiquette); 5-9 luk are quite commonly seen with these Straits keris though. I'm afraid there's not enough known about any esoteric implications for this area and time frame to make any reasonable speculations. Regards, Kai

21st October 2016, 01:41 PM	#9
Jean Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,740	Hello Green, Nice Bugis kris and I am amazed that the blade could be cleaned so easily! Regards

21st October 2016, 09:56 PM	#10
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,056	Green, I know I've commented in the past on Bugis and other keris from outside the Jawa/Bali nexus, however, I believe that my comments would not have addressed the aspects of those keris that are concerned with classification and naming. Most collectors of keris, especially beginning collectors of keris, seem to be extremely interested in names and classifications. Where keris from outside Jawa are concerned, I have little to offer in this regard. Moreover, if I were to comment as I would wish to comment, I would alienate too many people, as I have sometimes done in the past. Under these circumstances it is best to say nothing.

21st October 2016, 11:15 AM	#11
kai Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3,255	Hello Johan, Processed woods are often not easy to identify, especially since often burl woods or stunted growth were selected by the carvers for their special features. So take my opinion with a lump of salt... The hilt would very likely referred to as kemuning in the Malay world. It is (or is supposed to come) from the small tree Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack and usually pieces of burl are selected for hilts. I would not be surprised to see some other burl wood utilized, too; kemuning is widely cultivated and relatively available though (despite good pieces getting rarer). The default identification for the typical wood utilized for the gandar would be angsana, (ang)sena (Pterocarpus indicus Willd.); the nice chatoyance shown in your example is not a defining character - it depends on the individual piece of wood, how it grew, and how it was cut and surface-treated. I note that in the keris Bugis book, the apparently same wood is referred to as cenrana = sendana (Santalum album L.): This is the well-known sandal wood (non-fragrant sapwood is not rarely utilized on Jawa for this purpose); IMHO this wood looks and ages differently and I believe this is an error. Regards, Kai