keris identification..
 

hi to all, i bought this keris from a friend. he said it is a "pekaka" but my search through the internet made me confused between a "pekaka" and a "tajong"?? can anyone clarify this?? And most of the tajong or pekaka i saw has a straight blade, i mean no "luk".. does that mean my keris doesn't match each other?? do PLEASE feel free to comment as i am keen to know about this keris..
thanks..

keris identifi...
 

hai..., that your kerises have luk 9?dapur carang soka?:confused:

Hi zartane,

A nice piece you've got there. :)

Your is a Tajong. There are luk piece, as well. [ See example ], (courtesy of Malay Art Gallery).

Tajong got its name of the distinctive scabbard crosspiece (sampir) "which resembled the uplifted, winged shape of a Pattani fishing vessel of that name." (ref: Spirit of Wood).

A good resource by Dave Henkel: The Tajong: Keris of the North Peninsular Malays .

Hi cahaya, good attempt but I don't think that this is dapur Carang Soka. It does not have a tikel alis. The blade have a diamond cross-section, typical of blades from this region. I believe the dapur is a luk form of Pandai Saras. :)

Pandai Saras according to the legend, was an empu who came to Pattani from Java, during the decline of the Hindu-Javanese Majapahit empire, and created this keris form.

Pekaka, in Northern Malaysia and Southern Thailand (Kelantan, Terengganu, Pattani), refers to a jawa demam form with a proportionately large head that is bent more acutely, and protrudes more than any other jawa demam forms. Very often, it has an exaggerated 'tanjak' (the 'beak' structure that sticks out in front) and a tall garuda mungkur (the 'fin-like' thing that sticks out from the back.

The 1st picture below is an example of a pekaka (From Kampungnet. More pics in link below).
http://www.kampungnet.com.sg/modules...bum.php&page=7

The next picture (now in fourth position, the white clam shell hilt) is another cruder example of a pekaka. (sorry somehow the uploading sequence went out of whack)

The 3rd and 4th pictures (now in 2nd and 3rd position below) are examples of non-pekaka jawa demam.

The confusion arose because of quite a few references in keris books which referred to the tajong as the pekaka, presumably because they thought the term (Which meant "kingfisher"), described the tajong hilt, which looked like a bird with a long beak. But the tajong is not a bird. Notice the mouth and the fangs beneath the supposed "beak". Hence, the "beak" is but a highly elongated nose.

The tajong is a high-status keris in the old days, when a good hilt could cost the equivalent of a small plot of land. Actually, it still does today, if you can find the correct person to carve it. However, the tajong keris form is in a bit of a danger of becoming a "tourist keris", with the proliferation of poor quality hilts and sheaths turned out in large numbers by carving workers (I refuse to call them carving artists :D ). I would call such products TLOs (Tajong-like-objects). :D The main reason being they are carved without much care and respect for the art form, with speed as the main priority. The bunga (or 'motifs') on the hilt are roughly done, and non-crispness of the bunga betrays the fact that the workers had not even bothered to sharpen their carving tools sufficiently. Also, some essential features such as the "awan larat" (the tajong 'swirl' on the makara, or the side panel immediately behind the pipit (cheeks)) are not there, exposing the lack of understanding in the hilt form.

This keris here is a tajong. The hilt is probably late 20th century, or possibly even 21st century. The blade is old, and a luk pandai saras blade is compatible with a tajong, and actually, a luk blade is rarer. A very good specimen of a luk blade tajong is attached below.

As to the quality of a tajong hilt, a decent quality hilt should look like the one in the next picture. That hilt is carved with sufficient skills, but is not of the best quality. The best tajong not only has good bunga, and individual parts like the fangs, eyes, crown, etc, but also has good form and expression when viewed as a whole. The posture has to be good, the expression should look regal/dignified/stern/fierce or in certain cases, serene. But it should never look goofy or unfocused. To that, the eyes, eye brows, eye lashes, jaws, the way the neck sticks out, and the tilt of the head play a huge part. It is not sufficient that a hilt just looks like a tajong; it has to exude an 'aura' (or feel) of beauty and power. If that is not the case, how could that keris form have been 'high-status'. :)

On the point of the long nose being used in combat, it is my opinion that this is just one of the many fancy things being said about the tajong. Others included explanations on why the batang (sheath stem) was so long. One account goes to say that the tajong was meant to be worn on the back like a Balinese keris, and the user may kick the bottom of the batang to bring the keris into easy reach of the wearer's hands. The other says that the the long batang is for the wearer, who would probably have owned an elephant, to use to control the elephant, like a goad. The long nose, especially if sheathed in swasa or silver, could be used in a pinch to attack somebody's eyes, I suppose, but probably just as much as the big gold/swasa ring worn on the fingers can act as knuckle-dusters. The tajong is status symbol and a work of art. The grip itself is hardly ergonomic, being overly large and ornate, and hence poorly suited for combat. As my friend, master carver and long-time student/collector of the tajong Mr Nik Rashidee would say - the tajong is not meant for fighting. :)

Sorry if my post sounds rather impolite, but just letting off some steam here. :D And one more thing to Zartane - this post is not targeted at you or your keris. You have a good start in collecting kerises, being introduced to one of the most iconic keris forms in the keris world. Keep learning, and keep collecting, and you will find it a very meaningful and enjoyable journey. :)

For some reasons unknown, the cruder pekaka ended up in the fourth position while the non-pekaka jawa demam were pushed up to take the 2nd and 3rd positions. I had uploaded them correctly in sequence, and when I open up the page for editing, it shows the correct sequence, but the display is just wrong.

Anyhow, the crude pekaka is the white clam shell hilt.

Btw, Zartane, your keris blade is of the more uncommon type from N. Malaysia/S. Thailand - it has contrasting pamor. You notice that cloud-like patch that extends from the base of the blade to the tip. That is the pamor material. Normally, pamor on such Pandai Saras blades do not have clear pamor lines like in Bugis and Javanese blades. The material is often this misty, crystalline metal, and is called pamor miang. That material will contrast against the darker steel core, especially when washed in citric acid.

....dapur Carang Soka. It does not have a tikel alis.

Hai Alam...

thanks for correct me, yes in this keris i don't see a "sraweyan'
so not a carang soka

(sorry my english is very bad :o)

thanks for the explaination.. does this mean that the hilt and the blade does not match?? or the blade is not suitable for a tajong hilt?? and any spesific tips on how to clean the blade?? btw, the blade has a nice scent/smell that i like which makes me reluctant to clean it cause it might wipe the scent as well..

Hi Zartane,

A tajong hilt can go with either a straight or a wavy pandai saras blade. Sometimes, it even has a carita blade.

Judging from the rust, you'd need to use citric acid to get the rust off. The scent will probably be removed, but if you can get your own scented oil, you can keep the blade smelling nice after cleaning it.

thanks again.. so, what category do you think my blade is?? wavy pandai saras or what?? because i understand now that pandai saras does not have pamor but my blade does have a diamond shape.. and where can i get citric acid??

Zartane, a lemon or a lime has citric acid in it. No need to deal with any chemicals.
Great post Kai Wee, very informative and well illustrated as usual. :)
A nice keris tajong has been on my wish list for some time now. Thanks for helping me know what to look for. ;) :)