Long Pedang from Bali (or Lombok?)

[A. G. Maisey]

I reckon that pedang is probably as good as anything else, but if, just if we wish pay a nod of respect to what Balinese people themselves might refer to this sword as I think perhaps "Keris Pedang" or the older, more traditional "Keris Tewek" might be the way to go.

The definition of "tewek" is "a keris that is shaped like a sword".

Now, this requires us to think in a Balinese way about what a keris actually is, and that Balinese way aligns more closely with Pre-Islamic Jawa than with Islamic Jawa.

Alternatively, we can turn to Lombok and the most respected Lalu Djelengga (alm.) and then we have a choice of cundrik or sundrik or berang.

But if we choose to run with Lalu Djelengga we need to bear in mind that Lalu Djelengga was Muslim, not Balinese, so we are then using probably Sasak terminology to classify something that at least in the form that started this discussion, is decidedly Balinese.

Now we really are touching on the sillyness of that game that is so beloved by all collectors in all fields. We strive to give something its correct name, but do we bother to define the time or place that will form the framework for that definition? Do we even understand the languages involved?

My personal position on this is that geographic point of origin and place in time should be identified first, after that we should try to classify in accordance with the name that is most likely to have been used by the people of that geographic location at the time when the object in question was used.

If we do not do this, we might just as well name any object in accordance with our own naming conventions, which would make the item under discussion here a sword, or perhaps short sword, decorated with a dragon or serpent.