Anglo-Indian Knives

A. G. Maisey · 29th January 2018, 02:35 AM

Ariel, I was going to let a remark of yours slide, but I've had three emails this morning that have urged me to respond your slightly slanted comment.

Your comment was this:-

I am not into Kris ( sorry), simply because they were not so much weapons as accoutrements. But I understand people who collect them for their artistic and mystical value.

I do sometimes wish that the people who send me these emails would simply join the Forum and make their own comments instead of sending emails to me --- and possibly other Forum members as well --- but they are not members, and I guess they have their own reasons for that.

In any case, very briefly and to the point, yes, I agree, the keris can be regarded as an accoutrement, but only when it is used as an accoutrement.

The keris is primarily a weapon that does have various natures dependent upon the use to which it is put, and the way in which it is understood. It has many aspects, one of which is as an item of dress, or accoutrement.

There is ample evidence in the literature that demonstrates the weapon function of the keris, and this weapon function has persisted from at least the 10th century through into the 20th century.

Is it still a weapon in the 21st. century?

I know of no instances since the turn of this century that would provide evidence of its use as a weapon in the 21st. century, but I know of several instances during the final 20 years of the 20th. century where the keris was used as a weapon, and many instances of its use as a weapon during earlier years of the 20th. century.

Yes, it is an accoutrement, when it is used as an accoutrement --- but that does not exclude it from being other things as well.

29th January 2018, 02:35 AM	#1
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,022	Ariel, I was going to let a remark of yours slide, but I've had three emails this morning that have urged me to respond your slightly slanted comment. Your comment was this:- I am not into Kris ( sorry), simply because they were not so much weapons as accoutrements. But I understand people who collect them for their artistic and mystical value. I do sometimes wish that the people who send me these emails would simply join the Forum and make their own comments instead of sending emails to me --- and possibly other Forum members as well --- but they are not members, and I guess they have their own reasons for that. In any case, very briefly and to the point, yes, I agree, the keris can be regarded as an accoutrement, but only when it is used as an accoutrement. The keris is primarily a weapon that does have various natures dependent upon the use to which it is put, and the way in which it is understood. It has many aspects, one of which is as an item of dress, or accoutrement. There is ample evidence in the literature that demonstrates the weapon function of the keris, and this weapon function has persisted from at least the 10th century through into the 20th century. Is it still a weapon in the 21st. century? I know of no instances since the turn of this century that would provide evidence of its use as a weapon in the 21st. century, but I know of several instances during the final 20 years of the 20th. century where the keris was used as a weapon, and many instances of its use as a weapon during earlier years of the 20th. century. Yes, it is an accoutrement, when it is used as an accoutrement --- but that does not exclude it from being other things as well.