DOEHOENG KASOENDAN (A Soenda Perspective)

[Amuk Murugul]

Originally Posted by David

Agree with Jean. More nice old and unusual dress examples. Very nice.
Just curious, is there some reason you keep all your hilts facing in the opposite direction from what is generally considered the correct position?

Hullo David,

I try to avoid mentioning it; but since you asked:

The hilt faces the 'rear' as a reminder to djatisoenda to 'watch one's back'. Harks back to 1357 when treachery perpetrated by the 'Mahapatih wong-wetan', resulted in the massacre of the Soenda royal wedding-party.

Best,

[A. G. Maisey]

1357 was the year that a princess of Sunda was taken to Majapahit as a bride for the ruler, Rajasanegara (AKA Hayam Wuruk). The Mahapatih Gajah Mada wanted nothing but complete submission from Sunda and would only accept the Princess Pitaloka as a concubine. The Sundanese ruler --- who was with the wedding party --- was not agreeable to this.

The result was the Battle of Bubat, which was not much of a battle, more of a cruel massacre totally without honour for Majapahit and led to Gajah Mada's fall from grace. The Sundanese were a wedding party of at most a few hundred, the permanent soldiers and palace guards in Majapahit would have numbered into the thousands. The Sundanese fought until all were dead, the women in the party, including Princess Pitaloka took their own lives.

The Sundanese lost the "battle" but won everlasting honour.

Majapahit was disgraced because it acted without honour.

After this affair, Gajah Mada was removed from the capital and relieved of his command.

mahapatih wong wetan = prime minister of the people of the east, Majapahit is to the east of Sunda.

Javanese history is not always history as people from European societies understand history to be, but it sure does make interesting reading, I have often thought that it has a lot in common with the history of the Mafia, especially the Mafia in America.

[Amuk Murugul]

Thank you , Alan.

Best,

[jagabuwana]

Originally Posted by Amuk Murugul

Hullo David,

I try to avoid mentioning it; but since you asked:

The hilt faces the 'rear' as a reminder to djatisoenda to 'watch one's back'. Harks back to 1357 when treachery perpetrated by the 'Mahapatih wong-wetan', resulted in the massacre of the Soenda royal wedding-party.

As an urang Sunda I enjoy this for the sake of this pseudo grudge Though I can't say I'm about to reverse my hilts to honour the sentiment. I too much enjoy the neatness and aesthetic of it being the right way around.

This isn't something I've observed in Sunda either in public viewings or private collections, pusaka and non-pusaka alike. I think that it might be impossible to determine the chain of transmission but I do wonder where and who this convention (if it even is a convention) came from.

[David]

Here is some further info on the Battle of Bubat.
Of course, nothing is said here about this practice of reversing keris hilts. It is not something i have ever come across in my readings before. Interesting if true, but like Jagabuwana, i believe i will continue to present my own keris with the hilts in their "correct" position.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bubat

[Amuk Murugul]

Hullo everybody!
I thought I'd balance post #2 with some "eloek' examples:

03. MahisahKerak 5Eloek (SandangWalikat,Tjorok)

Name: Sang Goeroe Hijang
Desc: Doehoeng Mahisah Kerak 5Eloek DJERBON
Char: Oepih , Oesoek , 5 Eloek .
Blade: LxOALxWxT=46x57.5x9.39x1.69cm. (paksi: 0.91x7.49x0.54cm.)
Handle: Wood Kitjaka w/ metal seloet and wewer.
Wt: 449g.


04. MahisahKerak 5Eloek (SandangWalikat/Tjorok)

Name: Sang Geusan Hoeloen
Desc: Doehoeng Mahisah Kerak 5Eloek DJERBON
Char: Oepih , Oesoek , 5 Eloek .
Blade: LxOALxWxT=43.5x50.5x9.78x1.52cm.(paksi: 0.77x6.49x0.57cm.)
Handle: Wood Ganaisia w/ white-metal seloet.
Wt: 313g.


05. MahisahKerak 5Eloek (SandangWalikat,Tjorok)

Name: Sang Koewoe Kandang Sakti
Desc: Doehoeng Mahisah Kerak 5Eloek DJERBON
Char: Oepih , Oesoek , 5 Eloek .
Blade: LxOALxWxT=45x53x9.11x1.99cm.(paksi ; 0.83x8.04x0.51cm.)
Handle: Wood Babandolan w/ yellow-metal seloet
Wt: 451g.


06. SampanaToempeng 13Eloek (Tjorok)

Name: Sang Poetjoek Oemoen
Desc: Sampana Toempeng 13Eloek GALOEH
Char: KembangKatjang , Pentil , Oepih , Djanoer , 13 Eloek .
Blade: LxOALxWxT=41.5x49x8.59x1.38cm.(paksi: 0.72x7.25x0.43cm.)
Handle: Wood Kitjaka w/ metal seloet.
Wt: 318g.

Enjoy!

[Jean]

Hello Amuk,
Very interesting pieces again, thank you!
Could you please explain or translate the following terms into English for our better understanding:
. Mahisah kerak
. Tjorok (corok, a long and strong blade?)
. Djerbon (Cirebon?)
. Galoeh (Galuh/ Segaluh Kingdom?)
. Oepih
. Oesuk (usuk or ada-ada?)
. Kotjop
. Kitjaka (equivalent to Dursasana/ Rajamala?)

Thank you and regards

[A. G. Maisey]

Jean, maybe English might not be possible --- it is sometimes not really possible with some Javanese words & ideas --- but if a translation into Bahasa Indonesia were to be possible, this would assist.

Even post 1972 spelling might help.

I've just a few minutes ago run this text past an educated 22 year old from Bandung who is here on holidays, and he cannot make head nor tail of it, even after I did the standard change from Dutch style spellings to English style spellings.

Amuk, what language are we looking at here? I had assumed Sundanese, but perhaps it is a dialectical variation?

[Amuk Murugul]

Jean,
Mahisah Kerak is a style/dapoer
Tjorok, mentioned in post #2, tang>0.7cm
Djerbon= trust/faith in ‘mother'; from ‘ djedjer’(=one who can be trusted/depended upon) and ‘ bon’(=mother);river/sea waters were considered ‘mother’, mountains ‘father’. It was the original name for what is now known as “Cirebon”.
Galoeh/Galuh was a kingdom whose size varied from time to time, at times covering the whole of western Java (including some of Central Java). Segaloeh is a Javanese construct; I don’t know what is meant by it except as in Javanese keris protocol.
Oepih is a palm-leaf sheath
Oesoek is a roof-batten(=ada-ada in Javanese protocol)
Kotjop is wrong, it should be Pentil(=young fruit ‘bud’)
Kitjaka was the commander-in-chief of king Wirata in Mahabarata; while Doersasana is also a character from the same epic, Radjamala is a Javanese construct who did not appear in the original

Alan,
Being born, bred and living in Bandoeng does not necessarily make one ‘Soenda’. Then, of course, there is Soenda and Soenda (just as there is Koori and Koori)
Your assumption is indeed correct; I use Basa Soenda.

Best,