Ambon Keris for interest

[kai]

Hello Greg,

it would be preferable if you were to attach the pics to this site (any web hosting is bound to expire sooner or later and results in crippled threads).

Could you also add pics of the top and underside of the hilt, please?

Secondly, yes the hilt is from ivory but to my eyes it don't look like elephant ivory but it look like sperm whale ivory.

Hello Detlef, it may even be hippo...

Ambon don't have an own keris culture, so Ambon keris isn't a correct description but it isn't unusual to find keris in other parts of Indonesia, I've found for example a keris blade on Halmahera!

This is a keris Bugis and the Bugis established trade posts on the major spice islands. While Ambonese culture may not have fully embraced keris culture, it is very likely that the ruling elites also received keris as gifts. The Makassarese were very active on Sumbawa - were the local Moluccan rulers strong enough to ward off foreign influence more successfully? Ternate certainly was an important base of power.

Regards,
Kai