Silat

Summary

Silat is a combative martial art that was developed in the Malay Archipelago, Nusantara, and Malaya Peninsula. Silat is, in fact, a collective name given to different styles of martial arts practised in ancient times in the regions which now comprise of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and south Thailand. With hundreds of different fighting styles, Silat comprises of dynamic body movements, including strikes, blade handling techniques, deadly joint manipulations, and throws. This art is closely knitted with the social and cultural tradition of these regions for centuries now, and during the colonial days, the local ‘pesilat’, or the practitioners of this art, used Silat to liberate their motherland from the British and Dutch rules.

History / Origins

ETYMOLOGY

Silat goes under many names, others being Gayong, Gayong, Bergayung, or Seni Silat. But the origin of the word silat is a mystery, and it is speculated that it may have originated from a Tamil word ‘silambam’, which was used by Indian community settled in Malaysia. Though, others argue that the martial art got its name from some similar sounding words like.

• ‘Sekilat’ which means ‘quick as lightening’.
• ‘Si Elat’ was name given to the practitioners, where ‘elat’ refers to art of deceit, trick, and illusion.
• ‘Ilat’ relates to unfortunate, destruction, or accident.

BEGINNINGS

The origination of martial arts of the region cannot be pinpointed, though Silat got some momentum in the 7th century. The evolutions of the various fighting styles of Malay Archipelago and Indonesia are accredited to the military training and hunting techniques practiced by natives. Later began the era of fusion of cultures, and Malay witnessed their local cultural flavour being influenced by the Indian and Chinese cultures. From religion to medicine and weapons, most of them had their origins in either India or China.

Then an Islam wave swept through the Malay world, and Silat was taught along with the principles of the religion. Under the Malacca Sultanate, Majapahit and Srivijaya empires, it was the most deadly weapon in the arsenal of the sultans, prime-minister, and warriors. The flames of Silat then crept to Bali, Java, Borneo, and Sulawesi. In Malaya peninsula, a legendary character Hang Tuah of the 14th century is considered to be the father of Silat.

PRESENT DAY

Present day Silat has revamped itself and is no longer looked upon as it was once assessed. Neither is it practised for vengeance by a real time fighter, nor is it practised in natural surroundings of olden days. There are many modern training facilities which have opened up all across the globe. And in modern times, there is no better sport than MMA, which has taken up to promote martial arts more than ever. Modernization has openly opened doors of secretive arts like Kali/Eskrima, and various other ancient weapon arts.

FOLKLORE

The earliest forms of Silat are said to be crafted by watching the effective movements of the animal kingdom. The predatory skills of the wild animals motivated humans to adopt those natural manoeuvres for self defence, and to strike down the opponents. And the masters of this art believe that the animal-based movements were the imports from India.

There are many myths floating around associated with this speculative fighting art. It is said that the earliest form of Silat, that we can recognise in today’s fighting style was found in Sumatra. According to a local legend there, there was once a woman who observed the fights of different animals, and ended up making up her own combat system. Then, many years later, a Buddhist monk who travelled via Southeast Asia, Bodhidharma, walked in from India and added spirituality to the combative art. Therefore, spiritual trainings were added to the self defence curriculum.