Sundang-kris puzzler

[BluErf]

Very interesting keris, or should I say kris?

A 17.5inch sepokal blade with sundang characteristics. Rectangular cross-sectioned peksi. Engraving at the base, on both sides. Very thin and flexible blade with a hexagonal cross-section, strong blade nonetheless. The central portion actually has a very slight scalloped profile.

Interesting space on the underside of the hilt.

What do you guys think?

http://www.kampungnet.com.sg/modules...view_album.php

[BluErf]

Picture of the peksi.

[Alam Shah]

Interesting and unique piece.
A bit off topic... looking at the picture of the pesi/peksi, I see an abstract image of 'laughing budha' sitting on the upper part.... (weird).

[David]

I see the laughing budha as well.
Nice and interesting keris (i'd still say keris, not kris), but i do seen the cross-over characteristics. It's big, but i don't think i would call it a sundang either. Nice find.

[Rick]

A very nice find.
Do you suppose the hilt was carved from a burl or natural crook of wood?
That might explain the void (soft wood/bark?) in the underside .

[A. G. Maisey]

Very peculiar.

Never seen anything like it.

[BluErf]

Originally Posted by Rick

A very nice find.
Do you suppose the hilt was carved from a burl or natural crook of wood?
That might explain the void (soft wood/bark?) in the underside .

Typically, only the root portion of the kemuning trunk is used to make the sheath and the hilt. As the kumuning is more of a very slow-growing bush than a tree, it has to be a hundred or two hundred years old to have a thick enough root portion for the sheath. Hilts can come from smaller bushes.

The kemuning trees that grow in very harsh environment has the most beautiful grains. Sometimes, the root grows over rocky/sandy soil, and the root envelopes sand or rock within itself. Some pieces of kemuning wood thus have sand within the wood that is so compacted that they have literally become sandstone. This hilt could have had that void because of this. Normally, such kemuning are not used, but for some reason, this hilt is made out of such a piece. Perhaps for esoteric reasons - insertion of talisman, etc?.

The way the grain radiates out of the centre top of the sheath seems to be a Sulawesi characteristic. I don't see this sort of "radiation" (hmm... sounds nuclear ) on kemuning sheaths from other regions.

[BluErf]

Originally Posted by David

I see the laughing budha as well.
Nice and interesting keris (i'd still say keris, not kris), but i do seen the cross-over characteristics. It's big, but i don't think i would call it a sundang either. Nice find.

Haha, you guys look too much into the patterns... There is a human face of figure in every mlumah pamor, if you look hard enough, I guess.

The construction of this piece is such that the tip is relatively weak compared to typical Bugis kerises. But the edges are also relatively sharper. Makes one wonder how the owner would wield this keris. In a slashing mode??