Kris
The kris or is a Javanese asymmetrical dagger with a distinctive blade-patterning achieved through alternating laminations of iron and nickelous iron. 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 it and 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 Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.
A kris can be divided into three parts: blade, hilt, and sheath. Each part of the kris is considered a piece of art, often carved in meticulous detail and made from various materials: metal, precious or rare types of wood, or gold or ivory. A kris's aesthetic value covers the , the , and referring to the age and origin of a kris. Depending on the quality and historical value of the kris, it can fetch thousands of dollars or more.
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, 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 in the ngoko register, in the register, and in the vocabulary. In Malay, Sundanese, Balinese and Sasak, it is spelled keris. Other names include karih in Minangkabau, and sele 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 in Thai, while in the Yala dialect, it is spelled kareh. In Cambodia it is spelled as kris 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
The term kris was mentioned in several ancient Javanese inscriptions originating from Hindu-Buddhist Mataram kingdom of Central Java, including Humanding inscription, Jurungan inscription and Haliwangbang inscription, Taji inscription, Poh inscription, and Rukam inscription. Possible renderings of kris also appear on temple bas-reliefs such as of Borobudur and Prambanan temples.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 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.
File:WLANL - 23dingenvoormusea - kris van Knaud.jpg|thumb| right|The Kris of Knaud from Majapahit period, exhibited at Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam
However, Raffles' 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 —Ma Huan describes that
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 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
Although the people of Southeast Asia were already familiar with this type of stabbing weapon, the development of the kris most probably took place in Java, Indonesia. From its origin in Java, the use of kris spread throughout the Indonesian archipelago, Singapore, Malaysia, Southern Thailand and the Philippines through diplomacy and trade. The spread of the kris to other nations such as Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines, some historians say, was credited to the growing influence of the Majapahit Empire in Java around the year 1492.The Sanghyang Siksa Kandang Karesian canto XVII, a Sundanese manuscript dated from Saka 1440 or 1518 CE, describes the kris as the weapon of kings, while the kujang is the weapon of farmers. There exist claims of earlier forms predating the Majapahit kris, but none are verifiable. In the past, the majority of kris had straight blades, but this became less frequent over time. Tomé Pires, in the early 16th century, describes the importance of the kris to the Javanese.
Usage
While it is commonly believed that kris were the primary weapons wielded by fighters in the past, they were actually carried by warriors as a secondary armament if they lost their main weapon, which was usually a spear. For commoners, however, kris were worn daily, especially when travelling, because it might be needed for self-defense. During times of peace, people wore kris as part of their ceremonial attire. Ceremonial kris were often meticulously decorated with intricate carving in gold and precious stones. Heirloom blades were handed down through successive generations and worn during special events such as weddings and other ceremonies. Men usually wore only one kris, but the admiral Hang Tuah is said in the Hikayat Hang Tuah to have armed himself with one short and one long kris. Women also wore kris, though usually of a smaller size than a man's. In battle, a fighter might have carried more than one kris; some carried three kris: his own, one from his father-in-law, and one as a family heirloom. The extra two served as parrying daggers, but if none were available, the sheath would serve the same purpose.Kris were often broken in battle and required repairs. Yearly cleanings, known in Javanese tradition as, is required as part of the spirituality and mythology surrounding the weapon, often leaving ancient blades worn and thin. The repair materials depended on location, and it is quite usual to find a weapon with fittings from several areas. For example, a kris may have a blade from Java, a hilt from Bali and a sheath from Madura.
File:Raffles Varieties of the Javan Kris.png|thumb|left|226x226px|Varieties of Javanese keris, The History of Java, by Thomas Stamford Raffles
In many parts of Indonesia and the Malacca Sultanate, the kris used to be the choice weapon for an execution known as the hukuman salang. The 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 or clavicle area. The blade was thrust through the padding, piercing the subclavian artery and the heart. Upon withdrawal, the cotton wiped the blade clean. In the Malay world and Java, an honourable form of execution was death by kris to the heart.
Kris were used commonly in battle during the early modern period, instead of having professional armies, most kings within the region relied on their courtiers to mobilize for war whenever required and since most Javanese, Malay and Makassarese would own a kris, the weapon would have seen regular combat. During amok, the kris was used in a furious charge to scatter or kill a number of enemies even at the cost of one's own life.
In the 16th century, European colonial powers introduced firearms into the archipelago that contributed to the decline of using the kris as the weapon of choice in battle. The forging of edged weapons went into decline from the moment that the sultans or rajas were subjugated and their realms annexed by the British or Dutch East Indies colonial state. In some regions, a ban was placed on carrying of cutting and stabbing weapons.
In Java, the turning point was the end of the five-year-long Java War when the rebellious Prince Diponegoro was defeated and detained and had to hand his kris over to the Dutch in 1830. This event marked the disarmament of the kris as a combat weapon among the Javanese populace. Its ceremonial function, however, as part of traditional costumes, as sacred heirloom and as a protective personal amulet, remains.
However, the kris saw continuous use and forging in the Philippines, which comprised most of the Spanish East Indies. Kris-forgers and swordsmen were referred to as juramentados by the Spanish. Juramentados practice a ritual of sacrifice, a form of Jihad against not only Spanish soldiers but also against Christian Filipinos alike.
The early 20th century saw the decline of kris forging as carrying edged weapons was banned in the Dutch East Indies. However its spiritual and ceremonial function still continues and is celebrated mainly in kraton and istana throughout Indonesia, Malaysia and the Muslim-inhabited parts of the southern Philippines.