Kerambit

The kerambit in cultures of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines may have been used as an agricultural tool as well as a weapon. It is said that the shape of the kerambit is related to animist beliefs about the power of tigers, and thus the kerambit is in the shape of a tiger claw. In fact, there is also a non-bladed version of the weapon that is made of wood and is clearly shaped like a claw.

The kerambit is characterized by a sharply curved, usually double-edged, blade, which, when the knife is properly held, extends from the bottom of the hand, with the point of the blade facing forward. In Southeast Asia kerambits are encountered with varying blade lengths and both with and without a retention ring for the index finger on the end of the handle opposite the blade. However, in addition to being held blade facing forward and extending down from the fist it may also be held blade to front extending from the top of the hand.

The kerambit has attracted interest in the West recently as a martial arts weapon. Most kerambits produced in the West for use as weapons are based on the small Filipino variety, which features a short blade and index finger ring. Both fixed blade and folding (generally single-edged) kerambits are produced by a number of makers, including Emerson Knives, MTech, Cutters Knife and Tool Bengal, and Strider Knives. Martial artist Steve Tarani has done much in bringing the Kerambit to the United States.

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