Long-form writing on keris, material culture, history, collecting and evidence.
The Keris Collector publishes essays that begin with objects, questions, claims and historical problems.
Some investigate the keris directly.
Others explore archaeology, identity, collecting, heritage, regulation and the wider cultural worlds connected to Southeast Asian material culture.
The aim is not to produce certainty where none exists.
It is to examine the evidence carefully and make the reasoning visible.
Latest Essays
- Navigating Singapore’s Weapons Regulations for Collectors
- The Seven Tools of Mastery: Reinterpreting the Symbolism of Besi Tujuh Pa
2025 Essays | With Updated Commentary (2026)
- The Golden Ratio & The Keris: A Spiralling Fallacy
- Tun Abdul Jamil and the Myth of Heroism: Reading Between the Lines of History
- The Golden Ratio and the Keris: Measurement, Pattern-Seeking and the Burden of Proof
- Between Legend and History: Rethinking Hang Tuah with Facts, Not Fantasies
- Was the Malay World Truly a Trading Powerhouse?
What Makes An Essay
An essay on The Keris Collector should do more than repeat a familiar story.
It should ask a question.
Examine evidence.
Compare sources.
Distinguish fact from interpretation.
Acknowledge uncertainty.
And explain why the conclusion matters.
Some essays may be exploratory.
Others may challenge established claims.
But the method remains the same:
follow the evidence before deciding the story.
Browse By Subject
Keris Studies
Blade form, pamor, regional traditions, craftsmanship, terminology and keris history.
Material Culture
Objects, dress, tools, craftsmanship and the social meanings carried through material things.
History & Archaeology
Historical claims, archaeological interpretation, chronology and evidence from the past.
Collecting & Conservation
Documentation, provenance, preservation, restoration and responsible collecting practice.
Heritage & Identity
How objects, memory, community and national or regional identity interact.
Law & Responsible Collecting
Regulation, possession, transport, import, export and responsible stewardship of traditional arms.
Investigations
For forensic, claim-testing pieces that examine controversial or extraordinary historical claims.
Here are some of my essays for your reading pleasure!
- Check back often for more updates!
Keris Related
- Navigating Singapore’s Weapons Regulations for Collectors
- The Seven Tools of Mastery: Reinterpreting the Symbolism of Besi Tujuh Pa
- The Golden Ratio & The Keris: A Spiralling Fallacy
- The Golden Ratio and the Keris: Measurement, Pattern-Seeking and the Burden of Proof
Non-Keris Related
- Navigating Singapore’s Weapons Regulations for Collectors
- Ink of the Unbroken: Masuri S.N. and the Sacred Fire of Conscience
How We Research
The Keris Collector approaches historical and cultural questions through a combination of:
- close observation
- primary sources
- museum collections
- academic research
- comparative objects
- historical photographs
- catalogues
- archival material
- field observation
- regional context
No single source is automatically decisive.
A useful conclusion usually comes from seeing how several forms of evidence fit together.
Extraordinary Claims Need Better Questions
Heritage is full of dramatic stories.
Ancient technologies.
Lost civilisations.
Royal ownership.
Meteoric metals.
Suppressed histories.
Forgotten empires.
Some may contain truth.
Others survive because they are emotionally satisfying.
The useful question is not whether a claim sounds exciting.
It is:
What evidence would we expect to find if the claim were true?
That question often changes the conversation.
Follow The Sources
Where possible, essays should point readers toward the material behind the argument.
That may include:
- academic papers
- books
- museum catalogues
- archival records
- digitised collections
- historical newspapers
- institutional reports
- comparative objects
A Note On Interpretation
Historical and cultural interpretation can change.
New evidence appears.
Attributions are revised.
Terminology shifts.
Research improves.
Where significant new evidence affects an older essay, The Keris Collector may update, annotate or revisit the piece.
The goal is not to defend an old conclusion forever.
It is to improve understanding.
Essays Vs Blogs
Essays
Research-led, structured and evidence-driven writing.
Use Essays for:
- investigations
- historical analysis
- object studies
- claim testing
- substantive cultural interpretation
Blogs
More personal, immediate and reflective writing.
Use Blog for:
- field notes
- visits
- collecting reflections
- books
- behind-the-scenes
- travels
- media experiences
- shorter observation
Both may overlap in subject, but they serve different purposes.
Follow The Question
Some essays begin with a keris.
Some with an archaeological claim.
Some with a photograph, a museum label or a story repeated for generations.
What matters is what happens next.
Ask the question.
Find the evidence.
See where it leads.
Preserve Through Discovery.