PBX
 

Dear all,
I would like to share with you a keris which is dear to me. It is a type of sadjen but a special one. Large and the handle is different. The sheat shows a couple of lacquered seals showing the coat of arms of PBX. It used to be completely covered with these seals. Traces of them can still be seen all along the sheat, front and back. I examined the blade itself and found that it used to be completely covered with gold. Traces of that can be seen all along the blade, front and back, including the handle. I believe this to be a keris from kraton Surakarta, maybe even from the beloved susuhunan Paku Buwana himself or at least from of his inner circle. It is not a loud keris, not showing anything that enhances its status. It has not been cleaned nor patinated, just ages of applied oil. This confirms my information that keris from the kraton itself do not depend on a yearly cleaning. No idea about its age. It most certainly is much older than the PB X era. It takes a long time to loose al that gold from the metal skin.....

Interesting observations. I cannot say that i see the same things you do. Firstly, while i have seen lacquered pendoks and mendaks i have never seen lacquer placed over wood like this. I am not convinced the material is lacquer and you will certainly need to provide some much closer images to allow us to see the PBX coat of arms. I am also afraid that i can see no traces of gold on this blade or handle. I am not saying none exist, but it would seem unusual to me to find kinatah placed on a keris sajen, which is the type of keris this is, sajen referring to "offering".
I have attached an image of the "Radyalaksana" that PBX designed for his reign. However, even if this is what you are seeing on the red material that is in no way proof that this was once held in the Kraton. I have seen this seal embossed on the backs of many pendoks over the years and none of those keris ever saw the inside of the Kraton.
But perhaps if you could show us more images of the blade and close-ups of the seal we can come to some better conclusion.

PBX
 

Dear David,
Tahnk you for your kind reply.
Trust me, the seals are laquer. The crest is not the one you show but the two letters PB with a Roman number behind it. The crest you show can be found on alesan keris. This is the imprint of a seal. Parts of the same imprint and the visible fragments of the Roman number can be found on the other seals. They look worn. The fragments combined seem to form the X. The two letters ( PB same lettertype) also appear on wayang kulit with natural pigments, coming from the kraton.
The wooden sheat is painted black as if it were laquered black. The keris has provenance. The hulu appears in the book Keris-Griffe by Martin Kerner, pag.22.
The gold traces are genuine. I tried to photograph them but you need a macro lens to capture it properly. Even in the eye sockets of the hulu there are traces of gold. I agree it is very unusual to find gold traces the way they are to be found on this blade. That is why I turn to this community.

PBX
 

Forgot to include the pictures. Sorry.

I've worked the sealing wax a bit and I think I can see a "PB" on the top daub of wax.

The gandar does appear to have been lacquered, something that is not all that unusual in older dress.

But all of that doesn't give any evidence at all of previous ownership.

The keris itself is a very superior example of the type. Nice!

Thanks Alan, i do believe i can now see at least PB and part of a crown. But yes, still no proof of ownership.
I do agree that this looks like a very nice sajen which is why i hope Kulino might show us better images of the blade.
Have you seen keris sajen with kinatah before. That would be a new one for me.

Dear David, Mr Maisey,
Again thank you for your kind opinion. I agree, seals are no proof of ownership. I wonder why would anyone bother to put such an amount of seals on the keris dress? Also, I seem to miss a couple of pictures which I tried to upload. I'll try again.
On one of these pictures you can see the gold traces embedded but shining bright through the thick oily skin.
Again, the story I was told, is that pusaka belonging the kraton itself were not cleaned. This has to do with the order in creation. Keris are Irogdat. Humans are Kodrat. Kodrat do not serve Irogdat.
When humans pay hommage to keris they reverse the order of creation. This is ok for the world outside, but inside the kraton this rule was followed. It would empower the pusaka from the kraton. No irogdat from outside the kraton would be capable to stand against the pure kodrat- irogdat combination from inside the kraton.

Nope, never seen a keris sajen with kinatah. I do not understand why a keris sajen would be given kinatah. Its not as if you wear them.

Still, anything is possible.

Just a thought:- have the "gold" flecks been tested, or do they just look like gold?

Had a look at Kerner, he actually says its from the Solo Karaton, and he brackets the word (Furstenhof) which I guess is some sort of reference, but I don't know what. I don't read German. Any ideas who or what Furstenhof is?

Google reckons "furstenhof" means "a princely court", which fits, but is inaccurate, as the Surakarta Karaton is not the court of a prince, it is the dwelling place of a Ratu = king, queen, monarch.

Can't help but wonder where this keris did actually come from. Things bought out of the Karaton by outsiders very seldom actually come from the karaton.

Urubing damar variant
 

While I'm at it, your comments on this keris. Thin, light, smooth skin, probably wesi sembodja. Shows all signs of a proper keris kuno, Majapahit keris, maybe Sendang Sedayu. Pamor tiga sakler or some ilen variant. It is with me for years, checked all literature but can't find anything. I seem to recall to have seen something like it in Pirngadi or Groneman but....

Gold specs are tiny and all over the skin of the keris. As I already wrote, even in the eye sockets. When the sun shines on the wingkinan tiny highlights on the whole metal surface. Since they shine so bright and seem to be on the metal skin and not part of it I have no idea what else they could be. I know of metal with a scattered gold dust look, but this is nothing like it. It looks very much like gold traces I found on an old Rajah Kikik's kinatah. Most certainly not like copper, messing of any other besi kuning. They do not shine bright but stand out just because of the colour of the metal. These traces highlight.

PBX
 

Fürstenhof means royal court. Eventhough I knew Martin Kerner (I helped him out to translate some literature from dutch into german) I have reservations towards his research conclusions. But he knew the provenance of his keris collection most of the times. I believe mr Maisey and Martin Kerner were in contact also?

Thanks for your further comments Kulino.

In order to understand what you are telling us, I need a clear explanation of what you mean by "inside the karaton" and "outside the karaton". These terms are open to some very elastic interpretations, so can you nail it down?

