History of the Keris

History

The Keris is  a weapon unique to South East Asia. Not because of is distinctive wave form shape or Dapor/Dapur. The keris comes in a wide varieties of Dapor, Wavy, strait, long short, curved, and with a number of end uses such as daggers and lances. These issues are discussed in the section that deals with the anatomy of the Keris but it is mentioned here because what makes the Keris unique to S.E. Asia is the details that are formed and carved into the base of the blade.
It is also due the cultural attachment to the manufacture and the ownership of the weapon that gives it the truly S. E. Asian characteristic. Many cultures honour and revere their bladed weapons but few hold such deep cultural roots, and have become such an ingrained icon of cultural heritage. The Keris like no other weapon conjures up visions of the Mystical Orient and warriors and makers possessed of magical abilities.

There is little or no doubt that the Keris is a product of Java. The Malay and Bugis cultures claim it as theirs but there is little doubt that they developed their weapons based directly on those of the Javanese weapon. Many scholars debate the date of origin. it is estimated that it was developed between the 9 and 12th Centuries, based on sculptures at Candi Shukur in Java. This clearly shows a weapon being held that resembles the first type of Keris known in Java. However, this is an estimate by western experts who base their statements on researched and verifiable facts. This does not mean that it is the absolute end of the story as we are learning everyday that with more research and more exploration, the old pre-conceived facts become overturned in the light of new facts coming to light.

There is no doubt that the Keris is a weapon developed on the Indian weapon of similar nature. It is also assumed that the early introduction or WOOTZ from the smithies of India hold much in the development of the Keris. Wootz was developed in India in the maufacture od steel where iron, and varius other minerals are mixed in a secret formula and mixed olso with orther organic chemicals which provided the stregnth and the damascene folding so sought after in Asian and in particular in the Middle East.
Wootz would have been introduced to Indfonesia or Sumatra and Java by the Indian traders so common in early history. These traders would have brought with them as special gifts for royalty and as bribes small quantities of the metal along with weapons of their own design and manufacture.
There are definite links historically in the religions of India and Indonesia. Indonesia was predominantly an animistic country until the spread of Hinduism and Buddhism from India. This spread is evidenced by the of the religions throughout SUmatra and Java, Borneo and the various other islands in the Archipelago. The spread was again instituted by traders from India and local trade, but in Java anf Bali much of the magnificent buildings of the times remain for us to look at and it is in these places that references are found to the Keris.
They are of a specific type and shape and are unique in their dapor to Java. This is where the experts base the origin of the Keris and why they feel sure it is Javanese. It is unlikely that so much reverence would have been paid to this icon of cultural heritage and not recorded in other places before this era. However that does not mean it is absolutely the end of the discussion. There may be many factors out there waiting to be discovered that would take us further back in time to find the Keris was developed earlier.
It is possible that in Northern Sumatra there are more historical instances of the Keris or in Malaysia, or other areas. There is no doubt that weapons were developed in these areas long before the 9th century, but they cannot go too fact back as the development of steel or iron weapons has a specific date that is well known and accepted.

For the moment let us accept that the Keris was developed in Java and was developed first between the 9th and 12th Centuries. It’s links to India and indian deities are also part and parcel of the history of the weapon and this is reflected in the development of many parts of the based of the Keris. Its links to Indian culture are clear in the elephantine shapes carved into the blade. Linking it to the Elephant God Ganesha and the adaptation of that name Gadhja in Indonesian.  the Hindu God Ganesha represents the power of the Supreme Being that removes obstacles and ensures success in human endeavors. Hindu religious texts recommend the worshipping of Ganesha before the beginning of any religious, spiritual or worldly activity. Having established that the Keris is related to Ganesha and the enormous significance this god had in Hindu life which was predominant in Java at the time, the links are obvious and this can explain the reverence paid to this weapon by the people of the area.

Accepting that the weapon was developed in this time scale we must look at the design changes that have developed into what is known as the Keris today. The earlierst form of the Keris is though my many to be to the Jalak Budho Dapur. This has the same shape as that of the keris in the hand of the deity in Candi Shukur.  as you can see in the picture this is a very basic broad but short bladed weapon.  Collectors consider it absolutely essential to have one of these types of weapons in there collections for it to be complete.
This very basic design would also fit in with the available technology of the time. Since all weapons fo this nature are hand made it is therefore easy enough to see that in the 9-12th centuries the tools available to the smiths or Empu would have been restrictive in what they could form from the metals used in the manufacture of the Keris. The Jalek Budho is of a type and shape that needs little more than basic tools to make and this then also give the Empu a good surface to work on with the various mt]etals that make up the damascene of the weapon.
The avaioablity of the metals would also be a restrictive factor and assists in developing a good picture of the development or history of the keris. Mining would have been very basic and sim=nce minerology was limited to a very few people the actual metals used for the Keris would have been limited and again may explain the broad shape of the original bladed form. Many people hold that the blades are made from meteor fragments that are then turned into the finest weapons but this is unlikely except in the rarest of occasions. Such a weapon, made of star metal would have mystical powers of great significance and would only be in the collections of very special of very rich people.
 After the 12th century the details of the histroy become a lot cleared as documentation becomes better and there are more and more examples of the art after this period.
By this time, the art had a chance to develop and the Empu’s would have been engaging many apprentices and the development of the basic design which would be expected to take between 100-200 years is clear as more and more examples of the Keris from this era become available.
By now also the Keris had become a significant cultural Icon and we have records describing the type of dapur related to the owners and who could and could not own the Keris. We have records of the colur hierarchy related to ownership and status of owning weapons of various types.