Looking for beginners guide to Keris

A. G. Maisey · 30th September 2024, 10:39 PM

David, what you have written here is, I believe, very true. I think of the matter itself as being a bit of a Catch 22 situation:-

there is a tremendous quantity of information about keris (& other things) available on the net, but you need to already be an expert to be able to separate the gold from the clay.

If one were to put in 20 or 30 years or so of dedicated study & research from traditional sources and then to tackle the net & the hodge-podge of ignorance, misinformation & just plain lies that we find there, then that person might be able to have some sort of understanding of the subject.

If one is already educated in the subject of keris, then the net can become a very valuable resource, if one is still in kindergarten, well, I reckon one is likely to drown before graduation day.

That is where a Forum such a this one can really help, at its best this Forum can help clarify understandings and show a path forward for both the dedicated & casual student.

As for a simple primer on keris, I personally like David van Duuren's "The Kris", maybe somebody might like to compress this into a 5K word essay?

Then we have two really valuable printed books, bibliographies, one by Timothy Rogers, one by David van Duuren. They seldom get mentioned, but these two books are a truly invaluable resource for any serious student of the keris, or in Timothy's case, any serious student of the weaponry of the Malay World.

But to return to the subject of Patrick's invitation. I think that this new initiative that he has drawn our attention to could perhaps provide a place for publication of writings in the field, however, unless provision were to be made for review & commentary on those writings, then there could be a danger of more misleading information becoming available that could perhaps add to an already confusing environment.

30th September 2024, 10:39 PM	#7
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,888	David, what you have written here is, I believe, very true. I think of the matter itself as being a bit of a Catch 22 situation:- there is a tremendous quantity of information about keris (& other things) available on the net, but you need to already be an expert to be able to separate the gold from the clay. If one were to put in 20 or 30 years or so of dedicated study & research from traditional sources and then to tackle the net & the hodge-podge of ignorance, misinformation & just plain lies that we find there, then that person might be able to have some sort of understanding of the subject. If one is already educated in the subject of keris, then the net can become a very valuable resource, if one is still in kindergarten, well, I reckon one is likely to drown before graduation day. That is where a Forum such a this one can really help, at its best this Forum can help clarify understandings and show a path forward for both the dedicated & casual student. As for a simple primer on keris, I personally like David van Duuren's "The Kris", maybe somebody might like to compress this into a 5K word essay? Then we have two really valuable printed books, bibliographies, one by Timothy Rogers, one by David van Duuren. They seldom get mentioned, but these two books are a truly invaluable resource for any serious student of the keris, or in Timothy's case, any serious student of the weaponry of the Malay World. But to return to the subject of Patrick's invitation. I think that this new initiative that he has drawn our attention to could perhaps provide a place for publication of writings in the field, however, unless provision were to be made for review & commentary on those writings, then there could be a danger of more misleading information becoming available that could perhaps add to an already confusing environment.