I was wondering if there was a link between how the keris is worn and social status e.g. how high up on the back etc etc
interesting question. Can anyone tell me why the malays wear the keris on the left and why the javanese wear it at the back? or if there is a difference? i heard the kris is regarded as a spiritual weapon, surely there must be deeper spiritual reasons behind such a tradition?
My Silat teacher says that his uncle (part Minangkabau) wore his in front with the hilt pointing up and to the right.
sounds like the standard position for a belt worn weapon. Easiest and fastest place to draw from, as a right hander. Its akin to wearing a pistol on your right hip.
Interesting to see that the Keris Is judged on nine categories, appropriate number for a keris However some of those catogroys sound the same to me for example WESI & WOJO, GUWOYO & WANGUN. WUTUH Wholeness, completeness of the blade WESI The metal of the blade GARAP Workmanship SEPUH Age of the blade, the older the more valuable PAMOR The Damascening WOJO The "steel" cutting edge GUWOYO Appearance WANGUN Elegance MUNGGUH Appropriateness I wonder if it’s more traditional (ancient) to wear a keris on the back then on the side? Why is there that cultural difference and what’s the symbolism behind it?
combat type keris and symbolic type.. salams, this is my opinion.. may be the Malays put it in front because its part of their regalia n also act as a weapon.. the Java didnt use keris as their weapon in war, mayb the keris only act as a talisman o protector n their personal reagalia.. i also heard that, peninsular keris is crafted to bcome a weapon, different to kerises of java that mainly act as a family heirloom full with gold embedded on it.. it just an opinion though.. correct me if im wrong.
keris i beleive pendekar sanders has a book out on keris,you can also get training material from him on subject..fighting with keris etc... :Angel:
:Angel: yes -you can retreive info from pukulan cimande pusaka,pendekar sanders website on keris...few people in usa have done as much training with keris as pendekar--check him and his organization out..despite all the craziness in the silat community,hes truly a down to earth good guy....
The Balinese wear the keris on the back and Balinese keris contain the most elaborate decoration and largest amount of gold and gems. Here is an example of a Balinese keris handle. NICE
In a system I studied once, certain movements suggested that it was drawn from the small of the back. The pretty ones should be worn prominently at weddings though. Just a personal opinion....
Does the blade in question need to be a keris? Or could the movement have been equally geared towards a golok? Or kujang?
new to the site. just wanna say hi to everyone, about the topic,not sure. I will ask tonite in class.
Good point, aside from any symbolic reasons, on a practical level a kris worn at the side would simply get in the way. This would certainly be apparent when stepping back with some langkas. It would be entirely impractical in some 'lower' styles. Just a thought
