Asking for your assistance again ...

[Ian]

Gentlemen,

In my search for the transition of the Javanese/Balinese keris to the Moro kris, I have encountered two structures which I am uncertain whether they derive from original Javanese/Balinese forms or represent adaptations originating with the Moros.

The first structure relates to the representation of lambe gajah. In some older examples of Moro kris, there appears to be three lines to choose from. The uppermost line is the bottom of the gandik. Then there are two parallel lines below that on the gangya (ganja). To illustrate this point, here are two examples of old Moro kris that show this feature.

Example 1 is an old blade with a gold/brass Balinese hilt resembling a Jawa daemon. The gandik has been described as a Balinese style, being concave on its face and curving up slightly at the bottom. Note the two lines below the gandik. Ordinarily, on Moro kris, the lowest part of the gandik forms the upper lip of the lambe gajah, and a line below it on the gangya represents the lower lip.




Example 2 is a Moro blade with a Malay hilt and kakatua pommel with side panel. In this example, the gandik is more consistent with the Javanese style, having a slightly convex face and a more upright appearance. However, the same three lines are present at the base of the gandik and on the gangya.




Are you aware of similar examples found on Javanese or Balinese keris? What constitutes the lambe gajah on these two examples: is it the bottom of the gandik and the first line on the gangya, or the two lines on the gangya?

The second structure relates to what has been called the "arrowhead" and is commonly found on older Moro kris, as well as some Brunei kris. This is formed at the top of the sogokan by grooves running along each side of the sogokan that converge a short distance above it. I am unaware of this feature occurring on a Javanese or Balinese keris, and ask if anyone has seen a similar feature on a keris. Is there an indigenous name for this structure?

Here is an example of an "arrowhead" present on Example 1 above.



Further information on these two swords, including attribution, can be found in the thread, "Early" Moro Kris, posted on the Ethnographic Forum.