The kris or keris is a Javanese asymmetrical dagger with a distinctive blade-patterning achieved through alternating laminations of iron and nickelous iron (pamor). The kris is famous for its distinctive wavy blade, although many have straight blades as well, and is one of the weapons commonly used in the pencak silat martial art native to Indonesia. Kris have been produced in many regions of Indonesia for centuries, but nowhere—although the island of Bali comes close—is the kris so embedded in a mutually-connected whole of ritual prescriptions and acts, ceremonies, storied backgrounds, and epic poetry as in Central Java. Within Indonesia the kris is commonly associated with Javanese culture, although other ethnicities in the surrounding regions are familiar with the weapon as part of their cultures, such as the Balinese, Sundanese, Malay, Madurese, Banjar, Buginese, and Makassar people. The kris itself is considered as a cultural symbol of Indonesia and also neighbouring countries like Malaysia,Brunei, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. A kris can be divided into three parts: blade (bilah or wilah), hilt (hulu), and sheath (warangka). Each part of the kris is considered a piece of art, often carved in meticulous detail and (or) made from various materials: metal, precious or rare types of wood, or gold or ivory. A kris's aesthetic value covers the dhapur (the form and design of the blade, with around 60 variants), the pamor (the pattern of metal alloy decoration on the blade, with around 250 variants), and tangguh referring to the age and origin of a kris. Both a weapon and spiritual object, kris are often considered to have an essence or presence, considered to possess magical powers, with some blades possessing good luck and others possessing bad. Kris are used for display, as talismans with magical powers, weapons, a sanctified heirloom (pusaka), auxiliary equipment for court soldiers, an accessory for ceremonial dress, an indicator of social status, a symbol of heroism, etc. Legendary kris that possess supernatural power and extraordinary ability were mentioned in traditional folktales, such as those of Empu Gandring, Taming Sari, and Setan Kober. In 2005, UNESCO included the Indonesian kris in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Etymology The word kris come from the Old Javanese term which means "dagger". In Javanese, kris is known as keris (ꦏꦼꦫꦶꦱ꧀) in the ngoko register, dhuwung (ꦝꦸꦮꦸꦁ) in the krama register, and wangkingan (ꦮꦁꦏꦶꦁꦔꦤ꧀) in the krama inggil vocabulary. In Malay (subsequently Indonesian and Malaysian), Sundanese, Balinese and Sasak, it is spelled keris (Pegon and Jawi: کريس). Other names include karih in Minangkabau, and sele (ᨔᨙᨒᨙ) in Buginese and Makassarese. Two notable exceptions are the Philippines and Thailand. In the Philippines, the kris and similar stabbing daggers are known as gunong or gulok, while the much larger slashing sword versions are known as kalis or sundang. The larger kalis sword was introduced from the Sulu Sultanate of the Philippines back to Kalimantan and Sulawesi in Indonesia, where it became known as keris Sulu. In Thailand it is always spelled kris and pronounced either as kris or krit (กริช) in Thai, while in the Yala dialect, it is spelled kareh. In Cambodia it is spelled as kris (គ្រីស) in Khmer. Other alternative spellings used by Europeans include "cryse", "crise", "criss", "kriss" and "creese". In English, the plural form is often simply "kris" as well.
History
Origin
(850). The description of a small dagger from Java reminiscent of kris can be found in Chinese source from the 10th century Song dynasty. In 992 the envoy from She-po (Java) arrived in Chinese court bearing a lot of gifts, consists of a dagger with exquisite hilt made of rhino horn and gold, silk woven with floral motifs made of gold threads, ivories, pearls, silk of various colours, fragrant sandalwood, cotton clothes of various colours, turtle shells, betel nut preparation kit, rattan mat with the image of white cockatoo, and a small model of house made of sandalwood adorned with valuable ornaments.
However, Sir Stamford Raffles' (1817) study of the Candi Sukuh states that the kris recognized today came into existence around 1361 CE in the kingdom of Majapahit, East Java. The scene in bas relief of Sukuh Temple in Central Java, dated from the 15th century Majapahit era, shows the workshop of a Javanese keris blacksmith. The scene depicted Bhima as the blacksmith on the left forging the metal, Ganesha in the center, and Arjuna on the right operating the piston bellows to blow air into the furnace. The wall behind the blacksmith displays various items manufactured in the forge, including kris. These representations of the kris in the Candi Sukuh established the fact that by the year 1437, the kris had already gained an important place within Javanese culture. In Yingya Shenglan—a record about Zheng He's expedition (1405–1433)—Ma Huan describes that
all men in Majapahit, from the king to commoners, from a boy aged three to elders, slipped pu-la-t'ou (belati or more precisely kris dagger) in their belts. The daggers are made entirely of steel with intricate motifs smoothly drawn. The handles are made of gold, rhino's horn or ivory carved with a depiction of a human or demon; the carving works are exquisite and skillfully made. This Chinese account also reported that public execution by stabbing using this type of dagger is common. Majapahit knows no caning for major or minor punishment. They tied the guilty men's hands in the back with rattan rope and paraded them for a few paces, and then stabbed the offender one or two times in the back on the gap between the floating ribs, which resulted in severe bleeding and instant death. Currently, the Kris of Knaud is the oldest known surviving kris in the world. Given to Charles Knaud, a Dutch physician, by Paku Alam V in the 19th century Yogyakarta in Java, the kris is on display at the Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam. The kris bears the date of 1264 Saka (which corresponds to 1342 CE) in its iron blade. Scientists suspect that due to its special features, the kris might be even older, but was decorated during Majapahit period to celebrate an important event. The kris bears scenes from the Ramayana on an unusually thin copper layer which partially covers it.
Development and distribution
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