Pencak Silat is one of the famous martial arts from Indonesia. Like any other martial arts, Pencak Silat is used mostly to defend oneself. It’s also recognized as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. So, what is this Pencak Silat exactly and where can you practice it?
What is pencak silat?
Usually called silat, it’s full-body fighting incorporating a few strikes, grappling, and throwing which occasionally uses weaponry. It has been around since the 7th century during the Dharma civilization. It’s not only practised for physical defence but also for psychological relationships. As some locals believed that the weapon used has its own spirit in it.
The lead organization for pencak silat in Indonesia is the Ikatan Pencak Silat Indonesia which means Indonesian Pencak Silat Association or IPSI for short. For international association, it’s organised by PESILAT which stands for Persekutuan Pencak Silat Antar Bangsa which means International Pencak Silat Federation.
The international association is founded by members from Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei Darussalam and has recognized 33 pencak silat associations across the globe.
Weapon
Back then, pencak silat is practiced along with different types of weapons. Here are some weapons that practitioners use:
- Tombak: a spear made of bamboo
- Golok: heavy cleaver around 10-20 inches long
- Kris: double-edged dagger
- Celurit: a sickle
- Pedang: a sword
- Klewang: s single-edged longsword
- Selendang: long silk that usually wrapped around the neck
Global recognition
It is popular around Indonesia’s neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei Darussalam. This is why the PESILAT organization was formed in these four different countries. It’s also one of the martial arts that was held in SEA Games such as the World Pencak Silat Championships.
The martial art is also featured in a popular Indonesian action movie, The Raid 2, which incorporated the martial art into the fight scenes. Some of the actors in the movie are also practitioners of martial art like Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian.
Branches
There are different types of branches developed in Indonesia, here are just some of the branches that are practiced in various schools:
-
Silat Betawi
For Betawi people, the tradition is rooted in the culture of heroes or champions which is jagoan or jawara. Some of the most well-known schools for silat Betawi are Cingkrik, Kwitang and Beksi. One thing that sticks out in this branch is their monkey-style fighting.
-
Silat Harimau Minangkabau
Minangkabau makes up the majority of the system in Sumatra. As stealth and ambush are one of Minang’s war tactics, it mostly consists of kicks and leg tactics as their main type of offense. It is also developed and refined from the original silat Melayu from Riau.
-
Merpati Putih
Merpati Putih was developed around the year 1550 and is a form of empty-handed martial arts. Merpati Putih is actually an acronym that translates to “keep on searching until the truth is achieved through calmness.” The master of Merpati Putih is Saring Hadi Poernomo with Purwoto Hadi Purnomo as the heir and founder of the school for this martial art.
-
Bakti Negara
Bakti Negara is a martial art that originates from Bali. It’s deeply rooted in the Hindu philosophy of Tri Hita Karana. It’s heavily inspired by Saolim Kuntao with a primary stance similar to the Japanese aikido.
How was that for a brief introduction of Indonesia’s martial art? Hope this article will make you more interested in Indonesian arts and culture, which you can find more on here!
