Executioner's Keris For Comment

[kai]

Hello Lew,

Good Sumatran blade, I guess.

I also don't think that the hilt is original; seems more like a western hemisphere replacement...

Regards,
Kai

[asomotif]

The hilt is indeed a bit western influenced imho.
Enclosed one I recenlty bought for comparison.
Also not the most elaborate of hiltforms.

[Amuk Murugul]

Hullo everybody,

As the Keris Panjang is extant all over the archipelago, I would lean towards a Nusa Tenggara hilt (MVHO, anyway).

Best.

[Flavio]

Hi all! on the first pages of Van Z's book there is a wonderful executioner keris with a handle of the same shape of Lew's keris
Regards

Flavio

[Bill]

Some time ago, I tried to find out about these. Not a lot of good information available. I did read that many were of high quality fittings, as the people that wore them had the power of justice. The blade looks excellent & the simple hilt may be because it was actually used for executions, where many may be more of a status symbol.

[Lew]

This is a pic of the butt of the hilt on my keris.

Lew

[kai]

I did read that many were of high quality fittings, as the people that wore them had the power of justice. The blade looks excellent & the simple hilt may be because it was actually used for executions, where many may be more of a status symbol.

The traditional hilt should do much better for such a use than a round hilt.

If I understand correctly, this method of execution was regarded as an honor (saving face), especially if done with some "official" keris. Otherwise, the person's own keris would have been used or, with person's of lesser status, some "less desirable" method...

Regards,
Kai

[Lew]

Kai

I have info from a very good source that the hilt and fittings are original to the keris. Please see statement below.

Ukiran and mendak are original and belong to an execution keris. The mendak fits well to the ukiran. The simple fittings where made on purpose. Although an excecution was done almost bloodless these simple fittings where easily to clean from accidently spilt blood after an execution. You can imagine that cleaning fancy fittings with holes and protrucions is more difficult.
The hole in your ukiran is made with purpose to store a dot of cotton. After the execution the dot cotton was used to wipe down the blade till the wound where the keris stuck in. Holding the cotton on the small wound the keris was exctracted from the wound through the cotton, cleaning the blade. When te keris was out of the body of the victim, the dot cotton was pushed into the wound, like a cork on a bottle of wine. In this way the execution was done bloodless.

Lew

[kai]

on the first pages of Van Z's book there is a wonderful executioner keris with a handle of the same shape of Lew's keris

The one in Albert's book is carved (and slightly asymmetrical) while Lew's seems to be turned. Also, the "mendak" doesn't look Indonesian. The hole apparently going completely through the hilt doesn't help to convince me of its Indonesian origin either.

Regards,
Kai