42 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL, MUSEUM vol.79 



Lombok, Borneo, Lampong, Minangkabau, Atjeh, everywhere the 

 Hindu Idngdom had penetrated. The Hindu kingdom of Majapahit 

 controlled the destinies of the Javanese for more than 1,000 years, but 

 was overthrown by the Mohammedans in the year 1478, just before 

 the arrival of the Spanish explorers and the beginning of European 

 influence. On the island of Bali the Buddhism and Sivaism of its 

 native population remained in power. This is reflected in the deco- 

 rative art of these island populations to the present day. In Java, 

 the Buddhist art continues among the Sundanese. 



The kris (keris) hilts from the Malay Peninsula and from Sumatra 

 have but little decorative work. The human figurine which forms 

 the hilt is not well developed as in krisses from Bali and Lombok, 

 although some of them have small figurines sometimes represented 

 merely by a few transverse cuts in the wood. The typical pommel 

 decoration from the Upper Malay Peninsula is the kingfisher motive. 

 This is closely similar to the typical pommel decoration on the 

 Javanese kris. Although the kris is supposed to have originated in 

 Java, the Bugis type is much more widely disseminated. This is 

 no doubt due to the aggressive Bugis character. Marsden says that 

 Macassar and Bugis people came in trading prahus to Sumatra and 

 that " Malaj'^s affect to copy their style of dress, and frequent allu- 

 sions to the feats of achievements of these people are made in their 

 songs. Their reputation for courage, which certainly surpasses 

 that of all other people in the eastern seas, acquires for them this 

 flattering distinction. They also derive part of the respect paid them 

 from the richness of the cargoes they import." 



The introduction of iron to Malaysia dates back to a time before 

 the beginning of the Christian era. It had, however, not yet reached 

 Micronesia or Polynesia at the beginning of the exploration of the 

 Pacific by Europeans in the sixteeenth century. Malayan weapons 

 and armor are excellent examples of the thorough penetration of 

 metal working into Indonesian culture complexes, some of the best 

 examples of native Malayan ironwork being fashioned by these 

 interior Indonesian tribes who have not been reached by Mohammed- 

 anism. The kris (keris) of the Mohammedan Malay is perhaps the 

 best example, showing both ancient Malayan, Hindu, and Moham- 

 medan art motives. Meandered lotus flower, Naga serpent designs 

 inlaid on the blade, and stylized dog or kingfisher figurines shaped 

 from dugong ivory on the conventionalized pommel, also wayang 

 figures on guard or pommel — all denote separate and distinct culture 

 stratification and influences from Malayan and Indian sources. 



Influence of culture stratification on Filipino decorative design. — 

 In the Philippines, for example, are a large number of tribes, both 

 Indonesian and Negrito, exhibiting almost every stage of culture 



