Why Indonesia is trying to protect these 9th-century sacred daggers from disappearing
Keris daggers, used as deadly weapons centuries ago, are now collector's items and heirlooms in Indonesia passed down from generation to generation. Believed to have magical powers, these daggers are forged by empus, masters of their craft, and some take months to complete because of the rituals and time-consuming steps involved. But the number of empus in the country is dwindling, and the government is trying to get more young people involved in the dying art form. A new keris culture study program was established at the Indonesian Institute of the Arts, Surakarta, and one of the country's most famous empus, Subandi Suponingrat, was recruited to help train new recruits — including his own son.
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00:00It takes two to four people working together to create an authentic Chris dagger.
00:10Subandhi Suponengret has been making them for 42 years.
00:16His assistant, Agus, has been making them for four years.
00:20And Subandhi's newest apprentice, his son Dhano, has been at it for just five months.
00:28But seeing younger chrismakers is a rare sight in Indonesia.
00:41New chrismakers are so rare that the United Nations gave the craft intangible cultural
00:47heritage status as a safeguard.
00:50The Indonesian government now pays Subandhi to teach young people how to make the daggers.
00:56But is it too little, too late?
00:59We visited Subandhi's Chris workshop to see how this traditional craft is still standing.
01:12Arif Usman, a retired teacher, is visiting Subandhi at his workshop in Serlel, central
01:19Java.
01:20This style of dagger is centuries old.
01:30Its use as a weapon is immortalized on the walls of Hindu temples dating back to the
01:359th century.
01:36Over time, it became a physical reminder of Javanese history, and people maintained the
01:42belief that the daggers connected them to the spiritual world.
01:47Now the Chris is incorporated into weddings and funerals, and is passed down as an heirloom
01:54that connects modern generations to past ones.
02:12But before forging can begin, an empu has to perform certain rituals.
02:18As part of his preparation, he consumes only rice and water for three days, a period of
02:25fasting known as Muthi.
02:35Before he begins, an assortment of offerings is prepared by his daughter, Sepah.
02:42While not directly involved in making daggers, she has focused her master's photography thesis
02:47on Chris.
03:12The physical process begins with a fire, which can reach temperatures of up to 1,200 degrees
03:32Celsius.
03:35Using teak charcoal as the base, Subandi's 23-year-old son, Tano, hopes to take over
03:48the family business one day.
03:52He's one of a handful of apprentices in the workshop, but training a new generation of
03:57empus is proving difficult.
04:03Tano says he, like a lot of young people in Indonesia, had no desire at first to become
04:40Subandi begins by heating a single slab of iron, folding it in half and inserting a thin
04:53piece of nickel.
04:55He then hammers the two metals together into one mass.
04:59There are two basic shapes to a Chris, curved and straight.
05:13A curved dagger usually has an odd number of curves, or looks.
05:19The parmor is the swirly pattern that forms on the surface of the blade as a result of
05:24welding together layers and layers of iron and nickel.
05:31Part of being considered a master is knowing how many layers of nickel and iron to use
05:36to create the parmor pattern the buyer wants.
05:53He heats up the metal again in the fire until it glows red-hot.
05:57Tano and the others then take turns hammering the molten metal together.
06:07The mass is then heated and folded in half again.
06:12They repeat this over and over, multiplying the number of layers with each fold, a laborious
06:21and time-consuming process.
06:42The multi-layered piece is folded once more before steel is welded into the core.
06:48At this point, Subandhi will either hammer in the basic curves, or leave it straight
06:54depending on the desired shape.
06:57Finally, he immerses the dagger in water adorned with a ceremonial blend of flowers, known
07:05as Kembang 7 Rupa.
07:09This process quenches and hardens the newly forged steel.
07:17Now it's time to shape and file the blade.
07:23This is the most difficult part of the process, according to Subandhi's apprentice, Agus.
07:36Subandhi uses tools like an emery wheel or a grindstone to sharpen the edges and carve
07:41out the final design of the parmor.
07:45Zana is learning how to do this detailing, which has already resulted in a trip to the
07:50hospital.
08:07To accentuate the parmor design, Subandhi brushes the blade with a liquid mixture containing
08:12arsenic.
08:24The sheath and handles are carved from other materials like wood, bone, or metal.
08:30The material of the handle can affect the final price.
08:42Most of Subandhi's customers are local Javanese people, like Arif, who are familiar with Krisk
08:48culture.
08:50Subandhi says demand for authentic Krisk daggers is growing.
08:54The problem is there simply aren't enough people qualified to make them.
09:03There are not many traditional empus like Subandhi left in the country, which is why
09:08He is determined to pass on the skills to younger generations, like his son, Dhaner.
09:14But Subandhi says there is still a lot to learn before Dhaner can become an empu.
09:31Subandhi started learning to make daggers in 1979 at the suggestion of the chairman
09:36of the Indonesian Classical Arts Academy, who was interested in reinvigorating Krisk
09:41production.
09:46Subandhi went on to teach at the state-run Indonesian Institute of the Arts Surakarta,
09:52where he trains younger apprentices.
09:55Muhammad is a student in the Krisk program Subandhi teaches.
09:59Subandhi and his classmate Joko say they want to become empus one day.
10:29Even with recent revitalization efforts, knowledge of how to make Krisk daggers is
10:44at risk of disappearing as young people choose higher-paying jobs in modern industries.
10:51In 2005, the United Nations gave Krisk daggers intangible cultural heritage status alongside
10:59other art forms under threat.
11:10While Subandhi may be one of the only empus left in Solo, his work has had a big impact
11:17on the youth around him.
11:19And it's not just men looking to become empus.
11:23And students like Muhammad are stepping in to the empu role to help keep Krisk going.
11:54I think it's an opportunity for young people to preserve their culture, especially in Indonesia.
12:01There are many things that need to be preserved.
12:04If it's not for young people now, who knows what will happen in the future.