A bambu runcing or prìng lancìp (which literally means "Spiked Bamboo") is a traditional spear made of a sharpened bamboo.
History
During the
Majapahit
Majapahit ( jv, ꦩꦗꦥꦲꦶꦠ꧀; ), also known as Wilwatikta ( jv, ꦮꦶꦭ꧀ꦮꦠꦶꦏ꧀ꦠ; ), was a Javanese people, Javanese Hinduism, Hindu-Buddhism, Buddhist thalassocracy, thalassocratic empire in Southeast Asia that was ba ...
kingdom in the 15th century, bambu runcing fighting was practiced on the island of
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
. The fights were performed in front of the king and queen in an open field. Both parties are headed by one man holding a bambu runcing, accompanied by their wives and servants. Their wives are armed with wooden staff with a length of about 1 m. Upon the signal of the drum, both men will fight three rounds with the bambu runcing. When their wives begin to shout "''Larak, larak''" (which means, retreat in
Javanese language
Javanese (, , ; , Aksara Jawa: , Pegon: , IPA: ) is a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken by the Javanese people from the central and eastern parts of the island of Java, Indonesia. There are also pockets of Javanese speakers on the northe ...
), so will the fight too for a moment. In an event where one of the men died from stabbing, the king will then order the victor to compensate the family of the dead, but the wife of the dead will be his.
During the
Indonesian National Revolution
The Indonesian National Revolution, or the Indonesian War of Independence, was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between the Republic of Indonesia and the Dutch Empire and an internal social revolution during Aftermath of WWII, postw ...
, the lack of weaponry forced Indonesians to turn to bamboo again. The bambu runcing became a well-known weapon in modern Indonesian history. This weapon was used by the
Indonesian people
Indonesians ( Indonesian: ''orang Indonesia'') are citizens or people originally from Indonesia, regardless of their ethnic or religious background. There are more than 1,300 ethnicities in Indonesia, making it a multicultural archipelagic cou ...
as a means of resistance against the
Dutch colonials. Today the symbol of the bambu runcing is widely used in various regions in
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 ...
to symbolize courage and sacrifice in achieving independence.
K. H. Subchi, of Parakan,
Temanggung
Temanggung Regency ( id, Kabupaten Temanggung) is a regency in the Central Java Province of Indonesia. It covers a land area of 870.65 km2 and had a population of 708,546 at the 2010 Census and 790,174 at the 2020 Census. Its capital is the town ...
, was given the informal title ''Jenderal Bambu Runcing'' (General Spiked Bamboo). He was the advisor to the ''Barisan Muslimin Temanggung'' (Temanggung Muslims Front) which was later known as ''Barisan Bambu Runcing'' (Spiked Bamboo Front).
See also
*
Arbir
References
External links
*
{{Indonesian Weapons
Weapons of Indonesia
Spears
Runcing