Fledgling keris collector first purchases

[Mefidk]

Hi folks

I was wandering round my local (Danish) weapons fair a couple of weeks ago looking very hard for interesting ethnographic swords from India or Indonesia, but finding only very many local European swords, then my eye fell on a small stand selling keris. I had promised myself that I would not start on these but with nothing else to buy and cash from the sale of some WWI & WWII swords burning a hole in my pocket I got tempted....so now I guess I'm a fledgling keris collector, and I'm hoping I did not buy too much junk.

This is the first piece I picked up. I was told that it was from northern Sumatra, about 200 years old, and probably belonging to an important man due to the silver ornamentation. Happily I was sensible enough to also buy a book on keris although I can already see that one book is not going to be enough.

This is what I think I know, and I'd welcome corrections and further information.

Hilt: ivory, pangulu hilt
Mendak: brass
Region: Sulawesi, Buginese
Pamor: kulit semangka ???
Buntut: Silver

I think that I was told it was from Aceh because there is a very similar keris in Fig 114 of Den Indonesiske Kris, by Karsten Sejr Jensen, but all the other keris of this form I have been able to find pictures of are Buginese and I think I understand from the text that Aceh keris are mostly imported from other areas since the sewar and rencong are the traditional weapons of that region. But I will happily stand to be corrected. I can see very strong similarities between the buntut in fig. 114 and the one on my own.

The last picture shows the other two keris that tempted me that day - but I think I'll start separate threads for them later when I've done a little more research.

I have found these really fascinating and I can already feel that I'm hooked on keris as well as the larger weapons from that region - no hope for salvation I'm afraid.

Chris