Similarly with the idea of "keris belonging to the karaton" what exactly do you mean?

I do not know the exact current position with the things kept in the karaton store rooms --- if there is anything at all left there now --- but during the 1980's I did enter and handle some of the stored tosan aji there and I guess we could say these things were "karaton property" but even this is a bit of a queer idea, because it is all under the care of whoever the current Susuhunan is, thus, is it karaton property, or is it the property of Sinuhun?.

True, a lot of these items were not maintained, but it had nothing at all to do with "irogdat-kodrat" relationships, it had to do with available funds and priorities. The Karaton Susuhunan had no spare money. They did not have the monetary nor human resources necessary to properly maintain stored items that had not seen the light of day in maybe 100 years.

Individual members of the Karaton hierarchy, including Sinuhun himself did most certainly ensure that their personal possessions, including tosan aji in their care, were maintained. I saw Empu Suparman on more than one occasion carrying out warangan work for members of the royal family.

I'm not quite clear on exactly how "irogdat" should be understood, a few minutes ago I spoke with 4 native speakers of Javanese, in Solo, and none were quite sure of what the word meant, taken in context, they could guess, as can I, but clarity is lacking, even kodrat used in this way is a bit strange, even though kodrat is a common word.

What I do know is this:- karaton pusakas, and I'm talking here about all the pusakas, not just tosan aji pusakas--- are most certainly taken care of, and offerings are made to them.

This story about irogdat-kodrat relationship sounds like a good story to me, but it does not at all reflect what I have seen in action, nor what I have been taught. In fact, it has the distinct feel of something that is very Santri-centric.

Even the idea that "humans pay homage to a keris" is totally, totally off track. When an offering is made to a keris it is not made to the material presence of the keris, it is made to the spirit which may have entered the keris. The keris should be thought of in a similar way to the way in which we think of a shrine:- the shrine is just a momentary resting place for an aspect of God, when we make an offering at a shrine it is not the shrine that we make the offering to, it is the aspect of God that is momentarily resting there.

If we make an offering to a pusaka keris, that pusaka keris can be the shrine where our ancestors have entered for the moment. The keris is just a place for them to visit, its not the keris that is holy, but our ancestors, who may already have merged with God.

Yes, I did correspond with Martin Kerner. I did not agree with a lot of his ideas, but he was most certainly a gentleman.

The keris shown in post #9 cannot be classified as Majapahit if I apply the indicators used by Empu Suparman.

It lacks one dominant feature that militates against a Mojo classification, and that is the fact that it has a square blumbangan. A Mojo keris should have a rather narrow boto adeg blumbangan.

There are other problems with it as well, but I'd prefer not to make further comment because I do not have it in my hand. The blumbangan alone is sufficient to disallow Majapahit as a possibility.

As is generally agreed, tangguh is a vexed subject. It came out of Surakarta, and it arose to fulfil a specific need. The further we get from origin, the more the understanding of it becomes distorted. At the present time the system has become so corrupted that I seriously doubt if any true ahli keris from Central Jawa of 30 years ago would understand anything about the application of tangguh classifications at the present time.

Urubing damar variant
 

Elaborate
Dear mr. Maisey,
Thank you for your elaborate answer. I'm not sure how my education in keris compares to your knowledge. One of my teachers descended from the kraton Solo, my other teacher is related to the kraton Yogja. I believe them both to be honest and truthful. I would refer to inside the kraton as to the place where the Isi of the kraton is kept, guarded. Outside would be the face that is shown to the outside world.
However, I wonder if this is still a topic which should be discussed on this forum. I would be happier to exchange ideas in a different way.
Because of your response I will try to give words to my ideas.
I hope you agree with me that Javanese are very private persons. Sharing feelings, inner thoughts doesn' t come easy to them. As I was taught keris reflect large parts of this inner world, their personal inner world (if not all). Showing core pusaka and thus revealing your inner core during public cleaning ceremonies, would therefore impossible, not done. Fear of contamination, stealing Isi, giving insight in the inner core, a no go area.. I was told, the keris used during these ceremonies were copies. The real pusaka would stay inside, out of sight, guarded by the keepers.
Again, this story sounds very plausible to me. Apart from my two sources, I cannot verify this story. Saying it is true would reveal a plausible strategy, but also a scam. Denying it would support the current status: pure on the inside, stained/weak on the outside. This idea could be supported by the way the keris sajen looks. Nothing cosmetic, pure. The seals showing an intimate connection to Paku Buana.
To me, it is enough to relate to the keris who are in my house.
Not paying homage to keris does not mean, not caring or not looking after. They are family. One could consider this as a different perspective.
To me, it differs from keris to keris, depending on its function.

Do you have any comment on the dapur?

Who or what is PBX?

PBX = Sampeyan Dalam ingkang Sinuhun ingkang Minula saha ingkang Wijaksana Kanjeng Susuhanan Prabhu Sri Pakubuwono X Senapati ing Alaga Ngah 'Abdu'l-Rahman Saiyid ud-din Panatagama

He would have had a couple of Dutch honorifics as well, that I used to know but have forgotten.

He was the Susuhunan ( ruler ) of Surakarta from 1893 to 1939.

That's why we usually shorten the names of these Javanese rulers to "PB + number" for Surakarta, and "HB + number" for Jogjakarta. In normal conversation we refer to the current PB as "Sinuhun" , I cannot give a direct translation for "Sinuhun" but it is a term of address used for a ruler, maybe a bit like "Your Highness", or "Lord".

You can also hear it used by domestic servants to their employers, especially in a sarcastic tone and with elaborations.

Kulino, you may address me as Alan.

You have raised a number questions with your most recent post, and I will interpolate my responses.

Thank you for your elaborate answer. I'm not sure how my education in keris compares to your knowledge. One of my teachers descended from the kraton Solo, my other teacher is related to the kraton Yogja. I believe them both to be honest and truthful.

