Bedil Tombak

Bedil tombak or bedil tumbak is a type of early firearm from the Nusantara archipelago. The weapon consist of a gun or small cannon mounted on a wooden pole, forming a type of weapon known as " pole gun" (''stangenbüchse'' in German).

Etymology

The word ''bedil'' is a term in the Malay and Javanese language meaning gun (any type of gun, from small pistol to large siege gun). The word ''tombak'' or ''tumbak'' means spear, pike, or lance.

History

The introduction of gunpowder-based weapons in the Nusantara archipelago can be traced back to the Mongol invasion of Java (1293), where the Chinese-Mongol troops used cannon ( 炮—"Pào") against the forces of Kediri in Daha.Schlegel, Gustaaf (1902). "On the Invention and Use of Fire-Arms and Gunpowder in China, Prior to the Arrival of European". ''T'oung Pao''. 3: 1–11.Reid, Anthony (1993). ''Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce, 1450-1680. Volume Two: Expansion and Crisis''. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. Between the 14th–15th century, there are local sources mentioned about bedil (gun or gunpowder-based weapon), but since this is a broad term caution must be taken to identify what type of weapon used in a passage. A small hand-gun dated from the year 1340 thought to be Chinese was found in Java, but the dating may have been wrong.

Ma Huan (Zheng He's translator) visited Java in 1413 and took notes about the local customs. His book, Yingya Shenlan, explained about Javanese marriage ceremony: when the husband was escorting his new wife to the marital home, various instruments were sounded, including gongs, drums, and ''huochong'' (fire-tube or hand cannon). It is probable that the Javanese hand cannon is modeled after Chinese ones. A Chinese pole cannon from 1421 A.D. has been found in the island of Java bearing the name of Emperor Yongle (1403–1425). The gun's ignition hole is protected from the rain by a cover connected with a hinge.Feldhaus, F. M. (1897)
Eine Chinesische Stangenbüchse von 1421
In ''Zeitschrift für historische Waffenkunde volume 4''. Getty Research Institute. Dresden: Verein für historische Waffenkunde.

Duarte Barbosa recorded the abundance of gunpowder-based weapons in Java ca. 1514. The Javanese were deemed as expert gun casters and good artillerymen. The weapon made there include one-pounder cannons, long muskets, ''spingarde'' (arquebus), ''schioppi'' (hand cannon), Greek fire, guns (cannons), and other fire-works. In the 1511 siege of Malacca, the Malays were using cannons, matchlock guns, and "firing tubes".

Local ''babad'' (historical text) of the post-17th century occasionally mention bedil tombak. In Lombok example of such ''babad''s were babad Lombok, babad Mengui, and babad Sakra. They are also mentioned in Sundanese and Balinese texts. During the Bali-Lombok war (ca. early 19th century–end of 19th century), a part of Karangasem troops were armed with bedil tombak.

Gallery

File:Indonesian bronze handcannon.jpg, Bronze bedil tombak, age and specific place unknown.
File:Javanese Handcannon from Majalengka.jpg, Javan iron bedil tombak from Majalengka, West Java, age unknown.
File:Gun Barrels Talaga Manggung Museum.png, Bedil tombak and swivel guns at Talaga Manggung Museum, West Java.
File:Bedil kuno atau meriam kuno Jawa cetbang.png, A bedil (or cetbang), recovered from the Brantas River.

See also

* Harpoon cannon
* Speargun
* Handgonne
* Java arquebus
* Istinggar
* Bedil (term)

References

{{Early firearms
Early firearms
Polearms
Firearms of Indonesia
Weapons of Java
15th-century military history
Indonesian inventions
Cannon
Medieval weapons