The Sangot and Its Legacy: From Agricultural Tool to the Karambit in Filipino Martial Arts

The Sangot and Its Legacy: From Agricultural Tool to the Karambit in Filipino Martial Arts

Bladed weapons have always been central to the martial traditions of the Philippines. Among these, the karambit has achieved global recognition for its curved blade and distinctive fighting applications. Yet behind the karambit lies a less well known but deeply significant tool of Filipino life: the Sangot.

 

The Sangot is a traditional Filipino sickle with a curved blade, widely used across the Visayas and Mindanao for tasks such as harvesting rice, cutting grasses and working sugarcane. 

As with many agrarian societies, the line between tool and weapon was often blurred. The Sangot’s crescent shaped edge allowed farmers to work efficiently but in times of conflict or self defence, it could be wielded as an improvised weapon.

Throughout Philippine history, agricultural implements like the Sangot, Bolo and Itak have been pressed into martial use. Spanish colonial reports from the 16th–19th centuries frequently noted how uprisings employed farming blades as primary weapons. This reflects a broader theme in Filipino culture, the adaptability of everyday tools for martial purposes.

While the Karambit is often associated with neighboring Indonesia and Malaysia, Filipino martial arts practitioners recognise strong connections to the Sangot. Both share the principle of a curved, claw like blade, which lends itself to similar combative strategies.

Key parallels include:

Curvature of the Blade: Both are designed to slice with a pulling motion, maximizing cutting power with minimal force.

Hooking and Trapping Functions: The curve allows for controlling limbs, clothing, or weapons in close combat.

Agricultural Origins: Like the sangot, early karambits were primarily utility knives before they were refined into dedicated fighting blades.

Over time, the Karambit developed additional features such as the finger ring (Singsingan), which made weapon retention easier and facilitated spinning techniques. This adaptation likely occurred as the blade transitioned from tool to specialised martial weapon.

Filipino martial arts (FMA), such as Eskrima, Arnis, and Kali, incorporate a wide range of bladed weapons training. The Karambit has been absorbed into many systems, often treated as a close range, last resort blade. 

Techniques that mirror the agricultural roots of the sangot:

Hooking, tearing, and slicing motions that reflect harvesting techniques.

Control and disarm strategies rooted in the blade’s ability to catch and manipulate.

Short range adaptability, making it suitable for concealed or surprise use.

By training with the Karambit, modern practitioners are not only honing combat skills but also maintaining continuity with the indigenous ingenuity of Filipino farmers and warriors.

The Sangot’s transformation into the Karambit highlights a broader historical theme, the Filipino ability to adapt tools of survival into instruments of resistance and self defence.

The Karambit is therefore more than a weapon, it is a cultural bridge, linking the agrarian life of the archipelago with its martial traditions.

By recognising the Sangot’s role in shaping the Karambit, practitioners of FMA honor the ingenuity of past generations while preserving a living tradition that continues to evolve today.