PAMOR TOSAN AJI.
Kajian Senjata Tradisional.
Surface Patterns (Pamor)
Pamor is the essence of Kris. Not only does the pattern welding work demonstrate the blade smith (empu) but also characterize the power of Kris. Pamor, mixture of alloys, is generated by welding together wrought iron and nickel. Afterward, it is acidized to create a contract between the darkened iron and the brightened nickel. It is argued that the best Pamor is made from meteorite iron. However, due to scarcity of meteorite iron, only special Pamor of Kris (probably belonging to the Royal Family) may be made from real meteorite iron. Engineering in manufacture of Kris is always possible in line with the development of forging technology, namely the use of nickle. According to the forging techniques, Pamor can be classified into two types, namely Pamor Mlumah (flat-horizontal) in which the laminating is parallel to the flat surface of the blade, and Pamor Miring (slanting) when the laminating is aligned to an angle to the flat surface of the blade.
Meanwhile, according to the design (by the smiths), there are also two types of Pamor, namely Pamor Tiban which is accidently created (not as designed), and the other Pamor Rekan of which the patterns are really designed and controlled by the blade smith. Pamor itself can be located on the Sorsoran (main part of the kris body). It can also be designed as Flowers (Flower Design), Pamor Tiban, Basic Pattern, Circles, and Feathers. Each of the six classifications has been linked to further elaboration on the types of Pamor illustrated with pictures of each Pamor, including the mystical functions. In short, the power of Kris is supported by its Lok (curve), hilt, and Pamor (Surface Patterns) of which the most significant is the Pamor (Handriyotopo & Simatupang, 2018). To give a general …, Table 3 below displays some distinctive names of Pamor and their symbolic meanings Table 3.
Distinctive Pamor and their symbolic meanings No Design Name Symbolic Meanings (Philosophy)
1 On the Sorsoran, Gumbala Geni To prevent from bad conducts
2 Flowers Sekar Pala To make the owner famous
3 Pamor Tiban Beras Wutah To bring about luck and peaceful life
4 Basic Patterns Dadung Muntir To increase authority, and bravery
5 Circles Udan Mas To achieve wealthy life
6 Feathers Ronkenduru To achieve power of leadership
Most importantly, when an individual wants to own a Kris, he or she can simply buy one or more than one upon consultation with the master (parapsychologist) to make sure that the Kris is appropriate otherwise it will be useless.
In the mystical world, it is taboo to talk about purchases (beli) and sales (jual) of heirloom. Instead, the word memahari, or mahari applies to purchases, while maharkan applies to sales. Basically, these two words derive from one stem “mahar” (dowry), similar to a wedding transaction. In purchase of Kris, according to an association of Kris collectors, called Puriwiji (sometimes traditionally spelt as Puriwidji), there is one principle to hold on—namely TUHSIRAPPUH, a four-syllable acronym, which means (1) TUH (wutuh) is complete or without decays (corrosion); SI (wesi) is the material (steel, iron, and meteor); RAP (garap) is design of Kris, Lok, Pamor etc., finally PUH (Sepuh) is the period of production—ancient (Sepuh) belonging to Singasari and Majapahit eras, moderate (Mataraman) belonging to eras of Islamic Kingdoms, and modern (Kamardikan) produced, after Indonesian Independence in 1945.
Purwanto, S., & Nuhamidah, I. (2021). Introduction to Kris, a traditional weapon of Indonesia: Preserved-lingering issues of facts. EduLite: Journal of English Education, Literature, and Culture, 6 (2), 397- 410. http://dx.doi.org/10.30659/e.6.2.397-410
