The Keris: Malay Archipelago

adapted from Paul's Keris Page

Keris Bahari



Ivory hilt of simplified Jawa Demam form on a silver pendongkok. Wood sampir with silver sheet metal over a wooden stem and a bone buntut. Note the upturned edges of the sampir which resembles the female head dress and the roofs of the Minangkabaus.

Keris Sundang (Riau)


Known also as the Moro Keris. This keris is actually a broadsword made for cutting and slashing. It was developed by the Lanun pirates and Muslim peoples of Mindanao. It was later adopted by the Riau Malays of which this is an example. The hilt is typical with an ivory pommel and silver wire (wire is new). Note the metal brace over the kembang kacang; a characteristic of Sundangs.

Keris Buloh (Bamboo) or Keris Tebu (Sugarcane){Riau}



A form found only in Riau and the Malay Peninsular. It is chiseled into the shape of a bamboo or sugarcane, depending on your perspective. I am still trying to find out the symbolism of this form. The tip imitates
the diagonal cut on a slashed bamboo pole and the serrations above the ganja imitates the root section of the bamboo. Chiseled on it are Koranic verses from the first Sura.

Keris Panjang



Also known as Keris Penyalang or the Executioners' keris. It is closely associated with executions where the keris is pierced through the top of the shoulder into the heart for a quick and "bloodless" death. In reality, it is an adaption of the keris to meet the challenge of the Portuguese rapiers with its longer
reach. The cresent shaped sampir is typical. The hilt is more upright and longer then the typical Jawa Demam to compensate for the length of the blade. The form of the hilt represented here is one of high abstraction of the Jawa Demam.

Two Yogyakarta Keris:
Wrangka Gayaman on Top, Wrangka Ladrang the bottom



Typical keris from the Yogya region. Top piece in the gayaman style with a seven sided ukiran and a wrangka of Sono. The pendok is a silver bunton. The lower in the ladrang style with a wrangka of timoho wood with typical ukiran and a pendok bunton in brass. Both have a mendak in the pathi jathro style, both are lok 13 dapur Sangkelat and pamor Beras Wutah.

Keris Madura



A Keris Madura in the Ladrang Kagok style associated with Madura. A finely carved hilt of ivory in the floral style typical of Madura hilts. The mendak is a simple conical ring unlike the multiple concentric rings of Central Java. The brass cover is pendok blewah, a style to show off the wood of the sarong. The blade has nine lok, dapur Carita Daleman, pamor Kulit Semangka.

Keris Bugis



A form associated with the Bugis. The Bugis form of the keris is found throughout the Malay Archipelago, particularly in Sumatra, Riau and Peninsular Malaya owing to the Bugis dispora after their defeat by
the Dutch in the 17th Century. I was told by a Bugis descendant that the form is restricted to high nobility. The book Kris Gli Invisibili describes this form as Keris Mat Diong which alludes it to being a
Chief's piece as Diang is a Bugis honourific term. The hilt is marine ivory in the Bugis Jawa Demam style. The wood is red cherry wood and the pamor is Dan Iris.

Keris Malayu



This is a Malay keris from East Sumatra or Peninsular Malaya. The ivory hilt is the erect Java Demam style - a favourite style amongst most Malays. The pendongkok is the Malacca cup style. The sampir is kemuning wood and so is the stem in the silver slorok. The style of
the slorok is typical of Malay pieces; two sections decorated differently, the top section in floral twines and the lower section in a repeating leaf pattern. The finale of the slorok, called a buntut, is another characteristic of bugis and malay pieces. The blade is a sturdy 9 lok blade with hidden pamor.

Keris Patani



This form originates in the Northern Malay States particularly Patani, now a Southern Thai province. It is characterised by its hilt, the Hulu Pekaka or Kingfisher because of its long beak and buldging eyes.
While it is described as a Kingfisher, most experts believe it is a "wayang" figure that draws inspiration from a Javanese form from Tegal. The hulu and sampir are one of the most concrete evidence of Majapahit influence on the Malay Peninsular. The keris has a distinctive sampir which is rounded with pronounced upward curling tips. The sarong is a tube with a rounded end. It is usually much longer than the blade it houses. The Patani blade is also distinctive as it is usually long and thin and diamond sectioned with a relatively smooth finish. Keris Patani are usually Keris Melela with hidden pamor.

Keris Bali



Two Bali Keris in sheaths of pelet wood. Both have hilts called Cekah Solas - a common Bali pattern with a total of eleven cheques arranged on three sides in the centre. One Keris has the Bali style wrangka Gayaman while the other is considered a form of Wrangka Ladrang. The dapur of the blades is Sinom.

Keris Pelamabang



Note the boat shaped sampir of the keris. The sarong of a Palembang Keris is similar to a Javanese piece but slightly more circular. There is usually no buntut. The hilt is geometric designs. Note silver pendongkok. It is astyle common to Southern Sumatra. Basically it is a mendak selut cast as one piece.