Kris
The kris or keris is a distinctive, asymmetrical dagger indigenous to Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Southern Thailand and the southern Philippines. Both a weapon and spiritual object, krisses are often considered to have an essence or presence, with some blades possessing good luck and others possessing bad.
In 2005, UNESCO gave the title Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity to Kris of Indonesia.[1]
Etymology
The term keris had a Javanese origin, although the etymology is uncertain. The term "keris" may have originated from the old Javanese word ngiris which means "to slab", "to wedge" or "to sliver." Kris is a European rendering of this Javanese term.
As noted by Frey (2003), kris is the more frequently used term in the Western world. The term "keris" is more popular in the native lands of the dagger, as exemplified by the title of a popular Javanese keris book entitled the "Ensiklopedi Keris" (Keris Encyclopedia), written by the late Bambang Harsrinuksmo. Some collectors prefer keris, others kris. Other spellings used by European colonists include "cryse," "crise," "criss," and "creese."
The Kris is also loosely used to differentiate between the Moro kris swords found in Southern Philippines and the kris daggers found everywhere else in the archipelago.
Origins
Frey (2003) concludes from Raffles' (1817) study of the Candi Sukuh that the kris recognized today came into existence around AD 1361. Scholars, collectors and others have formed myriad theories about the origins of the kris. Some believe its earliest credited form, the keris majapahit, was inspired by the daggers of the Dong-Son in Vietnam (circa 300 BC). Frey (2003) dismisses the Dong-Son origin of the Majapahit. Unverifiable claims of another form predating the Majapahit exist. Kris history is traced through study of carvings and bas relief panels found in Southeast Asia. Some of the most famous renderings of a kris appear on the Borobudur temple (825 CE) and Prambanan temple (850CE)[citation needed].
Use
A kris has a cranked hilt that serves as a support for stabbing strike. It allows the strength of the wrist to add pressure on the blade while slashing and cutting. A kris only offers minimal protection for the hand by the broad blade at the hilt. In rare cases, a kris may have its blade forged so the blade's axis lies at an angle to the hilt's axis. The intention is to get the blade automatically turning to slip past the ribs. This works poorly and makes the weapon less durable.[citation needed]
Krisses were worn every day and at special ceremonies, with heirloom blades being handed down through successive generations. Yearly cleanings, required for as part of the spirituality and mythology around the weapon, often left ancient blades worn and thin. In everyday life and at events, a man usually only wore one kris. In the Malay literature, Hikayat Hang Tuah, the warrior is depicted as wearing two keris, one short keris and one long keris. Women sometimes also wore krisses, though of a smaller size than a man's. In battle, a warrior carried three krisses: his own, one from his father-in-law, and one as a family heirloom. The other krisses served as parrying daggers. If the warrior didn't have another kris to parry with, he used the sheath. Krisses were often broken in battle and required repairs. A warrior's location determined what repair materials he had. It is quite usual to find a kris with fittings from several areas. For example, a kris may have a blade from Java, a hilt from Bali and a sheath from Madura.
In many parts of Malaysia and Indonesia, the kris was the choice weapon for execution. The specialized kris, called an executioner's kris, had a long, straight, slender blade. The condemned knelt before the executioner, who placed a wad of cotton or similar material on the subject's shoulder/clavicle area. The blade was thrust through the padding, piercing the subclavian artery and the heart. Upon withdrawal, the cotton wiped the blade clean. Death came within seconds.
Cultural beliefs
Tales
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Ken Arok
One of the most famous folk stories from Java describes a legendary kris empu (bladesmith), called Mpu Gandring, and his impatient customer, Ken Arok. Ken Arok wanted to order a powerful kris to kill the chieftain of Tumapel, Tunggul Ametung. Ken Arok eventually stabbed the old bladesmith to death because he kept delaying the scheduled completion of the kris, which Ken Arok had probably ordered several months before. Dying, the bladesmith prophesied that the unfinished or incomplete kris would kill seven men, including Ken Arok. The prophecy finally came true, with four men enlisted as the kris' first death roll, including Mpu Gandring himself, the Adipati of Tumapel Tunggul Ametung, Kebo Ijo (to whom Ken Arok lent the blade and accused to be the murderer of Tunggul Ametung), and Ken Arok himself, later. The unfinished kris of Mpu Gandring then disappeared.[2][3]
Another version of the tale describes that the kris passed to Ken Arok's stepson Anusapati which in turn killed his stepfather after recognized that his genuine father was killed by Ken Arok with the same kris. The bloody revenge continued on and on until the reign of Kertanegara, the last king of Singhasari kingdom.
Adipati
Another Javanese folk tale tells the story of an Adipati of Jipang-Panola named Arya Penangsang, who was killed by his own kris, Setan Kober (English Satan of Grave). The scene happened at the end of the battle to re-unite the collapsed Sultanate of Demak-Bintara, fought between Jaka Tingkir, Adipati of Pajang, and Penangsang, of Majapahit royal blood. The story tells that he fought the battle with Hadiwijaya's adopted son, who would become the first ruler of the Mataram dynasty, Danang Sutawijaya (aka. Panembahan Senapati). Penangsang inadvertently stabbed himself when he sheathed his kris, gutting his own belly. He soon fell down, bathing in his own blood, which was flowing from the wound. While he was dying, he encircled his scattered intestines on his kris. The tradition of ronce, putting a jasmine-chain around the kris' hilt, possibly came from this tale.
