The Uniqueness of Keris Tourism Village
- Istimewa
VIVA – The Minister of Economic and Creative Tourism visited the Keris Tourism Villages in Saronggi District, Sumenep Regency, Madura, East Java. Sandiaga Uno revealed that the Keris Tourism Village is one of the unique villages with an authentic Indonesian weapon, namely the Keris.
"Especially in the modern world, this village still utilises activities that have existed for hundreds of years," said Sandiaga Uno based on a written statement received by VIVA on Wednesday, May 25, 2022.
Sandiaga Uno's visit to the Keris Tourism Village because the Keris Tourism Village is one of the top 50 from the 2022 Indonesian Tourism Village Award.
Sumenep Regency itself has been confirmed as the City of Keris and even the United Nation Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has designated Sumenep Regency as the area for the most keris craftsmen in the world, and most of the keris masters come from Keris Tourism Village or Aeng Tong-tong Village.
In Sumenep, there are 470 to 500 keris masters, the number of which beats Yogyakarta's 15 masters. So, UNESCO recognizes Sumenep Regency with the coronation as the most famous master or known as keris maker in Southeast Asia.
Sandiaga said that in Keris Tourism Village, there is still a traditional Madura Tanean Lanjang house which means a long yard, which is a collection of houses consisting of several families who are still in one family bond.
"People also still preserve their traditional houses," said Sandiaga Uno.
Sandiaga Uno.
- Ist.
Sandiaga also didn't forget to visit Empu Ika. Empu Ika is the only female keris maker in Indonesia.
Empu Ika invited Sandiaga Uno to see the process of making a keris, starting from choosing iron, forging, forming blades, kinatah (carving iron if you carve a keris), Warangka (make a keris sheath made of wood), lastly, shaving or mixing arsenic liquid with water lime that smeared or dipped into the kris.