Indonesian martial arts

Some parts of the archipelagic realm that is today Indonesia was the scene of warfare among the native populace for much of its long history, and the people of the region naturally developed effective methods of combat and self-defense.

[1] Archaeological findings dating from prehistoric times have uncovered a variety of stone and metal weaponry such as axes, arrows and spearheads.

Tribal warfare, although often motivated by resources, lands and slave grabbing, was also a solution to settling disputes, as well as a component of coming of age rituals.

The practice of headhunting developed the martial skills of some tribes to a high level such as the Dayak, Batak, and Nias people.

Displaced Baiyue from present-day China and Vietnam (particularly the Dong Son culture) during the first centuries of the common era introduced bronze-casting to the Nusantara and resulted in the development of native edged weapons such as the parang, klewang, mandau, badik, kujang, golok and kris.

Contact with India and the forming of ancient kingdoms lead to the transition from tribalism to the golden age that was Indonesia's Dharmic civilization.

In comparison to the country's tribal fighting systems, pencak silat shows decidedly more influence from the Asian mainland, specifically China and the Indian subcontinent.

[3] The wide geographical area in which pencak silat was practiced is naturally reflected in its diversity of techniques and weaponry, some indigenous and some adopted from outside through maritime trade.

Gunpowder technology in cannons and muskets allowed many kingdoms and polities in Indonesia to be conquered and subjugated by European power.

But while the Europeans could effectively overtake and hold the cities, they found it impossible to control the smaller villages and roads connecting them.

[4] The earliest evidence of pencak silat is in 6th-century Riau from where it saw further development under Indian and Chinese influence in the Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms of Sumatra and Java.

Kuntao is a Hokkien term for martial arts, in this case referring to those practised by the Tionghoa community of the Indonesian archipelago.

Some systems were directly imported from China and underwent little or no changes, such as thaikek (tai chi), pakua (baguazhang or eight-trigram palm) and peh-ho (baihequan or white crane fist).

Other popular systems originate from the same states as the Chinese communities who practice them, so that Fujian, Shandong, Kongfu and Guangdong styles dominate.

Tarung Derajat is a full-contact martial art created by Haji Achmad Dradjat in Bandung, West Java.

The first written attestation of fitimaen comes from a British naturalist who recounts that the natives are "adepts at quarterstaff" and that even children "practice with singular skill their cuts and thrusts".

When her husband - a local leader - left home for an extended period, she believed him to be dead and eloped with a new lover from another village.

The neighbouring people of Kutai practice a sumo-like form of wrestling called bebintih meaning "mutual tackle".

The line is not necessarily straight but may take the form of a V-shape, an inverted V-formation, a wedge, a circular arc either concave or convex, or any other shape.

It served its purpose well enough that no form of pencak silat, wrestling, or any other unarmed fighting art exists in the Toraja culture.

While not an actual martial art, the dance has preserved some techniques and the full range of aboriginal weaponry, making it greatly important in the study of Indonesia's native fighting methods.

Backed by the rhythm of the drum and gong (tifa) and fife (sulin), two opposing captains engage in mock-combat with a spear (sanokat) and long knife (lopu).

The tradition of mageret pandan is said to have originated with King Maya Denawa who claimed himself a god greater than the entire Hindu pantheon.

Duelling is no longer practiced today, but reenactments of sitobo lalang lipa are still performed at cultural shows in Indonesia.

Early silat films (as with many contemporary TV series today) placed less emphasis on the actual fights and more on drama, resulting in poor depictions of the art.

This changed in the 1980s due to the popularity of radio shows featuring pencak silat experts in the old Indonesian kingdoms of Pajajaran and Majapahit circa the 14-15th century.

Historical epics such as Saur Sepuh, Tutur Tinular and Misteri Gunung Merapi have been adapted both for TV and film.

While Indonesian movies and TV series have always had a large following in neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore, it was the 2009 film Merantau that brought international attention to the cinematic genre and pencak silat in general.

The film had a mostly positive reaction from cinema critics[18] and generated enough interest for the lead actor to follow up with The Raid: Redemption in 2011 which received international acclaim.

Its sequel The Raid 2: Berandal was similarly well-received but drew much criticism for its extreme gore,[19][20] leading to the film being banned in Malaysia.