From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Silat is a collective word for indigenous
martial arts that originates from
Indonesia, it is traditionally practiced in,
Malaysia,
southern Thailand,
Singapore,
Vietnam,
Brunei and the
Philippines.
There are hundreds of different styles but they tend to focus either
on strikes, joint manipulation, throws, bladed weaponry, or some
combination thereof. Silat is one of the sports included in the
Southeast Asian Games
and other region-wide competitions. Training halls are overseen by
separate national organizations in each of the main countries the art is
practiced. These are
Ikatan Pencak Silat Indonesia (IPSI) from
Indonesia,
Persekutuan Silat Kebangsaan Malaysia (PESAKA) from
Malaysia,
Persekutuan Silat Brunei Darussalam (PERSIB) from
Brunei and
Persekutuan Silat Singapura (PERSISI) from
Singapore.
Contents
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Etymology
The origin of the word
silat is unknown. It likely comes from the Tamil word
silambam, which has long been practiced by the Indian community of
Malaysia.
[citation needed] The Tamils also use the word
silatguvarisai to define their silambam movement patterns. Other similar-sounding words have been proposed but none have been proven.
Originally
silat was used as a generic term for any system of
fighting in the region. Today, the word has a formidable arsenal of
terms used to refer to
martial arts in
Southeast Asia.
[1] It is usually called
pencak silat in
Indonesia or
silek in the
Minangkabau language. Some examples of the word's application in
Malaysia and
Singapore include
seni silat (art of silat) and
seni bela-diri (art of self-defence).
History
Fighting arts in the
Malay Archipelago
arose out of hunting methods and military training by the region's
native inhabitants. The descendents of former headhunters still perform
ancient wardances which are considered the precursor of the freestyle
form in silat. While these aborigines retained their tribal way of life, the Indo-Malay diaspora instead based their culture on
China and
India. By adopting the Indian faiths of
Hinduism and
Buddhism, their social structure became more organised.
[2] Evidence shows that silat was influenced by both
Chinese and
Indian martial arts.
[3] Many of the region's medicinal practices and weapons originated in either
India or
China, and silat's thigh-slapping actions are reminiscent of
Hindu wrestling.
[4] The Chinese community also practiced their own localised martial arts known as
kuntao, which both influenced and borrowed from silat.
Although numerous myths attempt to explain the institutionalisation
of silat, most of them concern only a specific style. The earliest
evidence of silat taught in its present form is found in
Sumatra
where, according to local legend, a woman based her combat system on
the movements of animals that she had seen fighting. Masters still
believe that the first styles of silat were created by observing
animals, and these styles were probably derived from animal-based
Indian martial arts.
[5] In the fifth or 6th century,
pre-determined sets are said to have been introduced by the
Buddhist monk
Bodhidharma who came from India to Southeast Asia via the Sumatra-based kingdom of
Srivijaya in
Palembang.
[2] Through this connection, silat is also used as a method of spiritual training in addition to self-defense.
[3]
Silat was eventually used by the defence forces of
Langkasuka,
Champa,
Srivijaya,
Beruas,
Melaka,
Makasar,
Aceh,
Majapahit,
Gangga Negara,
Pattani and other kingdoms in Southeast Asia.
[6] Except for generals and royalty, Indonesia-Malay warriors wore minimal armour, if any at all. A
rattan
shield, or a breastplate at most, was the only protective gear
available to the average soldier. This may have been one of the reasons
why the older styles relied more on agility than they do today. Despite
the
Hindu
caste system which held sway in ancient times, silat was never confined
to any particular social class or gender but was practiced by all
without restrictions. Even today, it is often taught in families who
have inherited cultural traditions such as woodcarving, dance, herbalism
or the playing of musical instruments.
Southeast Asian trade had already extended into
Okinawa and Japan by the 15th century. The number of
Japanese people travelling the region increased after the
Battle of Sekigahara. By the early 17th century there were small Japanese communities living and trading in
Indochina.
Some arrived with the official red seal ships while others were
warriors and pirates from the losing side of the Sekigahara war.
Although mostly confined to
Siam, some Japanese escaped to
Cambodia and
Indonesia after the
Ayutthaya Kingdom was
attacked by the Burmese. Silat shares many similarities with
Okinawan karate as well as the throws and stances of weapon-based
Japanese martial arts[4] which probably date back to this time. Trade with Japan ended when the country went into
self-imposed isolation but resumed during the
Meiji era, during which time certain areas of
Indonesia,
Malaysia and
Singapore became home to a small Japanese population. After the
Occupation of Japan, some silat masters incorporated the
katana into their styles.
