Cucuk Sanggul (CS) is one of the personal ornaments for Malay, Chinese, and Indian women of Peranakan to use as a hairstyle. The Orang Asli tribe use bamboo or wood that has been carved as Cucuk Sanggul.

CS are used to pin on buns or hairpins to strengthen or prevent the bun from unraveling. CS are usually made of gold, metal, bamboo, copper, suasa and silver. Porcupine thorns and rattan were also used as CS in ancient times.

Apart from its use to decorate oneself, it also serves as a weapon to defend oneself from threats. In the event of a fight between women or an attack from men, the CS will be used to pierce the neck, eyes, genitals, stomach and any part of the attacker’s body that is not protected by bones. CS is one of the weapons feared by the enemy and one of the best self-defense weapons for women.

Among the Cucuk Sanggul motif patterns are:

• CS Paku/kecik
• CS Wau Bulan
• CS Sudu
• CS Goyang
• CS Kepang
• CS Bunga Senayan
• CS Bunga Pacak
• CS Pecah
• CS Jurai
• CS Gandik

However, in modern times, the use of Cucuk Sanggul among women is less well-received because there are various other decorations that have existed such as hair elastics, hijabs, turbans and so on. Therefore, Cucuk Sanggul is one of the important heritages in the world of Malay jewelry and weaponry that needs to be preserved.

Dari mata turun ke hati,

Celak dan sanggul mencantikkan lagi,

Dah sayang mula ternanti-nanti,

Kalau terlepas nanti rugi.