The ''tekpi'' is a pointed melee weapon from

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

. Known as ''tekpi'' in Malay, it is called ''chabang'' or ''cabang'' (Dutch spelling: ''tjabang'' meaning "branch") in Indonesian, ''siang tépi'' (雙短鞭 ) in

Hokkien Hokkien ( , ) is a Varieties of Chinese, variety of the Southern Min group of Chinese language, Chinese languages. Native to and originating from the Minnan region in the southeastern part of Fujian in southeastern China, it is also referred ...

, and ''trisul'' (ตรีศูล ) in Thai. It consists of a pointed metal main prong, two shorter metal side prongs, a one-handed hilt, and a blunt metal pommel, giving it the appearance of a small trident of sorts. More than a weapon, the ''tekpi'' was also an important

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

symbol. It is similar to the Okinawan ''sai''.

Description

The ''tekpi'' consists of a pointed metal main prong, that projects from a one-handed grip, two shorter metal side prongs, which project from the opposite sides of the base of the main prong and point in the same direction as it, and a blunt metal pommel, that attaches to the bottom of the grip. The two side prongs are usually curved to further facilitate disarming opponents from their weapons. The length of the ''tekpi'' ranges from 12 in to 19 in (30 cm to 49 cm).

History

The ''tekpi'' is believed by some to have been derived from the

ancient India Anatomically modern humans first arrived on the Indian subcontinent between 73,000 and 55,000 years ago. The earliest known human remains in South Asia date to 30,000 years ago. Sedentism, Sedentariness began in South Asia around 7000 BCE; ...

n ''

trishula The ''trishula'' () is a trident, a divine symbol, commonly used as one of the principal symbols in Hinduism. It is most commonly associated with the deity Shiva and widely employed in his iconography. Etymology The name ''trishula'' ultimate ...

'', a trident which can be either long or short-handled. The ''tekpi'' itself is occasionally referred to as a ''trisula'', especially in Indonesia. The earliest evidence of the ''tekpi'' comes from

Srivijaya Srivijaya (), also spelled Sri Vijaya, was a Hinduism, Hindu-Buddhism, Buddhist thalassocracy, thalassocratic empire based on the island of Sumatra (in modern-day Indonesia) that influenced much of Southeast Asia. Srivijaya was an important ...

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, ...

where it was originally used defensively like a shield. this ''tekpi'' was used by the nobles of the palace. Other sources propose that it was brought to Southeast Asia from China, but the ''tekpi'' in

Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...

and

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula is located in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area contains Peninsular Malaysia, Southern Tha ...

predates its earliest known use in China and it seems unlikely for the Chinese to introduce an Indian weapon to a region already heavily influenced by the

culture of India Indian culture is the cultural heritage, heritage of social norms and history of science and technology on the Indian subcontinent, technologies that originated in or are associated with the ethno-linguistically diverse nation of India, pert ...

. Use of the ''tekpi'' probably spread with the influence of Indian religion and eventually reached

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 ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

, and other parts of

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia (historically known as Indochina and the Indochinese Peninsula) is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to th ...

Technique

''Tekpi'' is a weapon typically wielded in pairs, with one in each hand. It is utilized just like its shape would suggest, as it is a weapon used for fast stabs and strikes similar to a knife or a

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 ...

. But it is quite versatile and can be used in other ways as well. Defensively, the ''tekpi'' is useful at effectively countering bladed weapons. The two side prongs can be used to catch the opponent's weapon and block or entrap it, or to even disarm the opponent of it completely. When rotated so that the point of the main prong is facing towards the user's elbow, the pommel could be used to deliver powerful blows, while the main prong is kept against the forearm to block attacks. When not in use, the ''tekpi'' are hung at the waist.

References

{{Indonesian Weapons Weapons of Indonesia Weapons of Malaysia Tridents ms:Tekpi

Description

History

Technique

See also

References