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At present I am retired and spending my time mostly on fishing and photography. I bought my first SLR way back in 1982. It was a Minolta XG1. My last film camera was the Maxxum 9000. When the fantastic Sony Alpha 100 was launched, I changed over to the digital system. My Alpha 580 was acquired followed closely by my Alpha 77.

My main interest in photography is lifestyles, sports, sceneries, nature, birds and macro shots. Lately, I have spend more time on bird and nature shooting. As a regular contributer to some fishing magazines, I shoot quite a lot of photographs of anglers too....hence my photography blog is named 'SHOOT THE HOOKER'.



Having grown up near the confluence of two, the Kangsar and the Perak Rivers, it is not surprising that one of my main interest is fishing. My younger days were spent swimming and fishing.... with a bamboo pole, line and small hooks.Now while fishing, my friends and I do take a lot of photographs of anglers in action. The anglers must be careful so as not to accidentally hook on to a photographer. So I think as a reminder, I would like to name my fishing blog as 'HOOK THE SHOOTER'.

Friday, July 20, 2012

THE KERIS


   The keris is mainly found in the S.E.Asian nations of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei and the Philipines. It is an asymmetrical dagger with either straight or wavy blades.

   History: From Dong Son's bronze culture in Vietnam, the making of daggers are believed to have spread to S.E.Asia. There were traces of Indian influence too. it was in Majapahit, East Java, that the present recognised form of keris first surfaced.

A short keris with 5 lekuks.

    The Blades: At first, the blades of the keris were straight, but in later years, the wavy version came into existance. According to En. Abdul Mazin b. Abdul Jamil, a keris making expert from Kuala Kangsar, Perak, Malaysia, Keris Anak Alang with its straight blades of 10 in to 15 in are considered as female (betina) keris. Keris lekuk, with a longer,  wavy blade weapon is a male (jantan) keris. The number of waves (luks or lekuks) on a keris blade are always in odd numbers from 3 to 21 with some having 29.
The type of metals used in the forming of the blade ranges from 3 to 21. Some collectors like to include their family heirlooms to be melted and forge into the blades too. As a result the cost of making the keris also depends on the collectors' request.



A straight bladed keris.










  The Hilt: The hilt of the keris is where most of athe artwork of carving is done. Made out of ivory, hard wood and gold, demons-like figures are carved out of the handles. These are mostly found in Java. In other parts of Indonesia and Malaysia, this practice is not encourage due to Islamic influence.


An example of a carved wooden hilt.





   The Sheath: Just like the hilt, the sheath is also decorated with intricate carvings. Usually made out of wood, the sheath are usually inlaid with metal carvings too.



This more than 200 year old keris
 belongs to En. Abdul Mazin b. Abdul Jamil
of Kuala Kangsar. A family heirloom.













A well made and balanced
keris can stand on its point.
















  Tamin Sari: Malaysia's most famous keris is the Tamin Sari (Flower Shield Keris) is believed to posses magical power that enables anyone wielding it to enjoy physical invulnerability. Said to have being used by the legendary warrior, Hang Tuah, the Tamin Sari, is now part of the Perak Royalty's Collection. According to Nor Janati Ibrahim, the director of the Muzium Perak, the Tamin Sari has been the property of the Perak Sultanate since 1528, after Sultan Mahmud Shah of Melaka, presented it to Sultan Mudzaffar Shah, the first sultan of Perak. It was recently displayed for six days at the Galleri Sultan Azlan Shah in Kuala Kangsar (the Royal Town of Perak) on the occasion of His Highness's birthday celebration.



Some keris displayed at the
Gelleri Sultan Azlan Shah, Kuala Kangsar, Perak.

Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kris

http://abushahid.wordpress.com/2011/05/30/kisah-benar-keris-taming-sari-sultan-perak-adalah-tulen/
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