All people are honest and all people are truthful, however, honesty and truthfulness has different levels, thus honesty and truthfulness towards one person is not necessarily the same as honesty and truthfulness towards another person.
Then, in Jawa there is the ingrained cultural reflex that absolutely militates against the concept of gratuitous truth. In simple terms gratuitous truth is never welcome.
The natural result of this is that in a situation where one has a relationship with another person that permits the exchange of information in a form that is as accurate as the informant is prepared to indulge in, that accurate information will only come in response to a question that demonstrates that the person asking the question is ready to receive the accurate answer.

I would refer to inside the kraton as to the place where the Isi of the kraton is kept, guarded.

So in fact you were talking about the Royal Pusakas.
Yes, agreed, these can be regarded as objects to which access is severely limited.
However, it would be very wise to investigate the nature of the Royal pusakas of Surakarta, a good place to start might be Ricklefs: "The Missing Pusakas of Kartasura". Then of course we have the concept of 'mutrani'.

There are levels of knowledge and levels of permitted understanding.


Outside would be the face that is shown to the outside world.
However, I wonder if this is still a topic which should be discussed on this forum. I would be happier to exchange ideas in a different way.


For my part I have never put anything into this Forum nor into any other publicly accessible place that is unfit for general knowledge, nor will I.


Because of your response I will try to give words to my ideas.
I hope you agree with me that Javanese are very private persons. Sharing feelings, inner thoughts doesn' t come easy to them.

This depends totally upon the relationship, and upon the nature of the people involved. But yes, as a general rule it is correct behaviour to act in a restrained manner in public and with those judged to be on a different emotional level. As above, "gratuitous truth is unwelcome", and this means all gratuitous truth. The behaviour pattern is probably the result of the extremely hierarchical society.

As I was taught keris reflect large parts of this inner world, their personal inner world (if not all). Showing core pusaka and thus revealing your inner core during public cleaning ceremonies, would therefore impossible, not done.

The concept of public cleaning ceremonies never occurred to me. This is simply not done. If it occurs it is for the people who are still children. One does not parade one's personal possessions for all the world to see, and this applies most especially with one's keris, as the keris in fact represents the man who has custody of it.


Fear of contamination, stealing Isi, giving insight in the inner core, a no go area.. I was told, the keris used during these ceremonies were copies. The real pusaka would stay inside, out of sight, guarded by the keepers.

Any such ceremony, should it occur in Central Jawa could be regarded as sandiwara, something to amuse yg belum dewasa.


Again, this story sounds very plausible to me. Apart from my two sources, I cannot verify this story. Saying it is true would reveal a plausible strategy, but also a scam. Denying it would support the current status: pure on the inside, stained/weak on the outside. This idea could be supported by the way the keris sajen looks. Nothing cosmetic, pure. The seals showing an intimate connection to Paku Buana.
To me, it is enough to relate to the keris who are in my house.



What one truly believes is reality for he who truly believes it.
Nowhere is this more true than in Jawa, and within Javanese society, nowhere does this maxim apply more accurately than to keris related ideas.


Not paying homage to keris does not mean, not caring or not looking after. They are family. One could consider this as a different perspective.
To me, it differs from keris to keris, depending on its function.

"what one truly believes ---"

Do you have any comment on the dapur?

No, not really. I cannot give it an accurate name, it does not look like Jawa Tengah, but more like North Coast. In Solo I think most people would probably give it as campur bawur luk tujuh, but strictly speaking it cannot be campur bawur. Light gonjo, long point, North Coast or Madura Sepuh maybe.

Hallo Alan,

I don't have the context but it's nearly sure that he mean with "fürstenhof" simple the ceraton. "Fürst" is a german title of nobility and don't mean "prince". That's the traps of translation in fine! ;)
Regards,
Detlef

Thanks Detlef.

Yes, I understand the word now, and its not important. When I first saw it in brackets, I thought it might have been a reference that would supply more info, but clearly not.

Yes, he was probably trying to explain exactly what a kraton is --- something that is not easy, its not really a royal court or princely court or any kind of court, but in English, and I guess other European languages that might be about as close as we can get.

Yes, agree with you that "Fürstenhof" might be the closest "translation" for kraton he found and understand byself why he used this word. It's also a translation you can find in german guidebooks.

Ariel, i think you might find this answer a bit less "occult" than Alan's. ;)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakubuwono_X

He was a bit of a cult figure, still is if truth be known.

Really good at two things:- spending money and fathering children.

I've met a number of people who claimed that he was their ancestor, including my housekeeper, whose mother was one of the Karaton dancers.

Here he is:-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakubu...r_10001903.jpg

Urubing damar variant
 

Dear Alan ,
You honour me with the privilege of using your first name. Thank you.
You are right, it is all what you choose to believe in.
Seems to work for me though.
The old ways appear to be on the verge of being lost.
When I asked my teacher if he was sad or sorry that all this knowledge is about to disappear he replied very philosophically, if it is worth something it will survive. If not, it will disappear.
True, but sad. This forum proves that there is still some interest, which is nice. Sharing ideas with you and your comments are a delight. I will post more interesting keris for your consideration.

Njirami could be interpreted as the occasion where the court pusaka would have been cleaned, publicly. I haven’t attended one personally so I can’t report first hand to what extend the used pusaka are clearly visible or how close the public could come to the site. Using private keris during this event would be impossible to me.

If you are into keris kuno, the ones from Madura are a pain. A few years ago I sat with pak Eko, a mranggi, ahli keris in the Yogja area and we discussed these keris, comparing old with new. He expected that in the near future it would be increasingly difficult to tell old from new, even for the experts. From what I see now, he was right. At least for the starting collector. You really have to have had hundreds of keris passing through your hands to tell right from wrong. And even then, there are the ones which make you doubt.
:shrug:

I feel myself that it is not a matter the value of something that permits it to survive, but rather its relevance, and within a society the relevance of anything varies dependent upon the layer or segment of society that is considered.

