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The Manufacturing of Keris

Indonesia has various high valued art heritages, and one of them is Keris (kind of short sword). Keris is an original art of Indonesia, which combines forging art, carving art and forming art. The craft has long been conducted by Indonesian ancestors since 7th until 8th century

  Keris has not been made for killing but merely used as a symbolic weapon or in spiritual meaning for increasing bravery (self confidence) because it is considered to possess supernatural powers.

Its manufacturing process is always accompanied by certain invocations, spells, ceremony and special offerings (to God). Furthermore, it is also accompanied by highest form of asceticism, such as no sleep, no eat, and no sexual intercourse. Raw materials for keris manufacturing are iron, steel and “pamor" (width-depth forged pattern) materials. Pamor/pattern materials consist of four components: 1. Meteorite stone (called as star stones in Indonesia) containing Titanium (Ti) element, 2. Nickel (Ni) element, 3. Iron compound as main materials, and 4. Iron compound from other regions for creating color nuance when its is mixed with other iron materials. 

The manufacturing processes are started by forging iron and pamor (pattern) over and over and along with increasing its folds, where the least fold 64 folds, 128 folds for moderate quality and 200 folds for high quality. (Reference: Harsrinuksmo, B.,"Ensiklopedi Keris", Gramedia, Cetakan 1, Januari 2004, Jakarta). 

Because of its beauty form, ancient kings (emperors) usually give keris as a gift among kingdoms, or as a gift from the king to his subordinates who were considered to be meritorious.

In order to increase its beauty, beside its "pamor" (thicknes-through pattern), keris also owns additional decoration with gold, silver or even gemstones. The highest quality decoration is when a keris surface is decorated with "kinatah" or carved to make certain sculpture motives or themes, and then coated with gold. Sometimes, the spaces among sclupture walls are inserted with diamonds.

Usually old kerises which found burried in soil or in riverbed were "keris sajen" or keris which were used for offering at certain ceremonies. These kind of kerises were made simple and small-sized and after the ceremonies completed the kerises were throwned away into river. Therefore, they were usually found rusted or lossed some of their metal. On the other hand, kerises onwed by people usually are well maintained, moreover kerises which are owned by aritocrates.

It must be noted, that keris is a result of forging art work composing of at least two kinds of metal, where good keris is composed of three metals: iron, pamor and steel. That is why, the casted kerises are not categorized as keris, eventhough they are mades very similar to real keris.

 In November 25th, 2005, UNESCO gave the title Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity to the kris of Indonesia. In return, UNESCO urged Indonesia to preserve their heritage. 

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