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Posted August 20, 2010 By admin

Silat Melayu

Etymology

The etymological root of the word silat is uncertain and most hypotheses link it to any similar-sounding word. It may come from Si Elat which means someone who confuses, deceives or bluffs. A similar term, ilat, means an accident, misfortune or a calamity. Another theory is that it comes from silap meaning wrong or error. Some styles contain a set of techniques called Langkah Silap designed to lead the opponent into making a mistake.

The word Melayu means Malay and comes from the Sanskrit term Malai Ur which can translate as “land of mountains”, the word used by Indian traders when referring to peninsular Malaysia. Silat is sometimes called gayung or gayong in the northern Malay Peninsula. In other regions the word gayung refers to the spiritual practices in silat.

History

Origins

Hang Tuah training with his friends

The first martial skills in the Malay Peninsula were those of the orang asal (indigenous tribes) who would use hunting implements like spears, machetes, blowpipes and bows and arrows in raids against enemy tribes. Certain tribes were well-known warriors and pirates such as the Iban and the Tringgus of Borneo. Aboriginal populations on the peninsula were mostly replaced by Deutero-Malays from Sumatra and Borneo and Chamic peoples from Thailand. These settlers were rice-farmers from whom modern Malays are directly descended. The areas from where they originated are concurrent with the early evidence of silat. Sumatra is the birthplace of much of what constitutes Malay culture, particularly the Malay language. The Chams (Vietnamese Malays) of Dong Son are believed by many archaeologists to have created the prototype of a kris as far back as 2000 years ago.

The Malays had established regular contact with both India and China before the 1st century. Silat was largely shaped by Chinese and Indian martial arts, as evidenced by Kedah’s 5th century Bujang Valley civilisation which housed various Indian weapons including an ornate trisula. Their influence resulted in the founding of other Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms throughout the region. The oldest among them was Funan, a Cambodia-based empire that ruled over an area including what is now northern Malaysia, Thailand and Laos. Another was Gangga Negara (lit. Ganges country) that was founded in present-day Beruas by the Khmer prince Raja Ganji Sarjuna. and served as an important trading port before being destroyed by Raja Chola Rajendran of Tamil Nadu. Today most Malaysian Indians are Tamils, who influenced several Southeast Asian martial arts through silambam. This staff-based fighting style was already being practiced by the region’s Indian community when Melaka was founded at the beginning of the 1400s. During the 1700s silambam became more prevalent in the Malay Peninsula than in India, where it was banned by the British government. The bamboo staff is still one of silat’s most fundamental weapons.

In south-central Vietnam the Cham Malays founded their own kingdom of Champa, which remained independent from the Chinese who controlled Vietnam’s north. In its refusal to submit, the kingdom of Champa frequently waged wars against China. Commanders of Champa are known to have been held in high esteem by the Malay kings for their knowledge in silat and for being highly skilled in the art of war, as shown in the Sejarah Melayu (Malay Annals) where it is told that Sultan Muhammad Shah had chosen a Cham official as the right hand or senior officer because the Chams possessed skill and knowledge in the administration of the kingdom.

One Malaysian variant of an Indonesian story explains that the first complete system of silat was created by a woman who was carrying a basket of food on her head when birds tried to steal the food from her. She dodged the birds coming from all directions while at the same time attempting to chase them away with her hands. She arrived home late and was scolded by her husband who had no food to eat. He tried to beat the woman but she avoided all his attacks and was completely untouched. Her husband had grown tired and after listening to her explanation for being late, asked his wife to teach him what she had learned. Together they created the rudiments of silat. By the 7th century it had had already spread throughout the Malay Peninsula. The styles created on the peninsula are now called silat Melayu or seni silat to differentiate them from the pencak silat of Indonesia. Tradition credits silat tua (lit. “old silat”) as the first system of silat Melayu to have been founded on the peninsula. This border area between Malaysia and Thailand where it was created is culturally significant and considered to be the “cradle of Malay custom”.

King bestowing Hang Tuah with the rank of Laksamana (admiral)

Over time, silat was refined into the specialized property of royalty, pendekar, and generals. Kings encouraged princes and children of dignitaries to learn silat and any other form of knowledge related to the necessities of combat. Prominent fighters were elevated to head war troops and received ranks or bestowals from the raja. One of these was the famous 15th-century Melakan warrior Hang Tuah. He learned martial arts together with his four compatriates – Hang Jebat, Hang Lekir, Hang Kasturi and Hang Lekiu – from two of the most renowned silat guru of the era. In Malaysia today, Hang Tuah is called the “father of silat” which has led to the misconception that he created silat. However, Hang Tuah is more likely to have been one of the art’s disseminators rather than its originator since silat is known to have been practiced long before the founding of Melaka.

Colonial period

In the 16th century, conquistadors from Portugal attacked Melaka in an attempt to monopolise the spice trade. The Malay warriors managed to hold back the better-equipped Europeans for many days before Melaka was eventually defeated. The Portuguese hunted and killed anyone with knowledge of martial arts so that the remaining practitioners fled to more isolated areas. Even today, the best silat masters are said to come from areas that have had the least contact with outsiders. For the next few hundred years, the Malay Archipelago would remain under a string of foreign rulers, namely the Portuguese, Dutch, and finally the British. The 1600s saw an influx of Minangkabau and Bugis people into Melaka from Sumatra and south Sulawesi respectively. Bugis sailors were particularly famous for their martial prowess and were feared even by the European colonists. In the 18th century both groups were engaged with the Dutch in a triangular contest for control of the Melaka Straits. By the 1780s the Bugis had control of Johor and established a kingdom in Selangor. The Minangkabau formed their own federation of nine states called Negeri Sembilan in the hinterland. Today, many of Malaysia’s silat schools can trace their lineage directly back to the Minang and Bugis settlers of this period.

