Kris (keris) | Photographer: Oleg Kuchar | Rights management: Museum Ulm
Attribution - NonCommercial - ShareAlike 4.0 International
Indonesian dagger, so-called kris or "keris" (Indonesian, Malay), from Yogyakarta with a wavy, ridged pamor blade (forged from several layers of iron and nickel, giving the blade its damascened design). The blade has nine bights due to the waves and has a separate crosspiece ("ganja") as well as a thickened ricasso ("gandik") at the base of the inner edge of the blade, from which a small hook extends (elephant lip; "lambe gajah"). Above this is a larger bulge that forms the so-called elephant's trunk ("kembang kacang" or "telale gajah"). Behind the "gandik" at the base of the inner edge, there is a pit-like depression (so-called "pejetan") towards the centre with another elongated hollow above it, called the "tikel alis". Along the blade is a recessed back line ("ada-ada" line), which begins in the centre of the blade base and runs far towards the tip of the blade. The connecting piece between the blade and the handle is a handle ring ("mendak") of the "angkup randu" type with grained band and triangular patterns. The notched wooden handle has the typical planar Yogyakarta shape with two distinct carvings on the inside, probably showing a mask motif, so-called "patra" decoration. Krisse were widely used in insular Southeast Asia. The daggers were carried in war, but also had a spiritual significance. The quality is also linked to the social status of the owner. The kris, together with another one, was probably given to the museum after 1923 by Eugen Braitinger (1880 - 1941), an assistant in the Ulm chancellery.
