Singapore’s Keris Collector defends his Malay heritage one blade at a time
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Singapore'due south Keris Collector defends his Malay heritage one bract at a time
While his peers were into comics and trading cards, Khairi Johari vicious in dearest with the keris as a teenager. Today, he's hoping to revive this passion for the traditional cultural artefact among the younger generation.
37-year-quondam Khairi Johari, aka Pak JoFe, began collecting keris equally a teenager and hasn't looked dorsum since. (Photo: Howard Constabulary)
SINGAPORE: Growing up, Khairi Johari wasn't your typical teenager. While his friends were decorated playing Magic: The Gathering and flipping through comic books in the 1990s, he was obsessed with something that was a bit more one-time-school – the keris.
"Back then, my peers were into trading cards, DC or Marvel. But for some reason, I didn't feel any sense of accomplishment in collecting these. There was no soul, whereas I always felt that the keris was very much alive," he recalled.
Today, that unlikely teenage fascination with the traditional weapon, which is unique to the region, has grown into something bigger.
At the age of 37, Khairi – who besides goes past the nickname Pak JoFe – is perhaps the youngest "serious" keris collector in Singapore, having clustered around 400 pieces through the years.
"The keris has always intrigued me," he said, recalling how he offset got hooked while watching Malay movies. In these, the likes of P Ramlee, Nordin Ahmad and Mahmud Jun would be effortlessly wielding their keris or showing off their silat fighting skills in battle.
While Khairi began taking silat classes at the historic period of eight, it wasn't until he was 16 when he finally got his start keris – a simple souvenir slice that his parents had brought for him later a holiday trip to Kuala Lumpur.
"It was the most heady day of my life. That sort of kick-started my journey into this fascinating earth," said Khairi, who currently works as an Information technology consultant.
HUNTING FOR KERIS
It was a journey that he would continue to pursue with a passion. During his early years as a budding collector, he would save up his allowance and follow his parents to Malaysia, thinking it was the only identify you could purchase keris.
"Back then, we didn't take the Internet and I didn't know there were places in Singapore that sold keris!" he said, with a laugh. "Then I found out about Bussorah Street and that became my gold mine."
Equally he got older, he started to travel on his ain. "Almost every weekend, I'd become to Melaka, Johor or any identify where in that location were keris."
He would too slowly be introduced to other collectors in Singapore and the region. Folks who knew well-nigh his honey affair with the keris would also help him spot pieces at flea markets or public charity auctions all over the world.
eBay also became a expert hunting ground. In fact one of his oldest pieces – which is supposedly from the 15th or 16th century – was bought through the latter for US$l.
Not all of his keris are antiques, though. He as well buys from traditional craftsmen to ensure the art of keris-making continues to be a living one. One of his most prized possessions is a custom-made piece from a maker in Kelantan, who has since died. The keris – which is adorned with golden and rubies – took three years to brand and toll him 30,000 ringgit, or around S$15,000 at the time.
REVIVING Involvement IN SINGAPORE
While the culture of collecting and making keris in all its different forms continue to thrive elsewhere in the region, it will require a huge effort to keep that tradition live in Singapore.
While the keris even so makes its occasional appearance in traditional weddings, exhibitions and silat performances here, Khairi said the art of keris-making in Singapore has already died. The last-known maker, Gandu Mohd Kassim, was already 85-years-old when he was featured in a newspaper interview in 1984.
And while in that location's a sizeable number of serious collectors in Singapore, many of whom have served as his mentors, they're all much older than him.
"The interest in the cultural artefact isn't that popular with the younger generation. I've yet to meet collectors of my age or younger who show that kind of interest in it. This is very deplorable because if they don't have whatever interest in the field, somewhen the noesis held by the senior generation will be lost," he said.
Khairi added: "The youths of today have the perception that the keris is an 'one-time people' hobby or that they feel they have to exist silat students earlier they can wield the keris."
To help revive involvement the keris, he started his own Facebook folio and website aptly called The Keris Collector. He has likewise began offer talks and classes on the keris.
He will also have every opportunity to showcase his collection. One of his proudest moments as a keris collector and enthusiast took identify at a cultural event in Ang Mo Kio back in 2014.
Khairi and some of his beau collectors had a berth showcasing their artefacts and Prime Government minister Lee Hsien Loong had dropped by to see what they had.
"He spent virtually 20 minutes alone at our berth, asking diverse questions about Malay culture, and the artefacts – including the keris – and from his facial reactions, you could tell he knew what nosotros were talking almost," said Khairi.
A SUPERNATURAL Meet
Ane of the aspects that the keris is strongly associated with is its supposed links to the mystical or supernatural. And while Khairi doesn't really subscribe to this, he did accept a story to tell regarding the keris his parents had bought for him years ago.
"I showed information technology around to some collectors who told me information technology was very special but I just shrugged it off. Then, ane day, I sort of said aloud: 'Hey keris, are y'all certain you're more powerful than I am?' And at that moment, information technology really broke!" he said, with a laugh.
"I had been treatment it for near a year so I found it hard to believe it could break only like that. Information technology caught me by surprise. When I look dorsum, in hindsight, perhaps in that location's some truth to it."
Talk of supernatural incidents bated, Khairi is still cyberbanking on some kind of "magic" that volition put the spotlight dorsum on the keris and its cultural importance.
"It's unique to this region. It's very securely rooted in the identity of the peoples of the Malay archipelago, be it the peninsular Malays, the Indonesians, the Bugis, from Patani to Sulawesi. Information technology symbolises their struggles, history and aspirations. If you were to capeesh information technology like how y'all appreciate a painting, you'll definitely fall in dearest with the keris."
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Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/cna-lifestyle/singapores-keris-collector-defends-his-malay-heritage-one-blade-time-213996
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