In Jawa, if we put a culturally based question, the same question, to people who come from different segments of the society, we will sometimes get very different answers. That which is relevant to a farmer who is still using traditional methods is not at all relevant to somebody who has completed a university degree and wants both himself, and his country to be seen as a part of the "Modern World".

Yes, I do understand the PR displays that the Karatons put on, but once again I do most sincerely suggest that the nature of at least the Surakarta pusakas be given a very close look.

In respect of identification of old keris, one does not need to have handled hundreds of keris. This is very, very far from reality.

One needs to have handled thousands of keris and to have handled a good number of those under the guidance of somebody who truly understands what he is looking at.

How to do this at the present time?

I do not know.

You gave better words to these concepts than I did. Since I'm not a native speaker in English it is always hard to find the correct words or phrases to express the nuances felt. Thank you Alan.
Indeed, over the last fourty years I saw thousands of keris passing through my hands, discussing them with many others, among which many ahli keris both in Europe and on Jawa. This is the only way to learn.
I'm used to look at lots of details like shapes of gandik, selassih, endas cicak, gandja, puncuk of the blade, definition of the pecetan area, the general appearance of the blad itself (condro), shape and construction of the peksi, all in combination with sound of the metal, skin, colour, weight, balance and sometimes even the scent. I find this not to be an exact science.
I'm always eager to learn more. Is is appropriate to ask where I can find the criteria Empu Suparman used for his determination?

Those indicators would be useless to you Kulino.

The indicators can be represented by words, certainly, but only the man himself could explain those words, and what they represented to him. Regrettably he left us many years ago.

While we are on the subject of words, may I enquire where you learnt the words you are using:-

"--- I'm used to look at lots of details like shapes of gandik, selassih, endas cecek, gandja, puncuk of the blade, definition of the pecetan area, the general appearance of the blad itself (condro), shape and construction of the peksi ---" ?

The words I use, some come from the discussions I had and have with others. Other words come from the long list of literature there is. Such as Kaliwon Pudjangga Kraton Surakarta by R.Ng. Ronggowarsito and other (alleged kraton) manuscripts.
They should indicate features or specific parts of the wingkinan. Like the head or tail of the ganja, the tip or the glow or sound of the metal, etc. Maybe misspelled or misguided in your opinion?

Additionally, I recognize in your words, the way I studied the meaning of pamor patterns. :)

AFTERTHOUGHT
 

Thank you for your response Kulino.

I think I might now understand a reason for your use of this rather strange terminology. I thought I might have been looking at keris terminology used by some particular keris study group, or perhaps terminology used in a place outside Jawa Tengah, but it seems this is not so.

Javanese is what linguists refer to as a "non-standardised language", in very simple terms this means that when spoken the speaker can change vowel and consonant order---or even the letters--- to provide a more pleasant delivery of the spoken word, the only rule is that the person to whom he is speaking must understand what is being said. This type of speech can develop into a game where each person is trying to outdo the other with his inventiveness.
When the original Javanese script of a printed or written word is transliterated into roman text, there can be degree of inconsistency in the spellings. This becomes particularly confusing when trying to correctly pronounce Javanese words printed in the modern era with type faces that make no provision for the necessary diacritical marks. This means that the only way one can reliably pronounce the word is to have been taught how to pronounce it. In this way, spoken Javanese is similar to English.

So, what all this comes down to is that it is difficult to fault anybody on spellings used in Javanese written in roman text.

However, when the spellings used do not render a clear meaning, or in fact render an incorrect meaning, then we have problems.

Below I have listed the words you have used that cause me some difficulty, and have commented on use of these words:-



endhas the term "endas cecak" is correctly given as "sirah cecak", which is more polite than "endas cecak".
If one wished to obliquely insult both Javanese indigenous belief, and/or the present custodian of a keris one could give a degree of insult by using the ngoko word in relation to the sirah cecak of the related keris, rather than using the krama inggil term. To understand why it is necessary to respect a keris, especially a pusaka keris, or a personal keris, one needs to understand the relationships of the keris in Javanese culture

cecek the word "cecek" means a dot or a point, I believe the word that was intended is "cecak", which is a kind of small house lizard
Thus your "endhas cecek" should be "sirah cecak", the broad end of the gonjo, given this name because of the similarity in form to the head of that small house lizard.
sirah(kr) = head, endhas(ng) = head

puncuk = as far as I can determine there is no Javanese word "puncuk", but there are several similar words, listed below; I'm guessing that you mean "pucak", or maybe "puncak" and using that word to indicate the point of the keris.
puncu = to point a sharp weapon
puncon = mountain peak
pucak = summit
puncak (Bahasa Indonesia) = top of a mountain

The correct word to use in Surakarta terminology for the point of a keris is "panetes", from "tetes" :- "able to be pierced by something", "panetes" : "able to pierce something"



condro = as far as I can determine there is no Javanese word "condro", the nearest I can get to this is "condre", an alternate pronunciation for "cundrik", a dagger.
You say that "condro" means the general appearance of the blade. The word normally used for this is "pawakan" or "wangun". Pawakan refers specifically to the posture of a man, wangun refers to appearance, design , shape, pawakan is the more polite term.

peksi --- in Javanese the word "peksi" means "bird", it is krama, the word for a keris tang is "pesi" .

The alternate pronunciation of "peksi" (bird) is "pesi". As in B.I., the Javanese "k" is a glottal stop, which means it is often very difficult to hear when spoken crudely or fast, thus some people habitually gloss it and omit the glottal stop altogether
This similarity in words has led to ongoing, and sometimes very funny error on the part of non-native speakers of Javanese

wingkinan = As far as I can determine, there is no Javanese word "wingkinan". I believe the word intended is "wingkingan", which means "back, rear" in Modern Javanese, in Old Javanese it also meant the buttocks or backside.

"Wingkingan" has an alternate meaning which refers to time.
It is not an alternate word for the keris.
The correct word to refer to a complete keris when worn at the back is "wangkingan". "Wangkingan" comes from "wangking" which in Modern Javanese means "slim waisted", but in Old Javanese simple meant "waist", so something worn at the waist becomes "wangkingan".

