PAUL'S KERIS PAGE

THE KERIS

The keris is a dagger unique to the Malay world; it is found 
in Southern Thailand (Patani), Malaysia, Indonesia, Southern
Philippines (Mindanao), and supposedly in the Cham areas of
Cambodia.

The keris originated in Java. No precise date can be given. 
However, it would be safe to say that the proto-keris was 
developed between the 9th century AD and the 14th century AD.
Most scholars (albeit western) put the date to sometime in
the 12th century AD. The basis of this is that the earlist 
representation of a true keris in temple carvings appear on 
the 14th century Candi Shukur. The keris would have 
taken time to evolve into its final form and the experts 
estimate that it would have taken about 100 to 200 years. 
Hence the proto-keris must have appeared sometime in the 
12 century. It is unlikely that the keris was invented
before the 9th century. There are no representations of keris
in the temple carvings of Borobudur and Prembanan which 
date from that time. It is unlikely that a weapon of such
spiritual and cultural significance would be left out if 
it had existed at that time.

Some Malay peoples claim the keris to have originated
in their culture. The Malays and the Bugis have claims to
the keris being their invention. However, it is clear that
the keris is a Javanese invention. None of the non-Javanese
myths or heroic legends concerning the keris predates 
Javanese myths or physical evidence.

In its most basic defination, a keris is a double egded dagger.
People with a vague idea of a keris envisage in their mind a 
wavy blade. But waves do not make a blade a keris. All cultures 
have wavy blades. What makes a blade a keris are the 
details found at the base of the blade; details that exist in no
other blades.

Click on the highlighted words to get to the pages listed
below

Contents

1.  The Keris - Forward & Contents

2.  The Keris - An Introduction

3.  The Blade

4.  Details of the Blade

5.  Dapur

6.  Pamor

7.  Pamor Types

8. The Hilt, Sheath and Other Fittings

9.  The Hilt

10.  The Hilt Rings

11. The Sheath

12. The Mystical Aspect

13. Why I like the Keris...A technical and Cultural View

14. References

GALLERY

LINKS

Keris Cleaning During Muharram

THE Friends' Gallery

If you want to talk keris mail me at :
dspf@pacific.net.sg