From Majapahit to Putrajaya: The Kris as a Symptom of Civilizational Development and Decline

Abstract

The kris is the legendary weapon of the Malay peoples, used throughout the archipelago. This paper examines the evolution of the kris over the centuries. The central argument is that in the development of the kris we can also trace the civilizational development of the Malays. The paper sets the evolution of the kris in the context of social–cultural and political change in the Malay archipelago from the fourteenth century to the present, focusing on, for example, the close association of the kris with the principal deities and heroes of Hinduism during the Hindu period of Malay history, the demystification of the kris as Islam came to the archipelago, and the marginalization of the kris under the impact of colonialism and modernity. The kris has again come full circle. What began as a knife has now been reduced to a knife – as kris tiepins, letter openers, and paper cutters litter handicraft centres and tourist shops.