Bali Keris for Comment

[RobT]

A. G. Maisey,
Many years ago I bought the hilt shown below on eBay. The seller called it a Balinese canegan hilt. I just perpetuated the error.
As for my assumption that sampiran means boat. That was simply based on my incorrect belief that sampir meant boat. I shoulda checked. As for sampiran being the Balinese word for wranka, since Gustav wrote, “a sheath of such proportions, with a slender crosspiece, could likely be attributed to Northern Bali” and you responded, “Yes, that style of sampiran (the top cross piece of the scabbard) is usually attributed to North Bali”, I thought you were referring to the entire crosspiece (wranka) and calling it by its common Balinese name. If I understand correctly what I later found online, the word sampir (from Old Javanese meaning scarf or shawl) only refers to the sheath mouth. Does this meaning also apply to the word sampiran and, when referring to keris, do both words mean the same thing?

Gustav,
So, if I understand you correctly, the proper spelling would be cenangan but, since that is a fairly recent coined catchall term for related forms of simple hilts, both of my examples should more properly be called tapukan? With this post I have provided an example complete with hair covering. The wood of this hilt is one piece but the wood of the second kris I showed is in two pieces. As for that second kris, you may very well be correct about the “crosspiece and the long part” not being original to each other. The figure in the wood of the gandar and that of the wranka don’t match. Also, that large brown patch where the two parts of the sheath join appears to be some kind of wood putty. There is also evidence of extensive repair to the same area on the back side of the keris.

Sincerely,
RobT