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HISTORY OF THE KARAMBIT
By Steve Tarani
Since before recorded time, different cultures
around the globe developed different tools based
on their needs. Some developed superior fishing
tools, while others developed tools for planting
crops. Tool design and application are a direct
result of era and geography. A seaside dwelling
tribe would develop different tools than would a
mountainous or plains tribe. When various
peoples migrated from one geographical location
to another they brought with them their tools
and way of life - sometimes peacefully, as in
migration, and other times by war, as in the
case of conquest.
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According to my masters and the oral
tradition that was passed down from
master to student for centuries, prior
to 1280 AD, most of West Java was part
of the indigenous Pajajaran kingdom. The
Badui tribe of West Java, the aboriginal
people of Sunda, considered to be the
ethnic group of the Pajajaran, lived
relatively peacefully until the coming
of the Majapahit empire (circa 1351 AD).
At that time the Badui tribe quickly
migrated to the rugged mountainous
regions of the west, brought their
weapons with them and remained
self-governed. |
Steve Tarani training in West Java with
Bapak Sesepuh S, Suherman of the Budhi
Kancana Pusat school of Pencak Silat in
1995. |
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The kings of the ancient Sundanese
kingdom were considered very
powerful. When a king died, his
subjects believed that his spirit
flitted into the jungles and became
the spirit of a tiger. There are two
terms for the tiger that rules the
jungles of West Java. One is Harimau,
which is the generic Bahasay
Indonesian word for tiger, and the
other is Pak Macan (pronounced
"Pah-mah-chahn" - sometimes
anglicized and spelled Pamacan)
which loosely translates to "great
tiger." Thus, the great tiger is
very much revered by the Sundanese.
So awed were the ancient Sunda
peoples by the power and ferocity of
the Pamacan, that the common blade
of the people was patterned after
the shape of the claw of Pamacan.
This very large blade was known as
Kuku Macan, or "claw of Pamacan."
Literally translated as "tiger
claw", the Kuku Macan was revered
symbolically as well as practically
employed. |
Originally wielded in battle, the oversized Kuku
Macan was a bit cumbersome to manipulate, so it
was scaled down to smaller sizes, which
augmented maneuverability. Much like the ancient
European broadsword, which was eventually
reduced from a two-handed heavy slashing weapon
to a light single-handed thrusting weapon,
various permutations of the Kuku Macan were
developed based upon practical usage. As the
saying goes, "Necessity is the mother of
invention". Like the development of the Western
dagger, the Kuku Macan blade design came in
smaller sizes and eventually found itself in the
smallest size - the very personalized Karambit.
The Karambit is also referred to as the Kuku
Bima (literally "the claw of Bima"). Pre-12th
century influence as a result of Hindus settling
in Indonesian archipelago, brought the
Mahabharata ("great epic of the Bharata
Dynasty") and the Ramayana, (two major epics of
India, valued for both high literary merit and
religious inspiration), to Java. Contained
within the Mahabharata is the Bagavadgita ("the
Lord's song") which is the single most important
religious text of Hinduism. Bima is one of the
most revered characters from the Mahabrapta.
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Also known as Kuku Hanuman
(literally "the claw of Hanuman" -a
character from the Ramayana pictured
to the right), the magical claw,
which protrudes from between the
center of the hands of Bima and
Hanuman - has become recognized as a
symbol of the martial arts of the
Indonesian archipelago, namely Pencak Silat and is often attributed
as one of the roots of the overall
Karambit design.
The graceful and efficient curvature
of the tiger's claw (designed by
mother nature) in combination with
the mystical hand weapons of the
ancient characters of the
Mahabharata and the Ramayana - the
Kuku Macan, Kuku Bima or Kuku
Hanuman - where forged together with
steel and bone by early
village-dwellers to create the
ancient Karambit. In modern times as
the Karambit (now much smaller in
size than its battlefield-sized
ancestor) is now recognized
internationally as a traditional
weapon of Indonesian Pencak Silat. |
When a fighter unsheathed a battlefield Karambit
in ancient times, the cutting edge was almost
always smeared with some type of deadly poison,
which acted almost instantly upon entry into the
bloodstream via laceration of the flesh. Even
the smallest cut was enough to usher the poison
into the bloodstream. Knowledge and use of
poisons derived from various species of
poisonous frogs, snakes, scorpions and spiders
were considered an essential element of a
warrior's arsenal of close-quarter combative
skills. These poisons rapidly accelerated death
and were mostly feared for their nearly
instantaneous killing power. This is another
reason why Pencak Silat techniques and systems
such as Sabetan and Rhikasan focus on the
immobilization of the hands at close quarters.
