Myths surround traditional dragger<\/p>\n
By Rosa Widyawan<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The kris is a traditional dagger found in
\nSumatra, Java, Bali and other islands of the archipelago.<\/p>\n
People wear kris in different ways. Most Sumatrans wear kris
\nin front of their bodies and slip them in their belts. But the
\nJavanese manner of wearing a kris is to strap it on the backside.
\nJavanese also refer to kris as wingkingan, because it is worn
\nwingking (back side). Ancient Javanese knights, in emergencies,
\nwore the knife in front of their belly, making them ready for
\ncombat.<\/p>\n
The word kris is probably derived from iris, meaning to cut.
\nHowever, the dagger can be used for both cutting and stabbing
\nbecause its two-sided blade is exceptionally sharp and pointed at
\nthe tip. In high Javanese, the weapon is called duwung or curigo.<\/p>\n
Many believe some kris have magical powers and are inspired by
\nthe spirit of ancestors. They have the power to guard owners from
\nevil, disaster or illness. In other cases, they bring luck,
\nhappiness and prosperity. They conduct a ceremony to wash their
\nkris during the first month of the Javanese lunar year -- with
\nofferings consisting of selected flowers, rice, fruit and incense
\nto preserve the supernatural power of the kris.<\/p>\n
There is a myth about Kyai Condong, a bad-tempered Majapahit
\nkris that can leave its sheath by its own power. During the night
\nthe dagger used to leave the palace in search of victims in order
\nto drink their blood. Its wrongdoing was discovered by three good
\nsacred kris, which forced Kyai Condong to crush it to grit. The
\ngrit then rose into the air and joined with a comet. Since then
\nkris makers use meteorite in the welding of blades.<\/p>\n
Kris makers are called empu, which means master of craft,
\nscholar, poet and outstanding artist. Empu are considered people
\nwith supernatural powers. This is the reason their work also has
\nsuch power embodied with the kris through pamor symbols which
\ncharacterize its nature. Pamor means metal-alloy in which nickel
\nand non-nickel metal are smithed together.<\/p>\n
\"Before the Mataram sultanate era in Yogyakarta and Surakarta,
\nCentral Java, an empu made a kris only under a royal command.
\nAfter the reign of Sultan Agung, many kris, swords and spears
\nwere manufactured said Ronin Hidayat, a traditional weapon
\ncollector.<\/p>\n
\"The kris is a unique article; there is no similar pamor in
\ndifferent kris, because it was made manually,\" he continued. On
\nthe other hand, Moebirman noted there are five main pamor motifs
\nof flora, each of which has a special meaning. For example, wos
\nwutah (scattered rice grains) is a symbol of prosperity, sekar
\npala (nutmeg flower) and sekar ngadek (standing flower) symbolize
\njustice, blarak ngirid (coconut leaves) symbolize authority or
\nleadership and sekar temu (temu flower) is a symbol of mutual
\nlove. Moebirman said there were many more variations of the above
\nmain pamor.<\/p>\n
The dapur (face) as well as the appearing motif of the blade
\nare important aspects in the production of a kris. Uneven numbers
\nare chosen for the total of curves at the kris blade.<\/p>\n
There are kris with straight blades, called wilah bener
\n(straight stick) or sarpa tapa (resting snake). This kind of kris
\nis used by priests and ascetics. The straight kris is considered
\nthe first generation of kris, and it was innovated by Empu
\nRamadhi.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, the kris with sinuous blades are called
\nsarpa lumaku (walking snake).<\/p>\n
To manufacture the dagger, an empu must have both technical
\nskills and an artistic sense of metal crafting. More importantly,
\nhe must be able to stand working in high temperatures.<\/p>\n
Mastering applied metallurgy is an important requirement for
\nan empu, because kris is made of iron, steel and nickel. In
\naddition, an empu must constantly concentrate on his job. He has
\nto lift the metal before the melting point, or his endeavors will
\nbe useless. If he is late to forge, the temperature of the metal
\nwill drop and be difficult to form.<\/p>\n
The process of manufacturing kris includes preparations of
\nmaterials, heating them for mixing, forging and folding, forming
\na pamor, forming its curve and coating. The empu needs at least
\ntwo and a half months to make a kris -- one month for forging and
\nthe rest for making curves, carving kris engravings, and
\npewarangan to poison it with arsenic. The process of
\nmanufacturing the blade is then followed by making hafts and
\nsheaths.<\/p>\n
Both kris hafts and sheaths are made of fine wood, such as
\nkatimoho, pelet, kemuning and aromatic sandalwood. Less valued
\nsheaths are made of galih jati, the inner part of teakwood, or
\nawar-awar. Quite often, wooden handles and sheaths are covered
\nwith copper and silver. Those belonging to the rich or noblemen
\nare often wrapped in gold. Before working on the material, it is
\nfirst prepared in order to make it suitable to the most delicate
\ncarving.<\/p>\n
Kris sheaths consist of a widened-out mouth piece called
\nwarangka, gandar (a cylinder-like container for a kris blade) and
\npendok, a metal wrapper. The haft is a cylindrical wood
\nconsisting of endas (head) weteng (stomach), and bungkul (knob).
\nParts of the haft are beautifully engraved.<\/p>\n
The cost of manufacturing a kris is relatively expensive. To
\nmake one, an empu needs 14 kilos of iron, five ounces of pure
\nsteel, one ounce of nickel and 150 kilos of charcoal. These
\nmaterials cost more than Rp 1 million (US$418). It is not
\nsurprising that a new kris can cost as much as Rp 2.5 million.<\/p>\n
Some people believe kris not only to be weapons but also
\nfamily heirloom symbols and status symbols. Others consider kris
\nto be works of art. Anybody can order an empu to make one, or
\nthey can be bought in Jakarta at antique and craft stores on Jl.
\nSurabaya, Kemang, Ciputat or in the Sarinah department store.<\/p>\n
Not all kris are expensive. Relatively cheap ones can be found
\nin Pasar Jatinegara, South Jakarta. There are dozens of kris
\nstalls offering various kinds at Rp 50,000 to Rp 10 million.<\/p>",
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