A keris bahari is a long version of a

keris The kris, or ''keris'' in the Indonesian language, is an asymmetrical dagger with distinctive blade-patterning achieved through alternating laminations of iron and nickelous iron (''pamor''). Of Javanese origin, the kris is famous for its dist ...

dagger mainly used in

Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...

.Gardner (1936). p. 8. It is also called keris panjang. Keris bahari is dubbed by European people as "Sumatran

rapier A rapier () or is a type of sword with a slender and sharply-pointed two-edged blade that was popular in Western Europe, both for civilian use (dueling and self-defense) and as a military side arm, throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. Impo ...

kris" or "execution keris".Gardner (1936). p. 37

History

Keris bahari evolved from the original keris, which is a dagger. As men fought, they needed a weapon with greater reach, and keris became longer and heavier. Two forms then evolved: The first is rapier keris (keris bahari), and the second is broadsword keris (

sundang A bolo ( tl, iták, ilo, bunéng, pag, baráng, ceb, súndang, hil, binangon) is a general term for traditional pre-colonial small to medium-sized single-edged swords or large knives of the Philippines that function as both tools and weapon ...

). Because the blade became longer, the handle had to be straightened to balance it.

Description

The hilt of keris bahari is made of

horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

, sometimes of silver and fish

ivory Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mammals is ...

, usually beautifully carved. The shape of the hilt is straight or slightly curving at the end. The sheath tip is usually rounded, but if cased in silver it often has square tip. The blade of keris bahari is long and narrow. Keris bahari is classified to 3 type depending on the length: The longest is called keris panjang, the medium keris alang, and the shortest, keris pendek.

Execution by keris

The execution by keris is called ''hukuman'' ''salang''. ''Salang'' is synonymous with keris panjang. The executioner made the victim to squat then drove the keris panjang from certain spot inside his collar bone down to the heart.Gardner (1936). p. 37.

History

Description

Execution by keris

See also

References

Further reading