Swish of THIS kris?

[wilked aka Khun Deng]

Kia,
Unfortunately I haven't had connectivity lately and most of that particular crowd have moved on to the Horn of Africa, where hopefully the spark will continue as I've found nothing better to spark cultural or historical interest than trying to find out "where did my sword come from?".

Until that area stabilizes, which is happening, and a local ethusiast picks up the gauntlet I'm afraid survival and security will take precedence over the more mundane pursuit of historical preservation. My only native contact left there is more concerned about the gadgets he can get for his .45 and his new laptop than about his family kris.

Don't lose hope though because I did witness a pride of culture there that I've rarely seen and there are a few that have the education, foresight and assets to bring a resurgence. It's still mostly an oral history there (anthrpologically speaking), which can get twisted with time, my hope is that some native anthropologist will surprise us all (education outpaces opportunity there) and despite the current situation find the time and the resources to make the Joloanos rightfully proud of their history.

I can only hope I planted a seed in those I had contact with. We did talk to several village elders about the possibilities of resurrecting the old crafts and making them an internet business when we put computers and internet in the schools.

As I reread this I must add my apologies to Bill, my intent was not to highjack your thread.

Respectfully,

Dan