A golok is a cutting tool, similar to a

machete A machete (; ) is a broad blade used either as an agricultural implement similar to an axe, or in combat like a long-bladed knife. The blade is typically long and usually under thick. In the Spanish language, the word is possibly a dimin ...

, that comes in many variations and is found throughout the

Malay Archipelago The Malay Archipelago is the archipelago between Mainland Southeast Asia and Australia, and is also called Insulindia or the Indo-Australian Archipelago. The name was taken from the 19th-century European concept of a Malay race, later based ...

. It is used as an agricultural tool as well as a weapon. The word ''golok'' (sometimes misspelled in English as "gollock") is used in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

and

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

. Both in Malaysia and in Indonesia, the term is usually interchangeable with the longer and broader

parang Parang is a popular folk music originating from Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago that was brought to Trinidad and Tobago by Venezuelan migrants who were primarily of Amerindian, Spanish, Mestizo, Pardo, and African heritage, something whic ...

. In the Sundanese region of

West Java West Java (, ) is an Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten and the country's capital region of Jakarta to t ...

it is known as ''bedog''. In the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, the term ''gulok'' (also known as '' gunong''), refers to different dagger weapons including the ''

kris The kris or is a Javanese culture, Javanese asymmetrical dagger with a distinctive blade-patterning achieved through alternating laminations of iron and nickelous iron (''pamor''). The kris is famous for its distinctive wavy blade, although ma ...

''.

History

In Indonesia, the golok is often associated with the Sundanese and

Betawi people Betawi people, Batavi, or Batavians (''Orang Betawi'' in Indonesian, meaning "people of Batavia"), are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the city of Jakarta and its immediate outskirts, as such often described as the inhabitants of the ...

. The Betawi recognize two types of golok; ''gablongan'' or '' bendo'' is the domestic tool used in the kitchen or field for agricultural purposes, and the ''golok simpenan'' or ''sorenam'' that is used for self-protection and traditionally always carried by Betawi men. The golok is a symbol of masculinity and bravery in Betawi culture. A ''jawara'' (local strongman or village champion) will always have a golok hung or tied around the waist at the hips. This custom, however, has ceased to exist since the 1970s, when authorities would apprehend those that carry the golok publicly and have it confiscated in order to uphold security, law and order, and to reduce gang fighting. Sundanese, Javanese and Malay goloks have also been recorded. The use of ''golok'' in Sundanese was recorded in

Sanghyang Siksa Kandang Karesian ''Sanghyang Siksa Kandang Karesian'' is a didactic text, providing the reader with religious and moralistic rules, prescriptions and lessons. The title means something like “the book of rules with guidance to be a '' resi'' (wise or holy man)”. ...

(text dated 1518) and in Malay was recorded as early as the

Hikayat Hang Tuah ''Hikayat Hang Tuah'' ( Jawi: حکاية هڠ تواه) is a Malay work of literature that tells the tale of the legendary Malay warrior Hang Tuah and his four warrior friends – Hang Jebat, Hang Kasturi, Hang Lekir and Hang Lekiu – who li ...

(text dated 1700) and

Sejarah Melayu The ''Malay Annals'' ( Malay: ''Sejarah Melayu'', Jawi: ), originally titled ''Sulalatus Salatin'' (''Genealogy of Kings''), is a literary work that gives a romanticised history of the origin, evolution and destruction of the Malacca Sultanat ...

(1612),

Description

Sizes and weights vary, as does blade shape, but the typical length is . Goloks tend to be heavier and shorter than parangs or common machetes, typically being used for bush and branch cutting. Most traditional goloks use a convex edge or an edgewise taper, where the blade is less likely to get stuck in

green wood Green wood is wood that has been recently cut and therefore has not had an opportunity to wood drying, season (dry) by evaporation of the internal moisture. Green wood contains more moisture than seasoned wood, which has been dried through passa ...

than flat edged machetes. The blade is heaviest in the centre and flows away in a curve to a sharp point at the tip. Goloks are traditionally made with a springy

carbon steel Carbon steel is a steel with carbon content from about 0.05 up to 2.1 percent by weight. The definition of carbon steel from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) states: * no minimum content is specified or required for chromium, cobalt ...

blade of a softer temper than that of other large knives. This makes them easier to dress and sharpen in the field, but it also requires more frequent attention. Although many manufacturers produce factory-made goloks, there are still handmade productions that are widely and actively made in Indonesia.

Modern application

The golok style is noted for being the pattern for

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

-issue machetes used since the early 1950s.

References

External links

{{knives Edged and bladed weapons Machetes Weapons of Indonesia Weapons of Malaysia Weapons of the Philippines Weapons of the Philippine Army

History

Description

Modern application

See also

References

External links