The blade alone of the keris cannot be referred to as a "wangkingan", nor can a keris that is not being worn be referred to as a "wangkingan", the use of "wangkingan" is strictly limited to a keris being worn at the back. The level of the word "wangkingan" is krama inggil.

This confusion between "wingkingan" and "wangkingan" is very common, even amongst native speakers of Javanese, about the only people who consistently get it right seem to be people who are involved with keris, or who regularly need to dress in a formal fashion.

selassih --- as far as I can determine there is no Javanese word "selassih", the nearest I can get to this is "selasih/slasih" which is kind of herb, I think the herb might be basil.
"selasih/slasih" is an alternate form of "tlasih"


Just to clarify:- I am not a walking Javanese dictionary, yes, I do have some low level Javanese (ngoko), but I cannot use krama or krama inggil. However, I do have immediate access to a number of native speakers of Javanese, and I do own textbooks and dictionaries. I was able to address most of the above from my own knowledge, but a couple of the words were simply beyond me, and also beyond my other sources.

I enjoyed trying to work out what you were saying, it was a learning experience.Thank you.

However, in your own best interests, I most sincerely suggest that you request your teachers to assist you in learning some basic Javanese.

EDIT

The image is taken from Haryono Haryoguritno's "Keris Jawa", which at the present time can probably be regarded as the standard reference for just about everything relating to physical aspects of the Javanese keris. It is a book that really should be in the library of every person interested in keris

I stand corrected. I always try to stay to the original source as close as possible.
So close to the Pujangga and other Javanese manuscripts, some of which were transcribed in Latin writing using old spelling (s.a. dr W.F Vogels, a translation from 1878 and Over de kerisvormen, (about the shapes of keris) translation from Brouwers en Winters, from around 1900 ), Van Hien’s Javaansche Geestenwereld (Javanes world op spirits, old Dutch spelling), Groneman, Pirngadie, etc..
The road from Hanacaraka to old spelling Dutch, old spelling Indonesian to new spelling Bahasa Indonesian is challenging. It is my fault. Thank you for your update. A few years ago one of my Javanes friends and I started out to translate the Empu and metal section of the Pujangga transcription of Ronggowarsito into Dutch. Winginkinan punika ingkang sae could refer both to the way the keris is worn or to the keris being good. Some translations we tried to make are very hard just because of the lack of comparison. When a metal is descibed as having the glow of a glatik, one has to know the small bird's shine. The flower language is beyond my reach entirely. My friends Javanese was a combination between the varieties spoken in central Jawa and Sundanese :)
Nevertheless all this information, verified or discarded by my teachers and other partners in discussions made me observing and interpreting the aspects mentioned, and more. Since it is partly interpretation, I find this not to be an exact science. Same applies to the meaning of pamor. Studying it for years, it teaches one to read. Form and not yet content, reading is not the same as understanding

Hello Kulino,

Welcome to the actively participating forumites! (Sorry for coming in on this thread a bit late.)


Thanks for showing this really nice keris sajen - I do like it! Could you please show a pic of the hilt from the side? It does look like only the torso is being shown here (with the usually bent legs being omitted), doesn't it?

Any comments from Theo Alkema on this piece? ;)


Are you sure that the red dots along the scabbard are really sealing wax rather than older paint? I'd have guessed that the black and red was old and worn sunggingan and that the seal got placed on the scabbard much later, possibly to "prove" the keraton connection (their placement at the back of the scabbard would not only pretty much obligate any wear of the keris (for which it was never meant) but also make hanging or storing it more difficult. It does look as if the lacquered surface next to the seals got affected by the heat.


This certainly does not look like the usual kinatah. From the close-up it seems that the little specks of gold sit in tiny crevices or on top of the patina. This would suggest it being added much later; fully covering a blade with leaf gold is fairly easy and not terribly expensive - it also rubs off quite fast. Without any sound provenance to rely on, it will be very tough to establish the real age of this keris or when (or for what reason) the gold got applied.

OTOH, I don't think this really matters: It is a really good example of its type coming with an old, interesting scabbard - congrats!

Regards,
Kai

I'd quibble that, rather than royal, noble court is a better translation - as already stated, it was meant to refer to kraton.

With dozens of kraton all over the place (or rather hundreds all over the archipelago), their usually rather restricted area of control, varying levels of dependencies and changing alliances, visiting Europeans certainly noted some similarities with European nobility. However, compared to the situation at home combined with colonial aspirations, it would have been psychologically a bit tough to accept all these usually pretty confined entities as kingdoms. Thus, Europeans tended to settle for some more generic term or lower hierarchy within the nobility scale: Fürstenhof in German, vorstenhof in Nederlands, etc.

Regards,
Kai

Hi Kai,
I'm sure the traces are red lacquer. It blew me away too. Why this abundance???? What was there to prove or to claim? This is surely not a keris to wear or to show. I know, a keris sajen doesn’t come with kinatah. I noticed it only when I examined it outside and the sunlight made a couple of gold specs pop out. Then, when I checked it with magnifier glasses, the specs were all over the blade underneath the oil residue. Gold once covered the whole blade. The oil came later.
The layers which cover the blade consists of oil residue. The only way to get this, I know, is to oil it without cleaning of the earlier residue. Why was it left? If it was such an important keris, why wasn’t cleaned as ‘normal’ keris would have been? I can’t find any trace of pamor. Just sheats of metal covered with this residue through which the gold spec shine. Puzzeling….
Then again, why painting the scabbard black as if it had a pendok? The black is certainly a black lacquer resembling what I find on separately lacquered pendok. The meaning of black lacquer as far as I know, has to do with kraton pedigree. On the one hand humble and magical (sajen), on the other hand someone took great effort to mark it as important (Seals with PBX and black lacquered wooden sheet.) The keris fits beautifully in the scabbard, they are a match. The wood pamor showing a sumber. This was deliberatly chosen. It shows like it is an old scabbard fitting to an old keris but in a wonderful state. It must have been cared for, for a long time, otherwise it would already have rotted away or severely damaged. All contradictions and forming an enigma. The only answer I have is in the posts. I’m not sure which Allen’s thought are in this riddle.
I’m pretty sure Theo hasn’t seen this keris. The last time I met him in person must have been ten years ago or more. It was at his home, I believe when Dietrich Dresscher was there. The only one who knew where this keris came from was Martin Kerner. I've added a couple of pictures. No bended legs. Strange again.
:)

Well Kulino, you clearly don't need to polish up your basic Javanese, I obviously misread what the peculiar words indicated.