After Malaysia achieved independence, Tuan Haji Anuar bin Haji Abd. Wahab was given the responsibility of developing Malaysia’s national silat curriculum which would be taught to secondary and primary school students all over the country. On 28 March 2002, his Seni Silat Malaysia was recognised by the Ministry of Heritage and Culture, the Ministry of Education and PESAKA as Malaysia’s national silat. Since its disassociation with the palace, silat did not develop in the national defence institution and returned to the countryside. It is now conveyed to the community by means of the gelanggang bangsal meaning the martial arts training institution carried out by silat instructors.

Clothing

Silat attire varies according to style and locality. People of the Malay Peninsula traditionally wore sarongs and carried a roll of cloth which could be used as a bag, a blanket or a weapon. The standard full dress of today’s silat practitioners usually consists of the following:

The tengkolok and tanjak are headkerchiefs with different ways of tying them depending on status and region.

The baju Melayu, meaning “Malay clothes” is the male shirt but is also worn by female silat exponents.

The samping is a waistcloth.

The bengkung is a cloth belt or sash which secures the samping. Some schools colour the bengkung to signify rank, a practice adopted from the belt system of Japanese martial arts.

The training hall

In Malay the practice area is called a gelanggang. They were traditionally located outdoors, either in a specially constructed part of the village or in a jungle clearing. The area would be enclosed by a fence made of palm leaves to prevent outsiders from stealing secrets. Before training can begin, the gelanggang must be prepared either by the teachers or senior students in a ritual called “opening the training area” (buka gelanggang ). This starts by cutting some limes into water and then walking around the area while sprinkling the water onto the floor. The guru walks in a pattern starting from the centre to the front-right corner, and then across to the front-left corner. She/he then walks backwards past the centre into the rear-right corner, across to the rear-left corner, and finally ends back in the centre. The purpose of walking backwards is to show respect to the gelanggang, and any guests that may be present, by never turning one’s back to the front of the area. Once this has been done, the teacher sits in the centre and recites an invocation so the space is protected with positive energy. From the centre, the guru walks to the front-right corner and repeats the invocation while keeping his/her head bowed and hands crossed. The right hand is crossed over the left and they are kept at waist level. The mantera is repeated at each corner and in the same pattern as when the water was sprinkled. As a sign of humility, the guru maintains a bent posture while walking across the training area. After repeating the invocation in the centre once more, the teacher sits down and meditates. Although most practitioners today train in modern indoor gelanggang and the invocations are often replaced with a prayer, this ritual is still carried out in some form or another.

Silat Pulut

Silat pulut performance

Silat pulut is a sport that utilizes agility in attacking and defending oneself. In this exercise, the two partners begin some distance apart and perform freestyle movements while trying to match the each other’s flow. One attacks when they notice an opening in the opponent’s defences. Without interfering with the direction of force, the defender then parries and counterattacks. The other partner follows by parrying and attacking. This would go on with both partners disabling and counter-attacking their opponent with locking, grappling and other techniques. Contact between the partners is generally kept light but faster and stronger attacks may be agreed upon beforehand. In another variation which is also found in chin na, the initial attack is parried and then the defender applies a lock on the attacker. The attacker follows the flow of the lock and escapes it while putting a lock on the opponent. Both partners go from lock to lock until one is incapable of escaping or countering.

This game is called silat pulut or gayong pulut because after a performance each player is gifted with bunga telur and sticky rice or pulut. Silat pulut is held during leisure time, the completion of silat instruction, official events, weddings or festivals where it is accompanied by the rhythm of silat drums or “silat baku music”.

The British colonists introduced western training systems by incorporating the police and sepoys (soldiers who were local citizens) to handle the nation’s defence forces which at that time, was receiving opposition from former Malay fighters. Consequently, silat teachers were very cautious in letting their art become apparent because the colonists had experience in fighting Malay warriors. Thus silat pulut provided an avenue for exponents to hone their skills without giving themselves away.

Despite its satirical appearance, silat pulut actually enables students to learn moves and their applications without having to be taught set techniques. Partners who frequently practice together can exchange hard blows without injuring each other by adhering to the principle of not meeting force with force. What starts off as a matching of striking movements is usually followed by successions of locks and may end in groundwork, a pattern that is echoed in the modern Mixed Martial Arts.

Weapons

Main article: Weapons of silat

Kris/Keris: A dagger which is often given a distinct wavy blade by folding different types of metal together and then washing it in acid.

Parang/Golok: Machete/ broadsword, commonly used in daily tasks such as cutting through forest growth.

Tombak/Lembing: Spear/ javelin, made of wood, steel or bamboo that may have dyed horsehair near the blade.

Tongkat: A walking-stick carried by travellers and the elderly.

Batang/Galah: Staff or rod made of bamboo, steel or wood.

Kayu: Wooden stick of any size.

Gedak: A mace or club usually made of metal.

Kipas: Traditional folding fan preferably made of hardwood or iron.

Pisau/Sundang: A sword or knife, either single or double edged.

Badek/Badik: One-sided knife ranging in length from 2040 cm.

Seligi: Sharpened bamboo shaft used as a javelin or spear.

Kerambit: A concealable claw-like curved blade that can be tied in a woman’s hair.

Sabit: Sickle commonly used in farming, harvesting and cultivation of crops.

Serampang/Trisula: Trident originally used for fishing.

Tekpi/Chabang: Three-pronged truncheon thought to derive from the trident.

Chindai/Samping: Wearable sarung used to lock or defend attacks from bladed weapons.

Rantai: Chain used for whipping and seizing techniques

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