The Taming Sari
The Taming Sari is one of the most well known keris in Malay Literature. It was the keris of Hang Tuah, the great Laksamana (Admiral/General) of Malacca. According to the legend from the book Sejarah Melayu/Salalatus Salatin by Tun Sri Lanang Tun Seri Lanang Tun Muhammad Ibni Tun Ahmad, Hang Tuah obtained the magical keris by killing the king of Majapahit's Pendekar (warrior). Majapahit was an empire located on the island of Java. He tricked the warrior into letting go of his weapon and then killed the warrior in a duel. In return, Taming Sari was said to have been presented by the King of Majapahit to Hang Tuah.[4]
The Taming Sari was said to grant its user physical invulnerability. In the legend, the keris was passed to Hang Tuah's best friend Hang Jebat after the supposed execution of Hang Tuah. The sultan Sultan Mansur Syah ordered Hang Tuah's execution for treason after being framed, but with the help of the Bendahara (Prime Minister), he escaped and hid. His keris was passed to Hang Jebat who became the new Laksamana.
Later on, Hang Jebat rebelled against the Sultan for killing his best friend without a fair trial, but then Hang Tuah, who was loyal to the Sultan, came out of hiding to stop his friend. They fought in the palace, which Hang Jebat had taken over due to the magical keris. Hang Tuah knew that Hang Jebat could not be defeated when he held the Taming Sari, so he tricked Jebat saying that the Taming Sari was going to break, and gave Jebat his spare keris. Now, Jebat was no longer with the legendary weapon, and was stabbed by Tuah. He died soon after by the poison of Hang Tuah's keris.[4]
Spirits
Blades are considered to almost be alive, or at the very least, vessels of special powers. Krisses could be tested two ways. A series of cuts on a leaf, based on blade width and other factors, could determine if a blade was good or bad. Also, if the owner slept with the blade under their pillow, the spirit of the kris would communicate with the owner via dream. If the owner had a bad dream, the blade was unlucky and had to be discarded, whereas if the owner had a good dream the owner would have good fortune. However, just because a blade was bad for one person didn't mean it would be bad for another. Harmony between the owner and the kris was critical.
It was said that some kris helped prevent fires, death, agricultural failure, and many other problems. Likewise, they could also bring fortune, such as bountiful harvests. Krisses could also have tremendous killing power. Some are rumored to stand on their tips when their real names are called by their masters. Legends tell of krisses moving on their own volition and killing individuals at will. When making a blade, the empu could infuse into the blade any special spiritual qualities and powers the owner desires.
Many of these beliefs, however, were erroneously derived from the possession of different keris by different people. For example, there is a kind of keris in Java that was called "Beras Wutah", which was believed to grant its possessor an easy life without famine. In reality, this keris was mainly assigned to government officers that were paid, in whole or in part with foodstuff (rice).
Because some krisses are considered sacred and believed to possess magical powers, specific rites needed to be completed to avoid calling down evil fates. For example, warriors often made offerings on a shrine to their kris. Another example is that pointing a kris at someone is thought to mean that they will die soon, so in ceremonies or demonstrations where ritualized battles are fought with real krisses, the fighters perform a ritual to neutralize this effect in which they touch the points of the blades to the ground. Also it's used in the Baris, a traditional dance of Bali.
Moro kris
A Moro kris is a heavy sword of Moro people of the southern Philippines and parts of Sabah, which evolved into an asymmetrical blade approximately 50 cm long. It may or may not be sinuous.
Kris as a symbol
Since the independence of Malaysia, the keris has become something of a symbol of Malay nationalism, and it figures prominently in the rhetoric of Malay politicians. It is often considered a symbol of ketuanan Melayu, the doctrine of Malay supremacy in Malaysia.
As a spiritual and legendary weapon, the keris is depicted on different coats and symbols. For example, it can be seen on an obverse copper-zinc-tin RM1 coin with a songket pattern in the background. The Malaya and British Borneo dollar 1 cent coin of 1962 also depicted a pair of crossed keris daggers.
Literature
- David van Duuren, The Kris; An Earthly Approach to a Cosmic Symbol. Wijk en Aalburg (The Netherlands): Pictures Publishers, 1998.
- David van Duuren, Krisses; A Critical Bibliography. Wijk en Aalburg (The Netherlands): Pictures Publishers, 2002.
- Edward Frey, The Kris; Mystic Weapon of the Malay World. Selangor Darul Eshan: Oxford University Press, 2003.
- Fogg, Hannibal Kriss Daggers of Malaya and their Use in Black Magic. Independent Monograph, 1927.
- W.H. Rassers, 'On the Javanese kris', in: Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde 99, 1940 , pp. 377–403.
- Pogadaev, Victor. "Ya Khochu Obruchit’sya s Krisom" (I Want to Be Engaged to a Keris),in: "Vostochnaya Kollektsia" (Oriental Collection). Moscow, Russian State Library. N 3 (30), 2007, 133-141. ISSN 1681-7559
See also
References
- ^ UNESCO, Proclamation 2005: "The Indonesian Kris".
- ^ eastjava.com, Majapahit Story.
- ^ Indonesian Myth, Cursed Sword.
- ^ a b ThingsAsian.com, Keris - Is it merely a sword?.
