Bugis Chieftain's Keris: does it exist?

[Alam Shah]

Originally Posted by BluErf

I believe the term chieftain keris is a term loosely coined by collectors to describe kerises belonging to people of some status. Not very high ranking, but maybe a village headman or local military captain or the likes. And essentially, status in some cases was expressed through the size of the sheath, which then made the batang look proportionately short. The width of the batang also became wider, and this sort of keris seemed to fall under the loose term "chieftain keris". I don't think the original owners of such kerises called it by this term.

However, let's have a look at some of the characteristics of this type of pieces.. ref: Edward Frey's, The Kris (3rd Ed), pg 64 and 67, Fig 24.. picture b and c. It is stated that these are Sulawesi-Bugis Keris. However, a few years back when checking with Sulawesi-based friends, collectors and dealers, these types are not found there. Personal findings indicated that these types are found in the Riau-Lingga archipelago. Some examples can be found in the collection of Malaysian museums and also at Asians Civilisations Museums in Singapore.