An ancient design, the karambit’s origins can be traced back to Sumatra, Java, and Malaysia, according to the oral history passed down from generation to generation and then onto me by my Indonesian masters. Due to regional variations, there have always been differences in design, depending on which island the blade came from. For example, the karambit of Pulau Lombok, an island of the Indonesian Archipelago, and that of its northeastern neighbor, the island of Sumbawa, is said to have been traditionally a larger or “battlefield-sized” karambit — quite a bit bigger than its more personal-sized Javanese cousin. According to the oral record, there is also another variation of the karambit that comes from Pulau Madura, an island located northeast of Java, which is traditionally larger and with more of a curve known as the klurit (pronounced “clure-eet”). There are also many different shapes and designs of the ancient combat karambit such as rajawali (bird-head shape) and others that include protruding spurs used for tearing flesh in the heat of battle — a coveted blade-performance requirement of the ancient world. Today, these features have been…read more.