Origine of Bugis Keris?

Jean · 30th June 2018, 04:23 PM

Hello Athanase,
This is my best guess but other opinions from Bugis/ Malay kris specialists are welcome as I was not sure myself about the origin of my kris and my hilt

Regards

A. G. Maisey · 30th June 2018, 08:18 PM

During the 1930's, and continuing after WWII, keris dealers from Central Jawa used to go to Bali to buy Balinese keris that could be reshaped into Javanese keris. They did this because good Javanese keris were becoming scarce and Balinese keris at that time were very cheap. Balinese keris were cheap because the Balinese had lost faith in the keris, and thus in the power of their Gods and Ancestors to assist in times of trouble. Their leaders had engaged in puputans (a Puputan is a "finishing") Balinese society was being reshaped by the Dutch. There was no place for the keris in Bali.

In Bali these dealers encountered a type of keris that they had not seen before, they called this keris "tangguh Kupang".

They did not know where it actually came from, except that Bali people knew that it came from somewhere off to the East, past Lombok.

This keris under discussion has about 90% agreement with what a Solo dealer of pre-1980 would call "Tangguh Kupang". It was called Tangguh Kupang, because all they knew about Kupang was that Kupang was off to the east somewhere too.

Jean · 1st July 2018, 09:10 AM

Thank you Alan for this precious information as usual!

Kupang is the capital city of West Timor where there is no kris tradition but who knows?
Regards

1st July 2018, 09:10 AM	#3
Jean Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,740	Thank you Alan for this precious information as usual! Kupang is the capital city of West Timor where there is no kris tradition but who knows? Regards Last edited by Jean; 1st July 2018 at 10:30 AM.

30th June 2018, 04:23 PM	#1
Jean Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,740	Hello Athanase, This is my best guess but other opinions from Bugis/ Malay kris specialists are welcome as I was not sure myself about the origin of my kris and my hilt Regards

30th June 2018, 08:18 PM	#2
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,991	During the 1930's, and continuing after WWII, keris dealers from Central Jawa used to go to Bali to buy Balinese keris that could be reshaped into Javanese keris. They did this because good Javanese keris were becoming scarce and Balinese keris at that time were very cheap. Balinese keris were cheap because the Balinese had lost faith in the keris, and thus in the power of their Gods and Ancestors to assist in times of trouble. Their leaders had engaged in puputans (a Puputan is a "finishing") Balinese society was being reshaped by the Dutch. There was no place for the keris in Bali. In Bali these dealers encountered a type of keris that they had not seen before, they called this keris "tangguh Kupang". They did not know where it actually came from, except that Bali people knew that it came from somewhere off to the East, past Lombok. This keris under discussion has about 90% agreement with what a Solo dealer of pre-1980 would call "Tangguh Kupang". It was called Tangguh Kupang, because all they knew about Kupang was that Kupang was off to the east somewhere too.