Bedil tombak or bedil tumbak is a type of early firearm from the Indonesian archipelago. The weapon consists of a gun or small cannon mounted on a wooden pole, forming a type of weapon known as "pole gun" (stangenbüchse in German).

Etymology The word bedil is a term in the Malay and Javanese language meaning gun (any type of gun, from small pistol to large siege gun). The word tombak or tumbak means spear, pike, or lance.

History

The introduction of gunpowder-based weapons in the Nusantara archipelago can be traced back to the Mongol invasion of Java (1293), where the Chinese-Mongol troops used cannon (炮—Pào) against the forces of Kediri in Daha.Schlegel, Gustaaf (1902). "On the Invention and Use of Fire-Arms and Gunpowder in China, Prior to the Arrival of European". T'oung Pao. 3: 1–11.Lombard, Denys (1990). Le carrefour javanais. Essai d'histoire globale (The Javanese Crossroads: Towards a Global History) Vol. 2. Paris: Editions de l'Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales. p. 178.Reid, Anthony (1993). Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce, 1450–1680. Volume Two: Expansion and Crisis. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. Between the 14th–15th century, there are local sources mentioned about bedil (gun or gunpowder-based weapon), but since this is a broad term caution must be taken to identify what type of weapon used in a passage. A small hand-gun dated from the year 1340 thought to be Chinese was found in Java, but the dating may have been wrong.

Ma Huan (Zheng He's translator) visited Majapahit in 1413 and took notes about the local customs. His book, Yingya Shenlan, explained about Javanese marriage ceremony: when the husband was escorting his new wife to the marital home, various instruments were sounded, including gongs, drums, and huochong (fire-tube or hand cannon).Mayers (1876). "Chinese explorations of the Indian Ocean during the fifteenth century". The China Review. IV: p. 178. It is probable that the Javanese hand cannon is modeled after Chinese ones. A Chinese pole cannon from 1421 A.D. has been found in the island of Java bearing the name of Emperor Yongle (1403–1425). The gun's ignition hole is protected from the rain by a cover connected with a hinge.Feldhaus, F. M. (1897). Eine Chinesische Stangenbüchse von 1421. In Zeitschrift für historische Waffenkunde volume 4. Getty Research Institute. Dresden: Verein für historische Waffenkunde.

Haiguo Guangji (海国广记) and Shuyu zhouzi lu (殊域周咨錄) recorded that Java is vast and densely populated, and their armored soldiers and hand cannons (火銃—huǒ chòng) dominated the Eastern Seas.

Duarte Barbosa recorded the abundance of gunpowder-based weapons in Java ca. 1514. The Javanese were deemed as expert gun casters and good artillerymen. The weapon made there include one-pounder cannons, long muskets, spingarde (arquebus), schioppi (hand cannon), Greek fire, guns (cannons), and other fire-works. In the 1511 siege of Malacca, the Malays were using cannons, matchlock guns, and "firing tubes". The gunpowder weapons of Malacca were not made by the Malay people but were imported from Java.Charney, Michael (2012). Iberians and Southeast Asians at War: the Violent First Encounter at Melaka in 1511 and After. In Waffen Wissen Wandel: Anpassung und Lernen in transkulturellen Erstkonflikten. Hamburger Edition.

Local babad (historical text) of the post-17th century occasionally mention bedil tombak. In Lombok example of such babads were babad Lombok, babad Mengui, and babad Sakra. They are also mentioned in Sundanese and Balinese texts. During the Bali-Lombok war (ca. early 19th century–end of 19th century), a part of Karangasem troops were armed with bedil tombak.

Gallery

See also Harpoon cannon Speargun Handgonne Java arquebus Istinggar Bedil (term)

References