Please accept my apologies.

You're right about the difficulty with translations, sometimes its just not possible to translate an idea into a different language, because the original idea does not exist in that other language. I'm not a linguist, so I don't know how the professionals approach this problem, but what I do is to try to understand the sense and feeling of the idea in Language 1 and then bring that sense and feeling into Language 2, even if the words used don't necessary match a direct translation.

But actually, I've never bothered with going back to the original manuscripts of things that have already been translated. There is only so much time in any one person's lifetime, I use the efforts of others to give me more time. This means that wherever possible I use existing translations into either English or Bahasa Indonesia.

Several works that I have for which no translations had been done, I paid to have translated by old generation Javanese people who could still read hanacaraka fluently. The last of these I had done during the 1990's, and even at that time it was very, very difficult to find anybody who could read the old script well. My original translators were a relative who made wayang puppets, he passed away in about 1983, after him a relative who was a school teacher, she passed away in the late 1980's, then I used a neighbour who was a retired public servant, he went blind in about 1993. After that I could not find anybody who was a truly competent reader of hanacaraka. I've got plenty of relatives who know the basics, but translation of any extended work is well and truly beyond them.

However, be all that as it may. We still have a problem with:-

Winginkinan punika ingkang sae

is "winginkinan" a typo, or have you given "wingkingan" (your "wingkinan") the "in" infix of Old Javanese?

In any case, this is krama that we're looking at, so "wingkingan" should perhaps be read as if it were "buri", which could mean:- later, after a while, past, then, or last, depending on context.


In respect of the "wingkinan" spelling of "wingkingan":- are you using a roman text and does the text you are working from use a cedilla under the "n"? If so, this indicates a spoken sound "ng".

In respect of black kemalo on a gandar.

Black can be used by all ranks within the Karaton hierarchy, and it can also be used by the general public.

It is the correct colour kemalo for wear at a funeral.

However, that does not necessarily mean that it was given black kemalo for wear at a funeral, only the person who had the black kemalo applied could tell you the reason he had it done, but a well mannered person would not ask him why, and if he was asked he probably would not tell you the true reason in any case.

Dear Alan,
You are right. it was a typo. And in this case I used the roman text. I have to admit, my own Javanese is rudimentary. I made use of Javanese friends and
friends who have studied Indonesian language and culture at Leiden university with prof. Teeuw.
My Solonese teacher and Javanese friend who were fluent also passed away. Luckily we' ve managed to translate the metal varieties in Dutch.
It has not been published. This also goes for the explained hundreds of pamor and pamor details. I promised my Solonese teacher to publish but was more or less forbidden to do so by my current Yogja teacher. As council to the Sultan, I presume he knows best. Too sensitive he said. I keep it for the family to study and learn.

Thanks Kulino, typos can always happen.

Re your translation of "metal varieties", I assume you mean the various types of Wesi Aji?

In 1934 in Solo, "De Bliksem" published a little guide named "Wesiadji", that was a part of a much larger work which dealt with many aspects of the keris. "Wesiadji" lists the various types of iron and how to identify them, also, what offerings are appropriate for those types of iron, and what types of iron are good or bad. This purportedly came down to us from Panembahan di Karang, AKA Batara Moedik.
This 1934 edition was a romanised version of the original in hanacaraka that was published in 1928, again by "De Bliksem".
Are you aware of this publication?


In 1959 R.T. Waluyodipuro published "Dhuwung luwin Ubarampe saha Lalajenganipun". This was in two parts, in the second part, dealing with pamor, and headed :- " Saking Babon Sanes , Babon Asli Saking Soerakarta" (freely:- "From original Surakarta Manuscripts") he deals with pamor quite intensively, the image below is an example of one of the pages from the book. I apologise for the quality of the image, but it is a photo of a photocopy that was made from a poorly preserved original. Still, I think it is clear enough? Is this similar to the pamor information your Ngayogyakarta friend advised you to refrain from making public?

Kulino, I would most respectfully suggest that in relation to the advice of your friend from Ngayogyakarta, you may care to apply the basic principles of understanding that are appropriate to all dealings within Javanese relationships.

Personally I find it rather strange that an Abdi Dalem of the Karaton Ngayogyakarta should presume to tender advice that contravenes the wishes of somebody connected to the Karaton Surakarta, in respect of a document which originated from Surakarta. Let us not forget that Ngayogyakarta is the junior House of the Mataram Line, even if they do have some pretty inflated opinions. Admitted, in recent times Ngayogyakarta has exercised considerable political power, and Surakarta has had its own internal problems, but these two factors do not obliterate the historical truth and the true order of the world.

Hi Alan,

With the metal varieties I mean the descriptions as recorded in the Pakem Pusaka, duwung,sabet, tumbak. As described by R.Ng Ronggowarsito, put in roman/latin writing by R.Ng. Hartokretarto in 1925. Chapter 1, dumugi and chapter 2 Rupinipun tosan ingkang awon sarta ingkang sae. It describes 44 types of iron like tosan malela, tosan padma, tosan wulung, tosan sembodja, etc. with scent, colour, glow, layers, skin and sometimes sound. It also describes the effects of these metals on the owner.

