[A. G. Maisey]

This is an interesting question, Pak Ganja.

In the broad context of world events, WWII was a milestone. Before WWII the world was in one form, after WWII the form of the world was entirely different. In the eyes of people in the western world, who hold an interest in things historical, collectable and societal, it is probably true to say that WWII marked the turning point between the Old World, and the New World.

When I started collecting, in the 1950's, this marker was different.
Anything more than 100 years old was "antique", and thus a part of the Old World, anything less than 100 years old was just old, or used, or second hand, and really not to be paid much attention to. However, as time has passed I have noted that the broad community of collectors --- not just keris collectors, but collectors in many fields, have adopted WWII as the point that separates old from new.

So, when you see or hear the western based collectors and students of the keris use WWII as a reference point, what you are seeing and hearing is the use by this group of people of a mode of thought that permeates all of Western society.

And it is not only for the various fields of collecting that WWII is a milestone:- technology, medicine, the sciences, administrative practices ---the list continues--- all these things underwent an immense change in the years between 1939 and 1945.

Now, as far as the valid application of this reference point to the area of our special interest, the keris.
In Jawa, no less than in many other parts of the world, WWII saw the disappearance of the old and the beginning of the new.
PBX passed away in 1939.
PBX was the last Susuhunan to be regarded as the possessor of the power that should be inherrent in a ruler. In Surakarta since the passing of PBX there has been a vacuum at the heirarchical apex, and this has been reflected in societal structure and language usage. With the passing of PBX, and the abandonment of the production of keris and other tosan aji as an art of the court, the keris virtually disappeared from its traditional place in Javanese society, and it is only in recent years that it has returned to this place.

Without the occurrence of WWII there would be no Indonesia today. The Japanese occupation of Indonesia demonstrated to the Indonesian nationalist movement that Westerners could be replaced, and this, along with the functionality of Indonesians during the Japanese occupation, was all the spark that was needed to generate the actions that resulted in the formation of the new country of Indonesia from the old Dutch East Indies. When this new country was formed it became obvious that a common official language was needed, and that chosen was a form of Malay spoken in South Sumatra, which had been proposed by a group of nationalists in 1928 as the common language for the Dutch East Indies. (One Country, One Nation, One Language)

The permeation of Indonesian society by this second official language has resulted in an alteration to hierarchical structures and in modes of thought. One of the results of the process of nationalisation was a modification of society which in turn resulted in many disruptions and alterations to the value systems flowing through society. These alterations to percieved values had the effect of eroding the position of the keris within Javanese society.

With the full realisation of Indonesia as One Nation, and the stabilisation of society within that Nation, the value systems of society have stabilised, and although the values encapsulated within these systems are now different in many respects to the values that applied prior to WWII, many of the old traditional values have been embraced once more, with the result that in recent times the keris has once again achieved an iconic status within Indonesia as a whole, and most particularly within Jawa.


In Bali we had two milestones in keris perception during the 20th century:- there was the Dutch invasion of South Bali, and its associated events, then there was the Japanese occupation. For Bali, perhaps the major milestone could be the Puputans, but WWII must also be considered.

In respect of other parts of the keris world I must reserve comment, as my knowledge of these areas is insufficient to comment, except in the general sense as I have already commented.

Yes Pak Ganja, WWII is an important milestone for the keris in Jawa, and for the keris as it exists in other places.

As a further remark specific to Malay keris I offer this:- I once knew a British soldier who had been stabbed in the thigh with a keris in the Malaya of the 1950's. Apparently some people still used the keris as a weapon at that time and in that place.

Method of execution with the keris was not uniform in all places at all times.