Different grades of Pakems?

Jussi M. · 8th July 2010, 12:22 AM

Greetings,

sorry if I in my ignorance make a stupid question but given that the keris is governed by the Pakem I wonder what kind of Pakem´s(?) were there (if there were) besides the "official" Pakems of the Karatons?

For example, what kind of "rules" or "rulesbooks" did the rural village pandai kerises use as their guidelines if they did not have access for the actual court versions? - or did they had hand-drawn "xerox-copies" of the official Karaton version?

If the keris is truly a Karaton art it thus brings up the question about how should we see those kerises that were made in the rural villages by rural pandai kerises using - my point exactly - what kind of guidelines? - Are they thus kerises or keris-like objects or are they both depending which point of view is chosen? Was it so that one mans keris was another mans keris-like object even when we speak of men living under the influence of the same karaton but whom have severely different status and hence different grade kerises to portrays this status?

I am puzzled

J.

A. G. Maisey · 8th July 2010, 01:24 AM

Jussi, a pakem is simply a guidebook.

You can have a pakem for anything --- cooking, gemstones, french poodles --- whatever.

With a keris pakem that guidebook can be expected to lay down the various ricikan for a keris, and possible some other relevant information , such as the first mpu who made the pattern under which ruler, and the tuah. This is all part of the keris belief system, so you treat it as you do any other belief system.

Blade makers working outside the influence of a kraton would make in accordance with their understanding of what a blade should be. Preferably they would have a blade to copy, but with an experienced maker he would have probably only a blak, or pattern, which would provide a broad guide to form.

Yes, I believe that as an art form, the keris is truly kraton art, but not all keris blades can be considered to be art.

Yes, a keris can be a genuine keris, not a keris like object, but it need not be a work of art.

This idea of "keris-like-object" is one that I encountered for the first time in postings to this Forum. It is not an idea that I have come across in Jawa. If something is a keris, it is a keris. Full stop. But there are grades of keris. Similarly there appears to be quite a lot of different definitions of exactly what a keris like object really is. My personal definition would something that has the form of a keris, but that has been (perhaps) cut from flat iron.Not infrequently people use this type of "keris" for formal dress occasions --- just a keris shaped piece of flat iron in a low quality ladrangan wrongko.

Jussi M. · 8th July 2010, 09:58 AM

Gotcha!

Thanks. This answer makes sense. It seems that where there is a collecting mindset outside the very culture of which artifacts are in question things tend to become unintentionally complicated in the pursuit of "control" over the collectable subject matter

Live and learn

Thanks,

J.

8th July 2010, 12:22 AM	#1
Jussi M. Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 235	Different grades of Pakems? Greetings, sorry if I in my ignorance make a stupid question but given that the keris is governed by the Pakem I wonder what kind of Pakem´s(?) were there (if there were) besides the "official" Pakems of the Karatons? For example, what kind of "rules" or "rulesbooks" did the rural village pandai kerises use as their guidelines if they did not have access for the actual court versions? - or did they had hand-drawn "xerox-copies" of the official Karaton version? If the keris is truly a Karaton art it thus brings up the question about how should we see those kerises that were made in the rural villages by rural pandai kerises using - my point exactly - what kind of guidelines? - Are they thus kerises or keris-like objects or are they both depending which point of view is chosen? Was it so that one mans keris was another mans keris-like object even when we speak of men living under the influence of the same karaton but whom have severely different status and hence different grade kerises to portrays this status? I am puzzled J.

8th July 2010, 01:24 AM	#2
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,877	Jussi, a pakem is simply a guidebook. You can have a pakem for anything --- cooking, gemstones, french poodles --- whatever. With a keris pakem that guidebook can be expected to lay down the various ricikan for a keris, and possible some other relevant information , such as the first mpu who made the pattern under which ruler, and the tuah. This is all part of the keris belief system, so you treat it as you do any other belief system. Blade makers working outside the influence of a kraton would make in accordance with their understanding of what a blade should be. Preferably they would have a blade to copy, but with an experienced maker he would have probably only a blak, or pattern, which would provide a broad guide to form. Yes, I believe that as an art form, the keris is truly kraton art, but not all keris blades can be considered to be art. Yes, a keris can be a genuine keris, not a keris like object, but it need not be a work of art. This idea of "keris-like-object" is one that I encountered for the first time in postings to this Forum. It is not an idea that I have come across in Jawa. If something is a keris, it is a keris. Full stop. But there are grades of keris. Similarly there appears to be quite a lot of different definitions of exactly what a keris like object really is. My personal definition would something that has the form of a keris, but that has been (perhaps) cut from flat iron.Not infrequently people use this type of "keris" for formal dress occasions --- just a keris shaped piece of flat iron in a low quality ladrangan wrongko.

8th July 2010, 09:58 AM	#3
Jussi M. Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 235	Gotcha! Thanks. This answer makes sense. It seems that where there is a collecting mindset outside the very culture of which artifacts are in question things tend to become unintentionally complicated in the pursuit of "control" over the collectable subject matter Live and learn Thanks, J.