Keris pincit?

[A. G. Maisey]

David, I can understand why this might be so.

In colloquial speech in Solo, we often will use different words to refer to a keris blade. Sure, the most usual word is "keris", but in Javanese although "keris" is the most usual, a close second is "dhuwung", and in both Bahasa Indonesia & Ngoko (low level Javanese) the word "pusaka" will occasionally be used.

The m'ranggi who used to do a lot of work for me during the 1980's & 1990's used these three words interchangeably, we both knew that he did not mean "pusaka" in its strictest sense, but the way in which Javanese people use all levels of Basa Jawa, as well as Bahasa Indonesia, is to use words that blend well together and sound pleasant when spoken, so if in the context of what my m'ranggi was wanting to say, "keris" would have jarred on the ear, or "dhuwung" did not flow, then he would use "pusaka". He did it automatically, without thinking. In colloquial English we use similar delivery, and chose words that flow, or that sound more pleasant, or that might convey a meaning more closely. The word "dhuwung" is actually Krama for "keris", and its substitution for the word "keris" in a Ngoko context could be read as a token of respect for the keris under discussion.

This is easy for a native speaker, but for an outsider it can be confusing. And bear this in mind:- the Javanese language varies through dialects according to geographic location, and according to hierarchical language level. Indonesian people who do not use Javanese as their day to day native tongue will have as much difficulty with the nuances of the language as somebody from London, New York, or Sydney who is not a native speaker.

I have even encountered Australian teachers of Bahasa Indonesia who have had difficulty in understanding Bahasa Indonesia as it is spoken in Solo. This is because in Solo, and I guess Jawa in general, when ordinary people believe they are using BI, they are in fact using a mixture of BI & Ngoko , and even the Ngoko might not be what a textbook will tell you it should be, it will be local dialect.

You can see this in an English context also. I write pretty fair English, but my spoken English is delivered with a broad Bush Aussie accent. Sometimes people from USA & UK have more than a little bit of difficulty in understanding my accent, and if I lapse into fullon Aussie slang, nobody but the person I am speaking with will understand me. I've even encountered checkout girls working at inner city suburbs who had problems understanding me.

Now, when this word "pusaka" travels outside the place where everybody using it in speech knows exactly what is meant and how it is meant, an outsider will pick it up and think he has something that he does not have.

And yes, it is absolutely true that slippery dealers will also use this word "pusaka" in attempts to mislead potential inadequately educated buyers. These Slippery Sams do it on the net, they do it face to face, and they do it in the markets & back rooms of Jawa where keris are exchanged for money.

The Pusaka Keris is something special. It is very different to the ordinary keris that we can buy for somewhere between $10 and a few hundred thousand dollars. No amount of money can buy a Pusaka Keris complete with the characteristics that make it a Pusaka Keris.

A Royal Pusaka Keris can be an object that legitimises the reign of a ruler. If you buy that Ruler's keris, this does not mean that you also buy the right to rule his domain. The power of the keris does not come with the purchase of the keris.

A family Pusaka Keris is a keris that binds the present custodian of the keris to past custodians of the family Pusaka Keris, and in turn, binds the past custodians to the present custodian and through him to the extended kin group. Purchase of a family Pusaka Keris does not mean that you have bought family membership along with the keris.

The transfer of any power that a Pusaka Keris might encapsulate cannot be transferred by purchase, but it might be transferred by the gift of the Pusaka Keris to a new ruler, or to a new family member.

I have been the custodian of a family Pusaka Keris for around 50 years, it was intended to be given to a particular person when that person reached a certain age, provided he was ready. He reached the nominated age, he was not ready, and has not been ready to accept it in the years since. Very soon this Pusaka Keris will be given to a different person who has been agreed to as its correct recipient by the family concerned.

Nobody can buy a pusaka keris with money.

The people who do not yet understand the nature of the Pusaka Keris are simply not yet sufficiently educated. This should not be held against them, it is the duty of those who do understand to transfer permitted knowledge and understanding to those who do not yet understand.

Regrettably, many people who do not yet understand sometimes seem not to want to understand.

[David]

Exactly! And so very well stated.

[shadejoy]

A. G. Maisey Is there literature about studies of Keris and mysticism that you can recommend for a good read? I would be keen to learn how Keris progressed from an actual weapon to a pusaka with esoteric qualities. In comparison, I don't see similar historical tendency with other sword-type weapons like Katanas, Kukri, Chinese swords etc.

It's fascinating to find a weapon (could) be associated with the same group as jimat. Even rumors claimed that some Keris were not made by empus but pulled or materialized out of thin air, i.e. pusaka tarikan.

