Kampilan with unusual Thalassic guard form

[Bill M]

Originally Posted by wilked aka Khun Deng

Tim and Bill, Glad you brought this up. I have felt for a long time that there is no better way to really be connected to the past than cleaning up an old weapon. I know I at least think about who may have owned it and what the piece has seen and the stories it can still tell if we can only learn enough to hear its voice. That is a major part of the attraction for me, besides the desire to explore new cultures, the connection to the past and what it can tell us. We are all products of our past and as the world shrinks and we become closer we must know who each other is and where they have come from if we are to make this world prosper.

He sheds a tear at his own words Seriously though it's why I love this forum so much and the people like yourselves who make it what it is, gives me insights I couldn't get anywhere else.

Dan

Thank you Dan for your wonderful post.

Years ago a good friend (Stefan Thomas, Atlanta) cast this motto in huge letters in his garden; "This world is too small for less than Brotherhood and to Dangerous for less than Truth." At first this seemed pompous to me, but now I begin to see what Stefan meant.

These pieces are really time machines! Though the original makers and owners have a different language than most of us, the pieces seem to speak in images and emotions.

Touching is incredibly important! How many of us say that while we can look at the pictures, we cannot really 'tell' about a piece unless we hold it in our hands?

And that "touch" leads us to a visceral feeling in the solar plexus? There is no question in my mind but that we, every one of us, who has had that feeling, has connected with some of that history.

I think that this is one of the reasons we so passionately collect them. AND the more we touch, hold, clean and polish these remarkable relics, the more we can connect with the past.

As I mentioned earlier in this post, these pieces are a conduit to the past, a past that no longer exists in present cultures.

Javanese believed that the keris was a way to stay in touch with their ancestors. Some rulers gave a keris to subordinates as a symbol of their authority and that the power of the rulers, and their predecessors, flowed through the keris to them.

Unfortunately in too many cultures the past is not venerated any longer. It is felt riddled with superstition and sadly, technology has replaced much of the magic.

These relics still represent that past. Through them we can, if we listen and are receptive, still find some of that otherwise lost heritage. As an American it is harder for me to connect with the peoples and places my collection represents. I must go there. Soon, I will.

As some of you know, I would like to publish a book, not a vanity piece, but something that delves deeply into history, religion, political structure, art, culture as well as the technology behind these pieces.

I am woefully inadequate to do so, while I have knowledge of the mechanical process, (printing, photography, etc) I know my limitations, but a surprising number of people are coming forth to be part of this process, this journey. The book is certainly many years away, but the Journey has begun. And somehow the Journey is the important thing to me.

I, too, have gained insights from the members of this Forum, but even more importantly have connected with people from all over the world who do share a common brotherhood.

Fellow travelers.