NAVIGATION

The Indonesian Kris is a very old weapon and is said to have originated in Java, but was long ago adopted in all parts of the archipelago. Every island and often every district has its own particular form of blade, hilt and scabbard, and sometimes typical forms from different areas are found mixed on the same weapon. Java has more than forty recognised blade shapes and there are other varieties with no specific name, but the straight blades are more numerous than the waved ones. The Kris first appears as a weapon in Javanese sculptures of the 15th century and its invention is ascribed to Inatko Pali, King of Janggolo in the 14th century.