The basics of keris understanding?

A. G. Maisey · 18th November 2011, 09:49 PM

More than ten years ago I wrote a little article entitled "The Keris and the Naga". It was published in an antique arms collector's journal, and it did not attract any attention , nor comment, of note. I think it is pretty much unknown.

However, in that article I did address the problems of attempting to understand the keris, and for anybody trying to come to terms with an understanding of the keris, the ten minutes or so that it will take to read that article could be time well spent.

I will not provide a link to this article, because doing so could infringe Forum rules, however, for anybody with any interest, it is easy enough to find in my site.

The field of keris study is very broad, and because of this there are many ways in which to approach the study of the keris. Study can be approached from a cultural perspective, a technical perspective, the perspective of art, the perspective of history. We can study the keris belief systems that are so beloved of Javanese students of the keris. We can study the way in which collectors of the keris in the Western World (whatever that means) approach the keris.

Lots of ways to go.

I personally doubt that it is possible for anybody to come to a thorough understanding of all aspects of the keris, in all times and all places. Perhaps an attempt at this could finish up producing a George Cameron Stone result:- massive superficial coverage, but no depth of understanding at all. In effect, a storekeeper's primer that will permit reasonably accurate cataloging and filing.

For this reason, my personal belief is that if one is to truly understand the keris in any one of its roles, one needs to identify the area of greatest interest, in respect of geographic area, and area of knowledge, and within a defined time frame, and then to concentrate most of one's attention on that particular area.

In my own case, my specific area of interest is the pre-Islamic keris and its place within Javanese society. But this does not mean I have turned my back on all other aspects of the keris, it simply means that the very limited time I have available for study is directed towards attempts to gain a better understanding of the keris within the time and place I have identified.

18th November 2011, 09:49 PM	#23
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,893	More than ten years ago I wrote a little article entitled "The Keris and the Naga". It was published in an antique arms collector's journal, and it did not attract any attention , nor comment, of note. I think it is pretty much unknown. However, in that article I did address the problems of attempting to understand the keris, and for anybody trying to come to terms with an understanding of the keris, the ten minutes or so that it will take to read that article could be time well spent. I will not provide a link to this article, because doing so could infringe Forum rules, however, for anybody with any interest, it is easy enough to find in my site. The field of keris study is very broad, and because of this there are many ways in which to approach the study of the keris. Study can be approached from a cultural perspective, a technical perspective, the perspective of art, the perspective of history. We can study the keris belief systems that are so beloved of Javanese students of the keris. We can study the way in which collectors of the keris in the Western World (whatever that means) approach the keris. Lots of ways to go. I personally doubt that it is possible for anybody to come to a thorough understanding of all aspects of the keris, in all times and all places. Perhaps an attempt at this could finish up producing a George Cameron Stone result:- massive superficial coverage, but no depth of understanding at all. In effect, a storekeeper's primer that will permit reasonably accurate cataloging and filing. For this reason, my personal belief is that if one is to truly understand the keris in any one of its roles, one needs to identify the area of greatest interest, in respect of geographic area, and area of knowledge, and within a defined time frame, and then to concentrate most of one's attention on that particular area. In my own case, my specific area of interest is the pre-Islamic keris and its place within Javanese society. But this does not mean I have turned my back on all other aspects of the keris, it simply means that the very limited time I have available for study is directed towards attempts to gain a better understanding of the keris within the time and place I have identified.