Is it a keris handle and when yes from where?

A. G. Maisey · 22nd June 2023, 07:34 AM

A burung serindit is a parakeet, a love bird, but a serindai is an evil spirit.

Serindi I know not.

However, birds in general and cockatoos in particular are regarded as messengers between the living and the dead, a link to the unseen world, and thus to the ancestors.

Hilt figures can sometimes be regarded as ancestral figures, and the burial position in some SE Asian cultures is echoed in the position of some hilt figures.

I think I might be able to see a cockatoo in this hilt form, and if so then I believe I am seeing a reference to an ancestor.

jagabuwana · 23rd June 2023, 04:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

A burung serindit is a parakeet, a love bird, but a serindai is an evil spirit.

Serindi I know not.

I believe that a Malay pronunciation of 'serindit' would be with a barely audible t at the end, a subtle glottal stop. I think 'serindi' might just be a closer-to-phonetic rendition of that.

A. G. Maisey · 23rd June 2023, 05:05 AM

Yes, you are of course correct Jaga, but we're using text, not voice so it sort of helps a bit for non-speakers of these languages if they have more or less generally accepted spellings they can work with when they do their further research to help answer all the questions that our little exchanges surely generate for them.

jagabuwana · 23rd June 2023, 07:48 AM

Totally agree Alan, it would be better to use the correct or generally accepted spelling when we can, so as to not cause any confusion.

22nd June 2023, 07:34 AM	#1
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,015	A burung serindit is a parakeet, a love bird, but a serindai is an evil spirit. Serindi I know not. However, birds in general and cockatoos in particular are regarded as messengers between the living and the dead, a link to the unseen world, and thus to the ancestors. Hilt figures can sometimes be regarded as ancestral figures, and the burial position in some SE Asian cultures is echoed in the position of some hilt figures. I think I might be able to see a cockatoo in this hilt form, and if so then I believe I am seeing a reference to an ancestor.

23rd June 2023, 05:05 AM	#3
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,015	Yes, you are of course correct Jaga, but we're using text, not voice so it sort of helps a bit for non-speakers of these languages if they have more or less generally accepted spellings they can work with when they do their further research to help answer all the questions that our little exchanges surely generate for them.

23rd June 2023, 07:48 AM	#4
jagabuwana Member Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 290	Totally agree Alan, it would be better to use the correct or generally accepted spelling when we can, so as to not cause any confusion.