Is this a siraui?

Jay Jay · 19th February 2006, 03:36 PM

Hi everybody.

I've been lurking on this forum for quite some time now, but now I actually have something to say.

I picked up this knife earlier today, because it has an indonesian feel.

I was wondering what these knives actually are called, since I've seen a couple of suggestions.

According to http://old.blades.free.fr/daggers/siraui/siraui.htm, it is a siraui, but on p. 126 of Van Zonneveld's book, a different style of knife is called a siraui.
Just to make it all more complicated, that style of knife ends up being called a korambit in this thread: http://www.vikingsword.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000968.html.

So... does anybody know what the name of these knives is? I don't think they qualify as korambits, since the cutting edge in on the outside of the blade. That leaves the two types of siraui, but are they just very different from eachother, or is one of them not a siraui?

Alam Shah · 19th February 2006, 04:00 PM

No this is not a kerambit, korambi...etc.
This is a Siraui. The Siraui is a small dagger (Pisau) with a sturdy curved blade with an edge on the convex side. These daggers come in variety of shapes, the sheath often resembles the Keris (a little).

See here for references.
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/taman.sari/d...raui/pkr02.htm

http://oriental-arms.co.il/item.php?id=1145

Jay Jay · 19th February 2006, 04:49 PM

Yes, I thought so. I simply stated that this thread http://www.vikingsword.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000968.html shows what Van Zonneveld calls a siraui in his book. It seems to me that the conclusion in that thread, is that the dagger is a korambit. I was just trying to get the names right.
Anyway, thanks for confirming that this is a siraui.

nechesh · 19th February 2006, 05:24 PM

Welcome Jay Jay. I think that the blade Lew shows in the thread link is not a korambit since it seems that it is sharpened on the convex edge. Yours is most definitely what is commonly referred to as siraui and Lew's might be as well, though it certainly has stylistic differences. Names are often relative to specific areas and may change as they turn up in different parts of Indonesia (even differing from place to place on the same island). I wouldn't necessarily consider the info in Van Zonneveld written in stone either. He, like most of us humans, has been known to be wrong in his classifications.

Jay Jay · 19th February 2006, 05:36 PM

Thanks for the welcome, nechesh.
It's true that anyone can be wrong, so I usually try to collect information from several sources. I don't have many books on the subject(yet

), so I turned to the fellow enthusiasts on this forum. And it worked! Yay!

Spunjer · 20th February 2006, 11:49 AM

welcome jay jay! one more vote for siraui here... i believe that's similar to the picture added.

19th February 2006, 03:36 PM	#1
Jay Jay Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Denmark Posts: 7	Is this a siraui? Hi everybody. I've been lurking on this forum for quite some time now, but now I actually have something to say. I picked up this knife earlier today, because it has an indonesian feel. I was wondering what these knives actually are called, since I've seen a couple of suggestions. According to http://old.blades.free.fr/daggers/siraui/siraui.htm, it is a siraui, but on p. 126 of Van Zonneveld's book, a different style of knife is called a siraui. Just to make it all more complicated, that style of knife ends up being called a korambit in this thread: http://www.vikingsword.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000968.html. So... does anybody know what the name of these knives is? I don't think they qualify as korambits, since the cutting edge in on the outside of the blade. That leaves the two types of siraui, but are they just very different from eachother, or is one of them not a siraui? Attached Images

19th February 2006, 04:00 PM	#2
Alam Shah Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,248	It is a ... No this is not a kerambit, korambi...etc. This is a Siraui. The Siraui is a small dagger (Pisau) with a sturdy curved blade with an edge on the convex side. These daggers come in variety of shapes, the sheath often resembles the Keris (a little). See here for references. http://perso.wanadoo.fr/taman.sari/d...raui/pkr02.htm http://oriental-arms.co.il/item.php?id=1145

19th February 2006, 04:49 PM	#3
Jay Jay Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Denmark Posts: 7	Indeed... Yes, I thought so. I simply stated that this thread http://www.vikingsword.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000968.html shows what Van Zonneveld calls a siraui in his book. It seems to me that the conclusion in that thread, is that the dagger is a korambit. I was just trying to get the names right. Anyway, thanks for confirming that this is a siraui.

20th February 2006, 11:49 AM	#6
Spunjer Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Witness Protection Program Posts: 1,730	welcome jay jay! one more vote for siraui here... i believe that's similar to the picture added. Attached Images

19th February 2006, 05:24 PM	#4
nechesh Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 940	Welcome Jay Jay. I think that the blade Lew shows in the thread link is not a korambit since it seems that it is sharpened on the convex edge. Yours is most definitely what is commonly referred to as siraui and Lew's might be as well, though it certainly has stylistic differences. Names are often relative to specific areas and may change as they turn up in different parts of Indonesia (even differing from place to place on the same island). I wouldn't necessarily consider the info in Van Zonneveld written in stone either. He, like most of us humans, has been known to be wrong in his classifications.

19th February 2006, 05:36 PM	#5
Jay Jay Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Denmark Posts: 7	Thanks for the welcome, nechesh. It's true that anyone can be wrong, so I usually try to collect information from several sources. I don't have many books on the subject(yet ), so I turned to the fellow enthusiasts on this forum. And it worked! Yay!