The making of traditionally correct tajong hilts is a dying art form although tourist trade copies of generally poor quality are not terribly hard to come by.  One of the few master keris hilt carvers of our age who specialized in the tajong hilt was Nik Rashidin Nik Hussein, a Malaysian from the Northeastern state of Kelantan.  Nik Din, as he was commonly known, put an exceptional amount of effort and research into his craft and produced masterpiece hilts of the highest quality.  He collected and studied literally hundreds of keris tajong which he described as his "textbooks."  He used this knowledge to produce tajong hilts that reflected correct traditional forms.  This is not to say that he copied old pieces.  Rather, like the carvers of old, Nik Rashidin expressed his craftsmanship while remaining within the bounds of traditional methods, forms and motifs.  For Nik Din the creation of a tajong hilt was not simply an exercise in woodcarving.  Rather it was a mystical experience which required that he make a personal connection with the piece being carved.  Sadly Nik Din passed away from cancer at the age of 49 in August of 2002.  He will be sorely missed by all of us who knew him and called him friend but also by his nation who lost one of its true treasures.

This was a prized possession of Nik Rashidin.  An old unfinished hulu tajong that taught him much about how the tajong was made.