When colonial powers and firearms (guns) entered Indonesia, the kris declined in use, but it continued to be important as a symbol of magical power in ritual contexts, such as the royal court.Nowadays it functions like a personal amulet, keeping evil forces away from the owner.The kris appears in wedding rituals, and other rituals where continuity with the past and with ancestors (and ancestor spirits) is important.The kris is thus an example of adat (tradition; mentioned at the start of this discussion). It comes from the pre-Muslim past, but it continues to have meaning in the setting of Islamized Indonesia.Next week, we return to present-day Indonesia, looking at the ritual culture of wayang, and also Muslim performance. Then we will consider Balinese ritual performance, often involving spirit possession.When we leave Indonesia, we will expand on the theme of possession to include southern Asia in the discussion.In the previous week we ended with the end of Hindu kingdoms in Java and the coming of Islam. Majapahit, the last great Hindu empire in Indonesia, which was centered in Java, finally came to an end around 1500. After that, Java was predominantly Muslim.Even after Islam was established, local customs (adat) continued and adapted to the new conditions.Even before Islam came to Java, some rulers of trade kingdoms elsewhere in the region, such as Melaka (Malacca; in Malaysia), embraced Islam, and then their mercantile connections spread the new religion throughout the archipelago.