Knife Called Kriss - Java Island, Indonesia - 19th Century

Knife called Kriss
Java, Indonesia
19th century
Wood, pamor, bone, shagreen
Total length: 70 cm; Blade length: 52 cm

Handle, known as an ukiran, made of bovine bone and red shagreen.
Single-edged pamor blade.
Wooden scabbard covered with shagreen and bovine bone.

Later mountings.

The kriss is a distinctly masculine weapon. A marker of social status and wealth, it was also the object symbolically presented to a young boy upon his coming of age.
The more intricately crafted the blade and the more the handle was made from fine materials, the higher the rank of its owner.
The ukiran, almost invariably carved in an anthropomorphic style, is regarded as an allegory of its owner. Thus, the head represents the hilt, the body the blade, and the garment the scabbard. It is worth noting that the traditional garment of Balinese men is the sarong – the same name given to the kriss scabbard.

The kriss, endowed with magical powers, is regarded as a vehicle for spirituality. It is passed down through inheritance, which allows its power to grow.

Text and photos © FCP CORIDON