My Yogja teacher gave me this advice years after my Solo teacher passed away. They haven't met in person. My Solo teacher left Indonesia in the sixties. He was very much of a rebel, loyal to the Dutch. Concerned that the knowledge from his photographic memory would be lost he urged me and my co-students to write down the answers to our questions and more. He went back only once to find others had taken hold of his house(s) and its content. He adopted me in his family. I enjoyed his teachings and warm company during weekends and vacations for more than 14 years. He once said to me: "Now you know and can't ever pretend you did not know'. These words weigh heavy on my shoulders. Only now I begin the understand the scope his teachings. Only now the pieces of puzzle start coming together more and more.

The cult of keris which is here now, was not there at that time. At risk of sounding patronising, general public should not be give open access to all information. If people really want to know, answers will be given. Only when questions are asked. Not the full extent of all possible information because this needs to filled with understanding, maybe even in a different cultural context.
Understanding keris is different from collecting or trading. To me it means knowing wayang, lakons, stones, herbs, colours, mustika etc and their coherence.

Knowledge is connected to responsibility. To protect the content but also the potential users.
I'm sure my Solo teacher would have agreed to this. This was the line in him educating me. It was respect shown by my Yogja teacher towards my Solo teacher. But I believe this principle is not different than you described in your message?

In my opinion pamor signs are not isolated phenomena. It is a manifestation of a part of a reality. The pamor descriptions I have are more detailed, less grouped. They are like an alphabet. They can be grouped differently, generating different meaning, depending on the context. Drawing them, grasping them, grinds understanding, creating interpretation. It's almost like Chinese characters. No one knows them all, you have to study them to understand. In combination with each other, they create context which needs to be interpreted. With keris the context has to be completed with the dapur, metal hulu, dress and the present custodian/fellow traveller. Without that context the keris has no purpose, is just a wonderful ethnographic object.
I guess it is the same with you understanding dapur and more. It took effort, time to sink in. It is useless to share.

Again, I’m afraid this is far beyond which is allowed in this section of Keris. Please excuse me for trespassing.

Thank you very much for your most recent post Kulino.

Please permit me to assure you that you have not "trespassed" at all, rather, you have said more in this post # 37 than you have said in all your previous posts, and I most sincerely thank you for this.

Now I believe understand your orientation and understanding of the keris, and that is a giant leap forward for me.

I know the original Ronggowarsito work, but do not have a copy, I have not seen the Hartokretarto transliteration into roman text.

My understanding of the Ronggowarsito work is that it takes the theosophical approach that grew in popularity amongst the Javanese elites as colonial domination became more oppressive. This understanding has been gained second hand from discussion with a relative who had intense interest in Javanese theosophy. As with virtually all writings by Karaton pujanggas, the content of this work was not drawn from thin air, nor from imagination, it came from earlier sources that were then re-interpreted by R.Ng. Ronggowarsito. My understanding is that the major source was an earlier manuscript from a Pajang pujangga. I do not recall all the details, and as I said, this is second hand knowledge and as such, could be flawed. It is something I have never pursued.

R. Ng. Hartokretarto was involved in the production of a pre-WWII magazine that was printed in Solo between about 1920 and 1940, I believe that WWII put an end to it. This magazine was called "Kumandhang Theosofie" ( An Echo of Theosophy), I have seen photocopies of this magazine, I think perhaps the originals of these photocopies might be in the Mangkunegaraan Library in Solo.

The Solo elites were of course loyal to the Dutch, this attitude was still very much alive in the 1960's and 1970's, but it has faded into history in recent years. I know one lady who was born in the late 1930's who was educated in a Catholic school that was very much Dutch-Catholic, and whose way of thinking, even now, is very much Dutch orientated. She collects all types of porcelain that have pictures of windmills. Not interested in anything else, only windmills. If they were real windmills, her house would fly away.

But is this acceptance of Dutch values a rebellious attitude?
Well, that probably depends upon the way in which a person thinks.
Children rebel against authority.
Adults accept the authority and work around it, or with it.
There is a Javanese saying that translates as:-
"Do not try to lift more than you can carry"
A core value of the Javanese persona is "nrima" : to accept without protest or to resign oneself to something; the concept being that all is pre-ordained and to attempt to change that which God has arranged is not only arrogant, but also stupid, and a price will have to be paid. The world turns.
The elites of Solo are probably more Javanese than anybody else in the Land of Jawa.

Kulino, you have voiced the opinion that the cult of the keris was not in existence during the time you were receiving instruction from your teacher.

I would take a slightly different perspective in relation to that matter:-

in Jawa Tengah, the "cult of the keris" has never been dead, it has always been a part of the core values of Javanese culture, however, it is only since perhaps the mid -1970's that we have seen an increase in interest in the keris, and only since the monetary crisis of the late 1990's that a popular interest has developed. There are a number of reasons for that popular interest, and I would prefer not to comment further on this.

I love this passage in your post:-

" At risk of sounding patronising, general public should not be give open access to all information. If people really want to know, answers will be given. Only when questions are asked. Not the full extent of all possible information because this needs to filled with understanding, maybe even in a different cultural context."

I could well have written this myself. It is exactly, precisely the way in which Javanese knowledge is transmitted, and sometimes, very, very rarely, the way in which the questions are answered is not from any earthly source.

The real reason for restricting knowledge is to protect the person who does not have the foundation understanding to permit him to use the knowledge in an appropriate way. Without that foundation understanding the new knowledge itself cannot be understood, thus it just becomes so many words that lack meaning. But this also must be considered:- only those who are able to use the knowledge appropriately will be able to understand that knowledge:- for the uninitiated it is only words, for the initiated it becomes knowledge.

Kulino, your comments regarding the understanding of pamor motifs reflect your approach to keris study, and I now understand that the way you have approached this is through a Javanese belief system that owes much to the influence of Sufic mysticism on Javanese culture, which began in the mid-1500's, and probably reached its peak in late colonial times.

Some of this belief has become popular belief and as such is more or less common knowledge, some of this belief can be considered as restricted knowledge.

