"Hippo ivory"

Green · 16th May 2017, 02:17 AM

I have seen quite a few keris on sale with the description of the hilt as "hippo ivory". These keris are mostly either Bugis or Malay types.

Can anyone here explain what this means? As far as I know Hippo is hippopotamus and they are only present in africa and completely absent in this region (Malay peninsula or sulawesi/Indonesia) . what we do have is rhino which is quite different from hippo.

So, how did the Bugis/Malay craftsmen got the hippo ivory in the old days?
could the sellers be mistaken a rhino with a hippo? are hippo teeth the same as rhino teeth or are there obvious difference that we can distinguish rhino ivory from hippo ivory?

hope to get clarification from members here. Thanks

16th May 2017, 02:17 AM	#1
Green Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Malaysia Posts: 312	"Hippo ivory" I have seen quite a few keris on sale with the description of the hilt as "hippo ivory". These keris are mostly either Bugis or Malay types. Can anyone here explain what this means? As far as I know Hippo is hippopotamus and they are only present in africa and completely absent in this region (Malay peninsula or sulawesi/Indonesia) . what we do have is rhino which is quite different from hippo. So, how did the Bugis/Malay craftsmen got the hippo ivory in the old days? could the sellers be mistaken a rhino with a hippo? are hippo teeth the same as rhino teeth or are there obvious difference that we can distinguish rhino ivory from hippo ivory? hope to get clarification from members here. Thanks