Introduction to Kris, a traditional weapon of Indonesia: Preserved-lingering issues of facts

Abstract

The current article examined some issues on�Kris, a traditional weapon of Indonesia as a high cultural heritage, which is up to now still preserved with all of its manifestations. A Kris may be viewed from its definition, magical charms, parts, elements, maintenance, symbolic values, philosophical meanings, production periods and legendary preservation. Ethnolinguistic investigation revealed that Kris has significantly contributed to the lexical domain, hereinafter referred to as Kris Registers. There are a lot of registers related to its entity, which are of great difficulty for lay people to understand, except those who are really involved in the world of Kris, such as Kris masters (makers), parapsychologist, antiques collectors, cultural researchers to mention only a few. A cultural fact has been identified�that it is the owners� ways of life in addition to their personal characteristics. One important recommendation of Kris with its all manifestations is that it has to be preserved as an asset of high cultural values through one person one Kris program.

An ethnolinguistic study of the historical-philosophical value of the cultural art of Madura Kris

“…To understand how patterns in cultural artifacts and spiritual cultural codes are reflected in language, this study used contemporary methods for researching ethnolinguistics, a marginal branch of linguistics that borders ethnology, culture studies, and psycholinguistics (Hrytsiv, 2020). Ethnolinguistics reveals that Kris has contributed significantly to the lexical domain (Purwanto and Nuhamidah, 2021). Ethnolinguistics examines the language of a particular ethnic community to portray its culture.…”

Memorabilia of Colonial Violence and Death

“…The kris, or keris, of which there are 58 in Beijens's collection, is another example of an Indonesian weapon that is an accessory to ceremonial dress and an indicator of social status and statehood (Rahman and Masunah 2019). Moreover, the kris is also a talisman and heirloom (pusaka), and a spiritual object, considered to have an essence or presence and possessing magical powers (Wiener 2007;Purwanto and Nurhamidah 2021). These examples show that the lives of warrior and weapon are fused (see also Mills 2009:188).…”