Code: IN9
This is a modern Kerambit (“karambit”) with a damascus steel (“wootz”) blade as well as hilt. The dagger weighs close to 500 grams with the solid damascus hilt. The total length is about 11 inches. At this size, the knife qualifies as a “battlefield” Karmabit, also called a “Karambit Besar”. Smaller versions, easily concealed, are more suitable to defensive use. The Kerambit has a sharply curved, double-edged blade. It is generally held extending from the bottom of the hand. The index finger is place through the ring on the hilt, making it a very difficult weapon to disarm. Any size Kerambit is an extraordinary deadly knife in close-in combat, as shown in this video.
The Kerambit (pronounced kah-rahm-bit) is a remarkable utility knife that was born in the Indonesian archipelago with roots in Malaysia and the Philippines. The Kermabit was first documented to be carried the early 11th century AD. It can be seen today in various remote locations throughout the Indonesian islands, parts of Malaysia and the Southern Philippine islands being used in agriculture and other day-to-day tasks. 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: field work, including cutting twine or rope; chopping fruits and vegetables; and, in some rare cases, as an exceptional personal safety knife.
Both the kerambit and it’s larger cousin, the Kuku Macan of Sumatra are said to resemble a tiger’s claw, hence the western nickname, “Tiger’s Claw”. Tigers are significant for their power according to animist beliefs in the region.
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.
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