The ancient kris back on the cutting edge
The ancient kris back on the cutting edge
Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
If you are a lawyer and want to make your opponent speechless
so that you can win the case you defend, you may try this trick.
Come to a kris consultant in Yogyakarta for help -- if you
believe in Javanese mysticism.
In Yogyakarta, kris consultants will gladly offer you help
with your problem through the magic power of a kris, the Javanese
traditional dagger.
A consultant has a kris named Sempana Bungkem (Javanese for
"tight-lipped"). Its "specialization" is to make one's opponent
lose his reasoning in an argument.
"It brings a lawyer magic power so that his or her opponents
run out of words and arguments," kris consultant, also kris
collector Wibatsu Harianto told The Jakarta Post.
According to Wibatsu, Sempana Bungkem is a legacy of
Yogyakarta's sultans Hamengku Buwono II to Hamengku Buwono VII.
The kings would lend a kris with the peculiar magic power to
their court prosecutors to assure victory.
"It was property of the court that you could keep after you
were retired," said Wibatsu on the sidelines of Jogja Kris Expo
2002 held at Mandaragiri Hall in Bintaran from Jan. 20 to Jan.
28, 2002
In traditional Javanese society, the kris is highly regarded.
A kris indicated someone's social status in the community. Krises
worn by ordinary people were different to those worn by members
of the royal family.
A kris is considered sacred and treated accordingly. They are
usually handed down generation after generation. The weapons are
regularly cleaned in a ritual, usually in the Javanese new year
by a man well-versed in Javanese mysticism. A person has to
perform a kind of ritual before touching someone else's kris.
Over time, the functionality of krises has changed. Anyone can
now have them the way they collect artworks.
The kris comes in various models. A kris, for example, can
have 13 curves at the most on both edges. The casing is usually
made of high-quality wood -- sometimes with metal ornaments known
as pamor.
According to Wibatsu, people began collecting krises not just
as items of arts but in the belief that the weapon could convey
magical god-like power to its owner.
"I've received more guests these days, looking for advice on
where and how to obtain magic krises," Wibatsu said.
He claimed to have seven to eight guests a month who look for
both advice and assistance to obtain magic krises.
Sometimes, some of them even are satisfied by simply borrowing
part of his collection of magic krises due to the shortage of
them, he said.
Generally, kris enthusiasts are reluctant to acquire a newly-
made kris because they doubt its power.
A noted local lawyer, he said, had sometimes borrowed from his
Sempana Bungkem collection every time he thought he was handling
a tough case.
Some farmers from as far away as Indramayu, West Java, have
also come to borrow his collections. They usually borrow magic
krises named Keris Mahesa Lajer or Keris Kebo Dhungkul, believed
to have the supernatural power of providing good luck to farmers.
"I often received a delivery of sacks of rice or other
agricultural produce. I understood it as proof that the magic
worked successfully," Wibatsu said.
Other magic krises for various purposes are also named, among
others, Kyai Carubuk and Kyai Limar Ketani. The former is
believed to have the magic power of making people wiser and the
later brings luck to businessmen.
Those believed to have the magic power of maintaining
someone's respectable position include Putri Kinurung, Adeg
Wengkon, and Dhapur Jangkung. The ones believed to have the power
of good luck are called Wengkon and Dhapur Jigjo.
Wibatsu said that whether the kris magic power worked or not
would very much depend on how you believed in it.
"Never assume that it can give you anything you wish. The kris
is just a means to make your wishes come true. The absolute power
lies with God," Wibatsu said.