Parts of a pusaka keris

[Helleri]

Originally Posted by Ian

Or is it the case that craftsmen of the last few centuries have been working from an old pattern without really understanding the meaning of what they were producing.

This sort of thing happening is a frequent enough occurrence across many cultures that some anthropologists actually have an informal term for it. They call it a Blind Motif. An oft repeated element that is so ubiquitous and longstanding within a culture that it's original meaning is lost. That is to say that it wouldn't surprise me if it were the case. Because it wouldn't be nearly the first time it's happened.