Fighting with keris

[Lew]

Hey Guys

I fought with my lastest keris last week . I took it out of the box and showed it to my wife and you should have been there to see the fight


Lew

[David]

Originally Posted by LOUIEBLADES

Hey Guys

I fought with my lastest keris last week . I took it out of the box and showed it to my wife and you should have been there to see the fight


Lew

Ah Lew, you don't want to be fightin' with the missus. I've talked to her on the phone and she seems like a fine lady. Just box that keris back up and send it over to me....my wife and i are overdue anyway.

[Battara]

My wife is wonderful. She can defend herself alright.
That is why I collect bladed weaponry (self-defense ).

Like the demos - thank you.

[Pusaka]

One thing to remember is that in battle the keris blades were often laced with frog poison so even a small cut would result in death whether it be from a stabbing or slashing movement.


“The dagger, called Cris ('keris') a blade measuring 2 palms in length, is made of fine steel; it bears a deadly poison”
http://www.sabrizain.demon.co.uk/malaya/johor3.htm


"The blade is like a snake in mid-strike. In the old days, the blade would be dipped in poison to assure certain death with the slightest stab",

http://www.nikhef.nl/~tonvr/keris/ke...ay_kris03.html

[David]

Well, i wll say that i found questionable infomation in both these articles which makes me wonder at the validity of these reports of poison dipped blades.That doesn't necessarily make it not so, but it does make the information suspect in my eyes. Both these writers are operating from a perspective outside the culture which also allows for misunderstandings to take place. Anyway, both these reports seem to be about the supposed customs of the Malay peninsula, when i believe the question at hand is really the customs of Jawa in regards to the keris. I have not heard any stories relating to the use of poison on Javanese keris or Balinese or Madurese keris for that matter, though they may be out there. I would like to hear more about this, but up until now i have always assumed these tales of poison laced Malay keris to be a Western misconception. Does anyone have any more information on this?

[BluErf]

Here in Singapore, some Chinese people that I have spoken to about the keris had the same idea that the keris was a poisoned weapon. One of them was a Chinese-educated middle-aged man who spoke little English. He must have heard it from his other Chinese-speaking friends. He also believed that kerises harboured spirits. He was concerned enough to advise me to stop collecting kerises because it was 'too much to handle' for a young man like me.

Interestingly, I was lightly scratched by a Riau spear in Adni's shop a couple of years back. It was made with similar steel and pamor material as kerises, and was etched with warangan. It was also a little bit dirty and rusty. The scratch drew very little blood, but it festered with pus for 2 weeks before healing, and it left a scar. If someone was stabbed, I'm sure he would be in some serious trouble. I wonder if this sort of observations led to the idea that the keris bore posion.

And for those interested, the spear is still in Adni's shop. I keep my distance from that spear now. But come to think of it, it is a beautiful spear.

[Lew]

Rust,dirt, arsenic and whatever other nasty microbes that would have been on that spear could cause a nasty infection one must always be mindful when handling sharp pointy weapons


Lew