The ancient kris back on the cutting edge<\/p>\n
Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
If you are a lawyer and want to make your opponent speechless
\nso that you can win the case you defend, you may try this trick.
\nCome to a kris consultant in Yogyakarta for help -- if you
\nbelieve in Javanese mysticism.<\/p>\n
In Yogyakarta, kris consultants will gladly offer you help
\nwith your problem through the magic power of a kris, the Javanese
\ntraditional dagger.<\/p>\n
A consultant has a kris named Sempana Bungkem (Javanese for
\n\"tight-lipped\"). Its \"specialization\" is to make one's opponent
\nlose his reasoning in an argument.<\/p>\n
\"It brings a lawyer magic power so that his or her opponents
\nrun out of words and arguments,\" kris consultant, also kris
\ncollector Wibatsu Harianto told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
According to Wibatsu, Sempana Bungkem is a legacy of
\nYogyakarta's sultans Hamengku Buwono II to Hamengku Buwono VII.
\nThe kings would lend a kris with the peculiar magic power to
\ntheir court prosecutors to assure victory.<\/p>\n
\"It was property of the court that you could keep after you
\nwere retired,\" said Wibatsu on the sidelines of Jogja Kris Expo
\n2002 held at Mandaragiri Hall in Bintaran from Jan. 20 to Jan.
\n28, 2002<\/p>\n
In traditional Javanese society, the kris is highly regarded.
\nA kris indicated someone's social status in the community. Krises
\nworn by ordinary people were different to those worn by members
\nof the royal family.<\/p>\n
A kris is considered sacred and treated accordingly. They are
\nusually handed down generation after generation. The weapons are
\nregularly cleaned in a ritual, usually in the Javanese new year
\nby a man well-versed in Javanese mysticism. A person has to
\nperform a kind of ritual before touching someone else's kris.<\/p>\n
Over time, the functionality of krises has changed. Anyone can
\nnow have them the way they collect artworks.<\/p>\n
The kris comes in various models. A kris, for example, can
\nhave 13 curves at the most on both edges. The casing is usually
\nmade of high-quality wood -- sometimes with metal ornaments known
\nas pamor.<\/p>\n
According to Wibatsu, people began collecting krises not just
\nas items of arts but in the belief that the weapon could convey
\nmagical god-like power to its owner.<\/p>\n
\"I've received more guests these days, looking for advice on
\nwhere and how to obtain magic krises,\" Wibatsu said.<\/p>\n
He claimed to have seven to eight guests a month who look for
\nboth advice and assistance to obtain magic krises.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, some of them even are satisfied by simply borrowing
\npart of his collection of magic krises due to the shortage of
\nthem, he said.<\/p>\n
Generally, kris enthusiasts are reluctant to acquire a newly-
\nmade kris because they doubt its power.<\/p>\n
A noted local lawyer, he said, had sometimes borrowed from his
\nSempana Bungkem collection every time he thought he was handling
\na tough case.<\/p>\n
Some farmers from as far away as Indramayu, West Java, have
\nalso come to borrow his collections. They usually borrow magic
\nkrises named Keris Mahesa Lajer or Keris Kebo Dhungkul, believed
\nto have the supernatural power of providing good luck to farmers.<\/p>\n
\"I often received a delivery of sacks of rice or other
\nagricultural produce. I understood it as proof that the magic
\nworked successfully,\" Wibatsu said.<\/p>\n
Other magic krises for various purposes are also named, among
\nothers, Kyai Carubuk and Kyai Limar Ketani. The former is
\nbelieved to have the magic power of making people wiser and the
\nlater brings luck to businessmen.<\/p>\n
Those believed to have the magic power of maintaining
\nsomeone's respectable position include Putri Kinurung, Adeg
\nWengkon, and Dhapur Jangkung. The ones believed to have the power
\nof good luck are called Wengkon and Dhapur Jigjo.<\/p>\n
Wibatsu said that whether the kris magic power worked or not
\nwould very much depend on how you believed in it.<\/p>\n
\"Never assume that it can give you anything you wish. The kris
\nis just a means to make your wishes come true. The absolute power
\nlies with God,\" Wibatsu said.<\/p>",
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