The ''tekpi'' is a short-handled

trident A trident is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. The trident is the weapon of Poseidon, or Neptune, the God of the Sea in classical mythology. The trident may occasionally be held by other marine ...

from

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

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

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesia ...

, ''siang tépi'' (雙短鞭 ) in

Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages ...

, and ''trisul'' (ตรีศูล ) in Thai. More than a weapon, it was also important as a Hindu-

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

symbol. It is comparable to the Okinawan Sai.

Description

The ''tekpi'' is made of

iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in ...

or steel, the basic form of the weapon is that of a sharp and pointed, dagger-shaped metal truncheon, with two curved prongs projecting from the handle. The prongs extend from the hilt and are useful for grabbing away an opponent's weapon. The length of the ''tekpi'' ranges from 12 to 25 inches.

History

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

ancient India According to consensus in modern genetics, anatomically modern humans first arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa between 73,000 and 55,000 years ago. Quote: "Y-Chromosome and Mt-DNA data support the colonization of South Asia by ...

n ''

trishula The ''trishula'' () is a trident, a divine symbol, commonly used as one of the principal symbols in Hinduism. In Nepal and Thailand, the term also often refers to a short-handled weapon which may be mounted on a ''daṇḍa'' "staff". Unlik ...

'', 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 ( id, Sriwijaya) was a Buddhist thalassocratic empire based on the island of Sumatra (in modern-day Indonesia), which influenced much of Southeast Asia. Srivijaya was an important centre for the expansion of Buddhism from the ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

where it was originally used defensively like a shield. ''Tekpi'' are also found in the

Malacca Sultanate The Malacca Sultanate ( ms, Kesultanan Melaka; Jawi script: ) was a Malays (ethnic group), Malay sultanate based in the modern-day state of Malacca, Malaysia. Conventional historical thesis marks as the founding year of the sultanate by King o ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

; 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 and

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula ( Malay: ''Semenanjung Tanah Melayu'') is a peninsula 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 are ...

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 heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, belief systems, political systems, artifacts and technologies that originated in or are associated with the ethno-linguistically diverse India. The term als ...

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

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

, China,

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

, and other parts of

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, 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 the west an ...

Technique

''Tekpi'' are generally wielded in pairs, favouring short, quick stabbing movements similar to a knife or a

kris The kris, or ''keris'' in the Indonesian language, is an asymmetrical dagger with distinctive blade-patterning achieved through alternating laminations of iron and nickelous iron (''pamor''). Of Javanese origin, the kris is famous for its disti ...

. Defensively, the ''tekpi'' is effective for guarding against bladed weapons. The outer prongs are meant for catching the opponent's weapon, allowing for a disarm or deflection of the attack. When rotated so that the tip is pointing towards the user's elbow, the hilt could be used in a thrusting blow while the shaft is kept parallel to and 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