Bugis Riau Luk 5 Ujung Gunung

[dbhmgb]

Hello all. I am new to the forum and actually to the keris as well. It has only been several months since the blade was introduced to me by a vendor at a market. He warned me that I would get hooked and he was right. I already own several kerises, but I find learning about them to be far more interesting. I have been reading all I can on the internet and in books. I have found many differing versions of its history stories associated with the blades mystical side. So, I am here to learn and to share.

So, to start, I want to share this keris that I just received this week. I am going to simply quote what the vendor wrote about the blade and some pictures I took. If you spot a difference from what you see and what is written, please, speak up. In the pictures you will see some bright spots on the blade. I oiled the blade the night before I took the pictures and I didn't notice the spots until after the pictures were taken.

Here is the description:

A keris from the southern Sumatran region of Bugis Riau Lingga. The handle is in the typical Bugis pistol grip (or kerdas form) and is made from kemuning wood. The top sheath is made from hard wood and the bottom stem is made from angsana wood and has a flaring bottom tip. A plain silver alloy ferrule or pendoko completes the fittings.

Very sturdy blade with 5 waves or luks and prominent base features or perabots typical of the region’s styles.

Pamor patterns are arranged in the mlumah technique with the base having a peak like formation called ujung gunung and an overall pamor wos utah.
The pamor ujung gunung is said to enhance the owner’s status while the pamor wos utah is said to enhance the owner’s material well being.

Late 19th century blade and hilt with mid 20th century sheath.

Here are some pictures:

[Rick]

Great first post; well done .

I can't argue with the description .

What other kerises have you collected so far ?

[dbhmgb]

Originally Posted by Rick

What other kerises have you collected so far ?

Rick, thanks! Well, Lee's welcome letter said to upload pictures, but since there are several kerises, I'd like to recommend my website that I threw together to show off my collection. It's http://keris.site40.net/.

If this is not okay, let me know and I'll post them!

Dan

[David]

Originally Posted by dbhmgb

Rick, thanks! Well, Lee's welcome letter said to upload pictures, but since there are several kerises, I'd like to recommend my website that I threw together to show off my collection. It's http://keris.site40.net/.

If this is not okay, let me know and I'll post them!

Dan

Hi Dan. It is OK to post your website as long as it is not a commercial one, but we prefer that you still upload images to the site because it allows us to build an archive of these images. Unfortunately personal websites come and go, so a reference made in a thread to an image on a website that is gone some years down the line won't provide future readers with the necessary visual information they need.

[dbhmgb]

Originally Posted by David

Hi Dan. It is OK to post your website as long as it is not a commercial one, but we prefer that you still upload images to the site because it allows us to build an archive of these images. Unfortunately personal websites come and go, so a reference made in a thread to an image on a website that is gone some years down the line won't provide future readers with the necessary visual information they need.

Good! Then, for now, folks can go to the web site and take a look. I will post each of my kerises, one by one, to get them on the site. I have already put another one up this morning for comments and information.

[Alam Shah]

Hi and welcome dbhmb,

From your descriptions I reckon your vendor is Malay Arts Gallery(?). Learning about keris is fascinating. A live-long effort and practically endless. An average keris with a slightly below average sheath. The sheath is probably made by someone whom is not a sheath-maker, based on the aesthetics which is off.

Regards,
Alam Shah

[dbhmgb]

Originally Posted by Alam Shah

Hi and welcome dbhmb,

From your descriptions I reckon your vendor is Malay Arts Gallery(?). Learning about keris is fascinating. A live-long effort and practically endless. An average keris with a slightly below average sheath. The sheath is probably made by someone whom is not a sheath-maker, based on the aesthetics which is off.

Regards,
Alam Shah

You are correct, I did buy it from Adni. At this point, he is someone that I trust. Unfortunately, I don't have the finances to purchase outstanding examples or I don't know where to buy them for prices I can afford. At this point I am just happy to have a collection to call my own.

[GIO]

As to the scabbard I agree with Alam Shah.
The blade is very well made and has a perfectly controlled pamor.

[Alam Shah]

I like the hilt. It's simple yet have a strong character to it.

[dbhmgb]

Thanks for all the great input! What would be a theory as to who made the sheath? A former owner?

[BluErf]

The blade looks like it is well-forged. It is slightly wider than most Riau Bugis kerises of the same form. The sheath is no good, but you may be able to get an old Riau sheath to fit the blade, or commission a new Riau style sheath. The form shd be like this.