Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

mrwizard · 2nd June 2011, 09:03 PM

Hello everyone,

Yes, the keris looks a lot like the Sumbawa types shown in the thread referenced twice. And the pictures in post #1 show how i can hide the damage to the sheath.

But, regarding the historic background of whom i got this keris, i suspect (the also mentioned) central sumatra to be more likely the point of origin. As i have written in the first post, the family i got it from had relatives in Padang. Further research revealed that they moved there before 1831 (first recorded birth) and lived there for at least the next 120 years (last recorded death 1949).
Of course, considering that both Padang and Batavia where important harbours, the keris can still come from Sumbawa or from the Peninsula.

@Alam Sha
Yes, on the photo it might look like that, but the kembang kacang area fits sheath nicely. It just doesn't get fully in because the Warangka is not cut deep enough. The gonjo stands out 5mm to accomodate the strange wooden hilt piece. Therefore, i suspect that the sheath has been made for exactly these fittings.
Since you have seen similar keris with such a long tang. What did the dress look like? Did they have overly large hilts or large mendaks?

Edit: Ooops sorry, Gustav just pointed out in PM that the referenced thread already has some examples of keris with very long pendokok (e.g. post #51) and examples that would accomodate very long pesi (#52 ).

Best Regards,
Thilo

2nd June 2011, 09:03 PM	#27
mrwizard Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Dortmund, Germany Posts: 102	Hello everyone, Yes, the keris looks a lot like the Sumbawa types shown in the thread referenced twice. And the pictures in post #1 show how i can hide the damage to the sheath. But, regarding the historic background of whom i got this keris, i suspect (the also mentioned) central sumatra to be more likely the point of origin. As i have written in the first post, the family i got it from had relatives in Padang. Further research revealed that they moved there before 1831 (first recorded birth) and lived there for at least the next 120 years (last recorded death 1949). Of course, considering that both Padang and Batavia where important harbours, the keris can still come from Sumbawa or from the Peninsula. @Alam Sha Yes, on the photo it might look like that, but the kembang kacang area fits sheath nicely. It just doesn't get fully in because the Warangka is not cut deep enough. The gonjo stands out 5mm to accomodate the strange wooden hilt piece. Therefore, i suspect that the sheath has been made for exactly these fittings. Since you have seen similar keris with such a long tang. What did the dress look like? Did they have overly large hilts or large mendaks? Edit: Ooops sorry, Gustav just pointed out in PM that the referenced thread already has some examples of keris with very long pendokok (e.g. post #51) and examples that would accomodate very long pesi (#52 ). Best Regards, Thilo Attached Images Last edited by mrwizard; 2nd June 2011 at 10:31 PM.