The karambit or kerambit is a small Southeast Asian hand-held, curved knife originating
in Indonesia.
The karambit spelling is mostly used in the Philippines.
In Western literature it is occasionally misspelled as "korambit".
Origin
As proven by its etymological roots, the kerambit originated from Minangkabau people of West
Sumatra, Indonesia where, according to folklore, it was inspired by the claws of big cats.
As with most weapons of the region, it was originally an agricultural implement designed
to rake roots, gather threshing and plant rice.
As it was weaponised, the blade became more curved to maximise cutting potential.
Through Indonesia's trade network and close contact with neighbouring countries, the karambit
was eventually dispersed through what are now Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
Philippines and Thailand.
Culturally the kerambit was a subject of condescension in Java because of its history as a weapon
of the agrarian peasantry, as opposed to the kesatria who were trained in the keraton or
palace.
European accounts tell that soldiers in Indonesia were armed with a kris at their waist or back
and a spear in their hands, while the kerambit was used as a last resort when the fighter's
other weapons were lost in battle.
Nevertheless it was popular among women who would tie the weapon into their hair to be
used in self-defense.
Even today, silat practitioners regard it as a feminine weapon.
The renowned Bugis warriors of Sulawesi were famous for their embrace of the kerambit.
Today it is one of the main weapons of silat and is commonly used in Filipino martial arts
as well.
Superficially the kerambit resembles the jambiyah but there is no connection.
The jambiyah was always designed as a weapon and serves as a status marker, often made
by skilled artisans and jewelers using precious stones and metals, whereas the kerambit was
and still remains an unadorned, modest farmer's implement and useful utility knife.
Technique
While it is primarily used in a slashing or hooking motion, kerambits with a finger ring
are also used in a punching motion hitting the opponent with the finger ring, as well
as some kerambits are designed to be used in a hammering motion.
This flexibility of striking methods is what makes it so useful in self-defense situations.
The finger guard makes it difficult to disarm and allows the knife to be maneuvered in the
fingers without losing one's grip.
Generally, the short Filipino karambit has found favor in the West with some martial
artists because such proponents allege the biomechanics of the weapon allow for more
powerful cutting strokes and painful "ripping" wounds, and because its usability is hypothesized
as more intuitive, though there continues to be debate about this matter.
Variations There are many regional variants of Kerambit.
The length of the blade, for example, could vary from one village or blacksmith to another.
Some have no finger guard and some feature two blades, one on each side of the handle.
Traditional Indonesian forms of Kerambit include: Kerambit Kuku Bima: Bima's nail kerambit,
endemic to West Java Kerambit Kuku Hanuman: Hanuman's claw kerambit,
endemic to West Java Kerambit Kuku Macan: tiger's claw kerambit,
endemic to Sumatra, Central Java and Madura Kerambit Sumbawa: larger, sturdier kerambit
made specially for battle.
From the Sumba Islands Kerambit Lombok: larger, sturdier kerambit
made specially for battle.
From Lombok Lawi Ayam: chicken's claw, created by the
Minang community Additionally, modern Kerambit may have spikes
or spurs on the front or rear ricasso, which may be intended for gripping clothing or horse
tack, tearing flesh or for injecting a poison, such as the upas.
Modern forms
The modern Western interpretation of the karambit is far removed from the original agricultural
tool.
They may have folding blades and finished to very high standard, as opposed to being
rudimentary and makeshift.
As they are made from expensive materials, the Western variation is beyond the financial
means of most South East Asian peasants.
They also are generally larger to accommodate larger hands and the sheath is usually made
of modern materials rather than wood or leather.
The West has recently found the karambit to be useful for self-defense.
Most of those produced in the West for use as weapons are based on the small Filipino
variety, which features a short blade and index finger ring.
Both fixed blade and folding karambits are produced by a number of makers, including
Warren Thomas, Mantis Knives, Emerson Knives, Strider Knives, Spyderco, Cold Steel, Craig
Camerer, United Cutlery, Rich Derespina, Cutters Knife and Tool, 5.11 Tactical, Kramer Custom
Knives, Tom Ferry Knives, Mike Snody, Quartermaster Knives, Tindle Knife Works, and Fox Cutlery.
In popular culture Father Rhun Korza, one of the Knights of Christ,
a team of specially trained "ex-vampire priests" that act as vampire hunters for the Vatican
in James Rollins' The Order Of The Sanguines series, uses as his only weapon an ancient
Karambit that is made of silver.
For a single karambit, across three novels it piles up a staggering body count of the
undead.
China White from CW "Arrow" uses two karambit knives in combat.
A fighter wields two karambit in the Thai movie Ong Bak 2.
The famous Javanese playwright Nadiputra titled one of his three plays Awang Kerambit.
A Emerson Combat Karambit is briefly seen in the Thomas Jane film, The Punisher.
The opening scene of the film Merantau shows a silat routine with a kerambit.
In the movie Taken, Liam Neeson fights Sheik Raman's guard who uses a karambit.
A karambit is used by Lazlo Mourne in the Mushashi Flex novel by Steve Perry.
A folding Emerson Combat Karambit is used by Michael Westen in the Television Series
Burn Notice.
An Emerson Karambit Fixed Blade is used by Alex Mason and Frank Woods in the level Executive
Order in the 2010 video game Call of Duty: Black Ops.
A Cold Steel Steel Tiger Karambit is used by a gang Thai member in The Man from Nowhere.
A folding Emerson Super Karambit is used by Roan in TV series Nikita.
A karambit is used by the antagonist Alphard in Canaan.
The character Valmet wields a Karambit in episode 12 of the anime series Jormungand.
A karambit is used by Katya a mute female terrorist working with Simon Gruber in Die
Hard with a Vengeance.
The Emerson Karambit Fixed Blade also resurfaces in the mission "Old Wounds" from the video
game Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2, it is used by Sgt Frank Woods in order to interrogate
Lev Kravchenko.
A kerambit is included in the crest of the Royal Malaysian Police.
Sam Fisher in Splinter Cell Blacklist is armed with a modern westernized karambit for close
quarter combat.
A hitman in the film Bullet to the Head kills Stallone's partner with a folding karambit.
A Karambit is an exceedingly rare special item in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
A Karambit was used by Hannibal Lecter in the film Hannibal to kill a hitman and cut
open Chief Inspector Rinaldo Pazzi's gut.
Screaming Mantis in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots uses multiple Karambits during
her boss fight.
"The Assassin", a cold blooded killer character from The Raid 2, uses a pair of Karambits
as his weapons.
The main character of the video game Alpha Protocol wields a karambit
See also
Golok Klewang
Parang References