Bugis Keris

[David]

I have had this Bugis keris for some time, but have only recently gotten around to photographing it. I do have a few questions which i hope somebody might be able to help me with.
First is origin. I posted this recently on some other pages. The majority seemed to clearly believe this to be a Terengganu. But a reasonable minority seemed equally convinced it is from Sumatra. There do seem to be some conflicting elements present here, though i am convinced that the ensemble is original, not a mismatched marriage. So i am curious how this group sees it and why.
The hilt seems to be of marine origin. At least that is what i assume from the general look and the triangular root hole at the top. Anybody have opinions on the source? Sperm whale?
The form of this Jawa Deman seems to be bit of a hybrid. There are elements of pipit teleng, but it does seem not fully, with other influences at work. The overall shape looks different from the pipit teleng form. And the engraved markings seem unusual and unique for this style of hilt. The leaf pattern on the top of the head seems like it might have some symbolic significance, but i don't know what exactly. Anyone have a hilt like this one to compare?
The hilt is made with lovely chatoyant flashing grains. The string wrap on the stem seems odd for Terengganu though, but this is not an area i really know that much about. I frankly get a bit lost and confused with the Malay side of the keris world.
Thanks for your input.