After review of what you have written since the beginning of this thread, I have formed my own opinion that your Solo teacher held an attitude that the time in history had come for some things that were a part of his culture to be passed into the bank of world knowledge to ensure that those things were not lost forever.

On the other hand, your Jogja friend seems to have the attitude that when the purpose for any knowledge no longer exists, it quite acceptable for that knowledge to disappear.

I make no comment either for or against these two opposing opinions.

I leave it to you to form your own opinion of the way in which you should act. This way will be shown to you by the peace of your inner feelings (kabatinan).

Dear Alan,
Thank you.
In respect of my Solo teacher’s rebel character, I have to say this went beyond just a feeling. After surviving the Japanese camps he was active as an intelligence officer.

My position in sharing knowledge has only partly to do with the road to understanding. We agree, this takes lots of time and effort. I even took up Solonese dancing for 13 years, six hours a week, not to perform but to understand. Although I knew that a well-trained late starter cannot exceed the level of a 15 year old Javanese dancer, I have to say I fully enjoyed dancing Menak Jinggo among others and ultimately Kelana Topeng. Performing was not my cup of tea but it came with the turf. To understand one has to immerse one self, not just skim the surface. But even then as I know of my dancing skills, as a non native one can only go to a certain dept. Sad to say that this dept is deeper then most Javanese get nowadays.

My hesitance also has to do with the abuse of knowledge. I have seen people use this knowledge to exercise power over feeble minded people. I have seen people charging a lot of money for bogus information. I do not want the things I hold close to my heart, to be part of that. It should not be a commercial instrument at least not by my doing. This is why I keep myself far from trading or collecting. Keris travel by themselves. By trading you will not acquire a higher standard.

As to your non earthly sources: I was brought to my Yogya teacher by a good Javanese friend of mine, also his cousin. At first he seemed to be reserved, but when I met him later that evening after his meditations he told me that the Elders had ordered him to answer all my questions. And boy, I had some questions. During our many discussions, many of the things my Solonese teacher told me, started to make a deeper sense. In itself is was weird to have discussions at all for Adat reasons, but more than once he expressed his great appreciation for me questioning items and the fact that we actually discussed matters. I think I ‘grew up’ in the middle, maybe the same as you. Is was, according to both my teachers, already predicted by Sunan Kalijogo. ’ White buffalos crossing the water as guardians of knowledge.’ I haven’t read the Joyoboyo but the fact that both mentioned it is nice.
Tak dir.

Let's assume for arguments sake, Kodrat stands for nature and Irogdat would stand voor culture.
Pamors appearing in nature, can also be found in culture. Patterns in stone (Aki) could appear in keris. In your opinion, what is their connection?

Yes Kulino, I can understand how you have attempted to come closer to a Javanese mindset.

A house can have many windows, and the view through each window is different, but sometimes those different views can overlap.

In the order of creation there is one common essence that passes through and is possessed by everything, but the various things in creation possess that essence in varying quantities:- a man will possess more than a horse, a horse will possess more than tree, a tree will possess more than a rock. Creation and the Creator are inseparable and exist as unity. The repetition of a natural pattern is no more and no less than the expression of a concept by the creator.

Man in his physical form is not able to understand that which is beyond his experience, but he can copy and does copy these concepts, even though he does not understand them. In his arrogance he invents his own interpretations.

Nothing made by man can dominate that which has been made by the Creator, and all in existence is an expression of the Creator's will. This concept can be understood in two different and opposing ways, and both are true. Javanese thought.

The Gospel according to Thomas is a collection of sayings, or ideas that were disallowed by the early Christian church, and is believed by some Bible scholars to reflect the early oral traditions of Christianity. It is a part of the Nag Hammadi Library. This is one of the better known sayings from Thomas:-

I am the light that shines over all things. I am everything. From me all came forth, and to me all return. Split a piece of wood, and I am there. Lift a stone, and you will find me there.

This reflects very closely one tenet of the indigenous Javanese system of belief.

To understand Jawa it is necessary to understand the grassroots beliefs of the common people.

The keris in Jawa is a multi facetted object.
Those facets run into a very comprehensive list, and relate to most human activities and philosophical approaches to life. In any consideration of the keris we need to understand that Javanese culture and society does not operate at any level on a single understanding, nor a single meaning, that relates to anything. Every icon, every symbol, every way of behaviour, every word has multiple meanings , none of which disallow any others.

Thus, there is more than just one way in which to understand the keris.

In the elite levels of traditional Javanese society it was, and is, deemed unfitting for a man to be involved with money or commerce. Money by its very nature is impure, as such, money, and all related to it is unclean, and thus is the domain of women, who are impure beings. We can see the reflection of this way of thought in the way in which traditional trade in Jawa is carried on today:- it is the role of women to trade, it is the role of men to build reputation.

This societal prohibition on men being involved with money created a difficulty, in that a man was very restricted in how he was able to store wealth in a societally acceptable form. Gold, gems, real estate, live-stock, horses, keris --- all these things were clean ways in which to store wealth. All these things are subject to trade, and because of their function within traditional Javanese society, they must be traded:- you buy when you have money, but before the crop comes in, when times are getting tough, you sell. This is the way in which traditional Javanese society works.

It is recognised that within Javanese society the people who have the highest knowledge of the keris are the people who are involved in the keris trade. This was recognised in Centini where it is decided that if the speakers wish to learn about keris, they need to go down to the market to discuss with a seller (sorry for the gloss, but I forget the details and I don't have time to look up sources and quotes).

Thus, one aspect of the keris is as a store of wealth, and in the Javanese mind, this aspect does not disallow other aspects, so the same keris that is a store of wealth from one perspective can be a powerful spiritual icon from a different perspective.

To understand how this can be, one needs to be able to think in a Javanese fashion:- nothing is limited to only one meaning, nor to only one way of understanding.

It is our kabatinan that suggests, sometimes directs, us to think in a particular way that is in harmony with the circumstances.