Since the
Islamisation movement
of the 1980s and 90s, there have been attempts to make silat more
compliant with Islamic principles. It is now illegal for Muslim
practitioners in Malaysia to chant
mantera, bow to idols, practice traditional
meditation, or attempt to acquire supernatural powers. This has given rise to various misconceptions that silat is inherently
Muslim
or can only be practiced by followers of the Islamic faith. In
actuality silat has existed long before Islam was introduced to
Southeast Asia and is still practiced by non-Muslims. The
Hindu-
Buddhist and
animistic
roots of the art were never eradicated, and remain very evident even
among Muslim practitioners of traditional styles. Some of these old
methods have been lost after silat masters in pre-dominantly Muslim
areas could no longer teach them, but others still endure among
conservative training schools in Indonesia and Thailand.
Training
Salutation
Silat practitioners begin and end each routine and practice session
by saluting their teacher, partner or any spectators as a show of
respect. The handsign used is dependent on style and lineage. The vast
majority of silat exponents use the Hindu-Buddhist
namaste
in which the palms are pressed together at chest level. This represents
the balance of two opposing forces such as light and dark or hard and
soft. The head or upper body is usually bowed as a sign of humility.
This was used as a greeting in ancient times, as can still be seen
throughout much of
Indochina,
and until recent decades it was also a form of apology among Malays.
The practical purpose of the salute is to trigger the proper state of
mind for training or fighting. Additionally, it serves as a technique in
itself to block attacks aimed at the face.
Some traditional
Javanese schools use another handsign apparently borrowed from the
Chinese
in which the left hand clasps the right fist. In the context of silat,
the fist symbolises martial skill while the opposite hand is a sign of
courtesy and camaraderie. This is meant to convey mutual respect and
shows that the fighters are willing to learn from each other. Like the
namaste, it recalls the idea of duality. This concept is referred to as
jantan betina (male-female) and is equivalent to the Chinese yin and yang. A few styles, such as
silat Pattani, may have their own salutation unique to that particular system.
Stances and footwork
Every
style of silat incorporates multi-level fighting stances (
sikap pasang), or preset postures meant to provide the foundation for remaining stable while in motion. The
horse stance (
kuda-kuda or
kekuda) is the most essential posture, common to many
Asian martial arts.
Beginners once had to practice this stance for long periods of time,
sometimes as many as four hours, but today's practitioners train until
it can be easily held for at least ten minutes. Stances are taught in
tandem with
langkah (lit. "step"), a set of structured steps.
Langkah consist of basic footwork and kicks made to teach how best to
move in a fight. The
langkah kuching (cat step) and
langkah lawan
(warrior step) are among the more prominent examples of langkah. After
becoming proficient at langkah, students learn footwork patterns or
tapak
("sole") from which to apply fighting techniques. Each tapak takes
account of not only the particular move being used but also the
potential for change in each movement and action. Among the most common
formations are
tapak tiga,
tapak empat and
tapak lima. All together, the stances, langkah and tapak act as a basis for forms-training.
Forms
Silat is an important part of
randai performances.
Forms or
jurus
are a series of prearranged meta-movements practiced as a single set.
Their main function is to pass down all of a style's techniques and
combat applications in an organised manner, as well as being a method of
physical conditioning and public demonstration. While demonstrating a
form, silat practitioners often use the open hand to slap parts of their
own body such the shoulder, elbow, thigh or knee. This reminds the
pesilat that when an opponent comes close there may be an opportunity to
trap their attacking limbs. Aside from solo forms, they may also be
performed with one or more partners. Choreographed forms pitting one
fighter against several opponents are common in silat. Partnered forms
are useful for teaching the application of techniques, particularly
those attacks which are too dangerous to be used in a sparring match.
Tari ("dance") are freestyle forms which haven't been arranged
beforehand but are created spontaneously. With a partner, tari is used
as a way of sensitivity training similar to Chinese
chi sao.
[2] The aesthetic aspect of forms is called flower (
kembang or
bunga) or art (
seni)
forms. They are performed in slow, graceful movements with a dance-like
quality. Once the student has learned basic techniques, forms, and
footwork, they are taught how to attack before being attacked, in self
preservation. Silat exponents are entrusted to use their knowledge
confidently in its rightful place and to ensure that their knowledge
does not fall into the hands of the irresponsible.
[7]
Weapons
Along with the human body, silat employs a wide variety of weapons.
Prior to the introduction of firearms, weapons training was actually
considered to be of greater value than unarmed techniques and even today
many masters consider a student's training incomplete if they have not
learned the use of weapons. Except for some weapon-based styles,
students must generally achieve a certain degree of skill before being
presented with a weapon which is traditionally made by the guru. This
signifies the beginning of weapons-training. Among the hundreds of
styles are dozens of weapons. The most commonly used are the
kris (dagger),
parang (machete),
tongkat (walking stick) and
sarong.