I wonder if this was a product of the old animism that still exists today even after Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and others came to Nusantara. Or perhaps, religion and culture are inseparable as beliefs are uniquely cultural, e.g. Kejawen. Despite dismissal of such practices by religious leaders. A paradox. It is multi-faceted subject as you mentioned.

[A. G. Maisey]

SJ, I do not know of any one book, or essay, or article, or paper that will cover what you would like to learn about. In my opinion, the only way to get close to an understanding of the keris is by in depth study of Javanese/Balinese history, society, culture, and all associated elements in these fields. I've been at this for close to 70 years, and I do not believe I will live long enough to ever complete this study.

I recently contributed a chapter to a book produced by SUNY that takes a philosophical approach to personalised objects. My chapter deals with the way in which the keris has developed from something directly connected to an Indian blade form and that in its early days was just a weapon, through to it becoming recognised by UNESCO as a part of the intangible cultural heritage of the Indonesian People --- and I guess by extension, of the entire world.

This chapter is a very superficial over-view.

The keris in Jawa is now, and has been for some time, a dominant cultural icon, this is in large part due to its inseparable association with the Gunungan, which is perhaps the oldest and most influential icon of Javanese/Balinese culture.

The keris is in fact a symbolic representation of the Gunungan, as such it relates to Mount Meru, ie, Mount Kailash, and in turn to the Old Jawa & Balinese multi roofed temple, the meru, and it relates to the Balinese cremation tower.

The idea of the keris being a temple, or shrine also can occur in Hindu culture in India where warriors regarded their swords as shrines (Elgood).


Belief systems in Jawa overlay one another, so at its root we have the old indigenous beliefs centered on animism & ancestor worship, then there is the overlay of Hindu-Buddhist belief, which in turn was overlaid by Islam. The Javanese approach to everything is not one of "instead of", it is always "as well as". So in the case of, let us say, a Javanese person becoming Christian that does not mean that he then discards the beliefs of his ancestors, rather he adds to those beliefs. If one deity is good, surely more than one is better.

Here is a link to the bibliography attached to something I wrote a few years ago, it is reasonably comprehensive, but if you recognise that there is no short cut to what you want, you will find plenty of information in the works listed in this bibliography:-

http://www.kerisattosanaji.com/inter...n-bibliography


There is definitely a close association of the Javanese/Balinese keris with the esoteric, regrettably, this association has been corrupted, and the further we move from the center of keris culture, the more corrupt this deviation from understanding becomes.

[jagabuwana]

Thank you Alan for helping us understand this topic and for your time to answer my questions. I'm sure I speak for all of us in saying that we are very grateful.

~~

I see now the difference between tuah and isi, how your teachers understood these two things, and that talismanic qualities are attributed to tuah - not to isi.

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

. By following these traditional and long established rituals the power of the keris was made obvious by the dhapur & pamor that had been used, and the power of the empu was sufficient to ensure that evil spirits did not enter the keris.

I'd like to check if I understand this part correctly (emphasis added by me).
Does this mean that the talismanic qualities of the keris are not themselves caused by the pamor and dhapur, but the pamor and dhapur act as easy indicators to others about the powers and qualities that the empu intended for the keris?

[A. G. Maisey]

I don't know if I can give a straightforward, simple answer to that question JB.

It is the sort of question that might be answered in several ways, by several different people, with several different understandings. I don't believe I've come across this idea before.

The way I understand your idea is that a keris might have been produced by an mpu with the talismanic property of enhancement of authority, however, unless the mpu incorporates a specific form and/or motif into that keris, then nobody will know the talismanic power of the keris.

I think my take on this idea would be this:- all talismans, no matter what they are --- horseshoes, St Christopher medals, or keris --- gain their effect from the faith that the possessor has in the talisman. The effect of the talisman comes from an interaction between the talisman and the holder of the talisman. No belief, no effect.

If this proposition is true, then I am inclined to the belief that if the possessor of the keris --- or other talisman --- had absolute faith in the ability of the maker to bring that talismanic power into a keris, then it would be unnecessary for the maker to incorporate the physical signs into the keris that indicated its talismanic power.

However, without the physical signs of talismanic power, nobody else would know of the power of the keris, so its value would fall when it passed from the first possessor to all following possessors.

In Jawa a keris is considered to be a store of wealth, away & apart from any other qualities it might possess, so by incorporating the physical talismanic sign posts, the mpu ensures that his work, physical as well as spiritual, is recognised for all time.