Tricky Bugis Keris

[A. G. Maisey]

Yes, its a mix. How, when, where, why , we can only guess.

The blade is an older Madurese one.

Note the angle of the gandik, as if it wants to fall into the body of the keris.

Note the whispy style of the kembang kacang.

Look carefully at the greneng, especially the ron dha.Note that this blade is comparatively recent and has very little evidence of erosion. Ever seen a Javanese greneng or ron dha like this? Of course not!

Look at the distance from the luk nearest the point to point itself. One of the indicators of a Madurese keris is that it has a long point.

Look at the pamor:- relatively complex, involving both surface manipulation and a forge manipulation. The core will be found to be hard steel, where it has been heat treated. Where else will you find this type of material and workmanship?

This is a Madura blade.

In attempting to identify origin of a blade you should first disregard the dress in which it is found, and then look at each feature of the blade, do not just look at the overall blade. Pay close attention to the way in which the greneng, especially the ron dha , is cut. Look at the detail in the kembang kacang----how long is it? rate of taper? substantial? flimsy?

In the case of this blade, all these details only confirm the immediate impression:- you see a gandik like that, and it is almost certain that you are looking at an older Madura piece.

[BluErf]

May I present a number of examples of Sumatran Bugis-influenced blades. 2 of them were collected from Sumatra, in wretched condition, dressed in their original fitted sheaths. One was purchased from a US seller, with no sheath, but a Sumatra hilt. The others were purchased from Artzi, and the sheaths were old and fitted perfectly with the blade.

The "gandik falling into the blade" feature is very common amongst Sumatran Bugis blades, and in fact, not unusual in Sulawesi kerises as well, though I don't have examples of those in my collection. Such features can also be found in Peninsular pieces.

http://www.kampungnet.com.sg/modules...view_photo.php

http://www.kampungnet.com.sg/modules...view_photo.php

These blades have a basic triangular shape at the base of the blade, and can have rather long drawn kembang kacang. The greneng and janggut are of the variety that sticks out of the blade's profile, and can run from the blade to the ganja's aring side. The greneng's form is in line with what I have seen on Sumatran blades.

The pamor on the blade is not that uncommon in the realm of Bugis/Malay blades. The name is pamor "gigi yul", or shark's teeth. The central sader saleh pamor line is also common. I have 3 Bugis blades with such pamor:

http://www.kampungnet.com.sg/modules...view_photo.php

http://www.kampungnet.com.sg/modules...view_photo.php

http://www.kampungnet.com.sg/modules...view_photo.php

The long distance of the last luk to the tip is also a common feature in Sumatran Bugis blades, and even in Malay blades influenced by Bugis styles.

A further point to make is that the blade is ganja iras. Though not a smoking-gun argument to make, ganja iras blades are more common on Sumatra than anywhere else.

So it may not be so certain that this is a Madurese blade.

When I first saw this keris, the mixture of features threw me off. I could not immediately (as a matter of fact, still am unable to right now) place the origin of the keris. I thought the hilt could be from Sulawesi, but since Sulawesi is near to Kalimantan, it could have easily jumped from one island to the next. I have seen a similar hilt on a big badek, or shd I say "Kawali" from Sulawesi. The pendoko struck me as S. Sumatran at first, but the deeper than usual bowl seemed to suggest otherwise. The sheath is unusual in form, with a very exaggerated twin daun peaks. I don't know where this style comes from, especially with the proportionately lanky batang.

That's why I suggested to Michael that he should post it on the forum for opinions.

[Alam Shah]

I agree with Kai Wee, the blade might not be a Maduran blade. and also about the "gandik falling into the blade" feature is common amongst Sumatran Bugis blades, Sulawesi kerises, as well as Peninsular pieces.

I do agree that, trying to determine the blade origin, we'll have to ignore the dress, (for the time being) and concentrate on the blade's features.

The blade, might be of Sumatra/Kalimantan origin. Looking at the blade's features... the ganja iras, the ricikans, the greneng-works and the pamor. Probably an adaptation of different influences, made for a Bugis.

The blade, does have some resemblance to Keris Kapak Cina.

In West Kalimantan, after the fall of the Majapahit kingdom, there were a few kingdoms which took shape. Examples are the Pontianak and Sambas Sultanate. Not much is known on the West Kalimantan hilt form. In Banjabaru and Banjarmasin, these places are already well-known for manufacturing exceptional hilt works. In general, it uses the same form as the Malays and vice-versa. However, hilts do get inter-changed within other communities in the Malay Archipelago. As we know, the bugis most commonly ply the Southern Borneo areas all the way to Sumatra and Malaysian Peninsular.

For the hilt type, I've seen it before (at Adni's shop) on a kris and a badek (kawali or Badi Guru), as well.

The hilt cup (pendongkok), does looks like a variation from a Palembang style, a variation from Kai Wee's example (in his gallery).

The sheath, a mix between a Sari-Bulan and a Tengah form. I've not seen this form before.

These are just my thoughts, I'm still confused about the overall ensemble, though...