The kris is accorded legendary status in Indo-Malay culture and is the
primary weapon of most silat systems, although some styles prefer the
stick for its versatility. Silat's traditional arsenal is largely made
up of objects designed for domestic purposes such as the flute (
seruling), rope (
tali), sickle (
sabit) and chain (
rantai).
Energy
In silat culture, the energetic body consists of interlocking circles called
cakra.
The cakera's energy rotates outwards along diagonal lines. Energy that
emits outwards from the centre line is defensive while offensive energy
moves inwards from the sides of the body.
[2] By being aware of this, the silat practitioner can harmonise their movements with the
cakra,
thereby increasing the power and effectiveness of attacks. Energy could
also be used for healing or focused into a single point when applied to
sentuhan, the art of attacking an opponent's pressure points.
Music
The movements of silat are often performed as a dance during
festivities such as weddings or a royal installation. These performances
can be done either solo or with a partner and are accompanied by music
played by a live band. Several traditional dances were influenced by
silat, such as the
inai dance from northern
Malaysia. In the
Minangkabau area silat is one of the main components in the men's folk dance called
randai,
[8] besides
bakaba (storytelling) and
saluang jo dendang (song-and-flute).
The music played during silat performances is known as
tanji silat baku or
gendang baku in Malay Peninsula, and
gendang pencha among the
Sunda people of
West Java in
Indonesia. The instruments vary from one region to another but the
gamelan (Javanese orchestra),
kendang (drum),
suling (flute) and
gong are common throughout Southeast Asia. The
Minangkabau of
west Sumatra play a set of gongs known as
talempong and sometimes use a type of flute called
saluang. The most common instruments in
Malaysia are the
gendang (drums) and
serunai (oboe). Music from the northern
Malay Peninsula more closely resembles
Thai music.
Types of silat drums include the
gendang ibu or "mother drum" and the
gendang anak or "child drum". The
serunai, which also comes in long and short variations, is what gives silat music its distinct sound.
Terms of address
In Indonesia, anyone who teaches silat is addressed as
Guru or teacher. In Malaysia, instructors who are qualified to teach but haven't yet achieved full mastery are addressed as
Cikgu or
Chegu, a contraction of
encik and
guru. Masters are called
Guru while grandmasters are called
Guru Agong or
Mahaguru meaning supreme teacher. The terms
cikgu and
guru are often interchangeable. An elderly male master may be addressed as
Tok Guru or
Tuk Guru (lit."teacher-grandfather"), Tok or Tuk is abbreviaton of
datuk, often abbreviated further to
Tok. The elderly master as well as the teacher's teacher is called
Eyang Guru (lit."teacher-grandfather") in Javanese. In both countries, the honorary title of
Pendekar may be officially bestowed onto a master by royalty or unofficially by commoners.
In Popular Culture
Film
Silat has been featured as the primary fighting style in many movies.
- In few recent Malaysian movies like Sembunyi (2012) and Jiwa Taiko (2012)
- The main character, Rama, as well as some other characters such as
Andi, Mad Dog, and Jaka fight using silat in the 2011 Indonesian film The Raid: Redemption.
- There is some silat (as a minor part of the story) in the 2011 Indonesian movie Pengejar angin.
- The main character, Yuda, as well as another character, Eric, fight using silat in the 2009 Indonesian film Merantau (both characters are silat experts). This film features silat harimau Minangkabau (Minangkabau tiger style silat).
- There is some silat in the 2009 Indonesian movie Rasa.
- The character Hang Tuah fights using silat within the first 10 minutes of the start of the 2004 Malaysian movie Puteri Gunung Ledang (the silat is a very minor part of the story).
- There is silat fighting in the 1992 Malaysian movie Syahadat.
- There is silat fighting in the 1992 Malaysian movie Kelisa.
- There is some silat fighting in the 1990 Malaysian movie Tuah.
- There is silat fighting in the 1984 Malaysian movie Matinya Seorang Patriot
- There is silat fighting in the 1978 Indonesian movie Si Ronda Macan Betawi.
- There is some silat in the 1970 Indonesian movie Si Pitung.
- More than 40 titles of malay movies produced by Cathay Kris Studio during 1950s- 1960s. Most notably in Panglima Besi, Seri Mersing, Sultan Mahmud Mangkat Dijulang & Hang Jebat.
- There is silat fighting in the 1956 British Malayan movie Hang Tuah
- There is silat fighting in the 1953 Indonesian film Harimau Tjampa also known as Tiger from Tjampa. This film features silat harimau Minangkabau (Minangkabau tiger style silat).
Television
- Silat was the feature of an episode of the Fight Masters TV series (National Geographic Asia).
- Silat was the subject of the 13th episode of the television show, Human Weapon.
- There is some silat fighting in the Malaysian television series Keris Hitam Bersepuh Emas