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The personal Karambit (smaller
version of the battlefield Karambit)
was primarily designed for targeting
the nerves and joints. As a result
of such a small cutting surface,
most cuts cannot be made deep enough
to kill someone. That is why the
Karambit can be considered a
personal self-defense tool. In
contrast, the blade of the Karambit
Besar (larger or battlefield version
of the personal-sized Karambit) is
longer and thus permits deeper cuts.
According to the ancients, the
battlefield Karambit was preferred
not only for its superior length but
for the fact that you could, as a
result of the lengthy cutting edge,
"spill the entrails of your enemies
onto the ground." However, as it was
in the West, with the advent of
battle-worthy and functional
firearms, bladed weapons became
obsolete on the battlefield and
relegated to the utilitarian uses of
knives that we see today. |
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Often used as a last line of defense in ancient
times when the larger Clurit was made
inoperable, the smaller personal Karambit
targets included the eyes, testicles, the
Achilles tendon, carotid artery, biceps, forearm
and wrist. A particularly nasty target of
ancient times was the clavicle (collar-bone).
Executed perfectly the Karambit would catch the
collarbone (tip pointed down) and is then
quickly turned from palm down position to palm
up position which, using your body weight, would
snap the bone thus rendering your enemy's weapon
arm useless.
Specifically designed as a close-quarter
self-defense weapon, the Karambit of old was
additionally quite difficult to see in the hand
due to its method of deployment and cover of the
fingers. Doubly menacing was that it could not
be disarmed as a result of its forefinger-grip
design. It was unique to any other blade at the
time as it could be used for both a medium and
close fighting ranges without changing distance
of the striking arm. It was also the only blade
used in battle that could cut twice with a
single arm stroke. All other blades of that era
need one motion for one cut. The ancient
battlefield Karambit was unique because:
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It could not be
easily seen.
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It could not be
easily disarmed
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It could change
ranges without body movement
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It could deliver
two strikes in a single arm motion.
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Bapak Suherman - one of the last masters
of the Karambit and teacher of Guru Besar Herman Suwanda. |
Although quite a remarkable weapon, and
as fierce as it looks, its primary
application in this modern era is
utilitarian. The multi-functionality of
this tool is what truly sets it apart
from the many different other types of
utility knives.
Used in training by martial artists who
practice the art of Pencak Silat, and in
some cases used as an implement of
personal defense (much like any modern
pocket knife or even a steak knife for
that matter!), its small tip and blade
length are not conducive to delivery of
lethal blows and the Karambit cannot be
used for effective thrusting and thus
cannot be considered a dagger.
However, when used correctly it can
deliver convincing motivation to any
would-be attacker to leave you for
another victim!
Originally used for personal backup, the
Karambit could be employed as an
"add-on" with specific styles and
systems of training. For example, the Cikalong and Rhikasan systems of Mande
Muda Pencak Silat, are the base systems
of hand immobilization and close-quarter
technique. Once you became proficient in
these systems in empty-hand application,
you could then easily "add on" the
Karambit to your technique.
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Today, although no longer used on
the field of battle, the Karambit is
employed as a utility tool, a
martial-arts training implement and
can also be used for personal
protection at extreme close quarters
as a last line of defense.
In 21st-century America, the
Karambit has found a home with
campers, hunters, martial artists,
collectors, knife enthusiasts and
defense-minded citizens who choose
to carry a utility knife that can
also be used in the event of assault
on their person. As with any tool of
value, it becomes the responsibility
of its owner to know how to care for
and safely operate it.
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