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.