Indo-Malay Martial Traditions: Aesthetics, Mysticism and Combatives, Vol. 2

By Kirstin Pauka, Michael A. DeMarco and Chris Parker

This second of a two-volume anthology brings together a great collection of writings by authors who dive into the deepest realms of Indo-Malay combatives. They offer readers a rare viewing of martial traditions that is usually hidden behind social shrouds of secrecy and a clannish quest to preserve individual tradition.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Via Media Publishing
• Release date: Aug 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9781893765696

Book preview

Silek:

The Martial Arts of the

Minangkabau in West Sumatra

by Kirstin Pauka, Ph.D.

All photographs courtesy of

Kirstin Pauka except where noted.

Background

Silek is the Minangkabau name for their indigenous version of martial arts known as silat in other parts of Indonesia and Malaysia.¹ For the Minangkabau, silek is an important element of their traditional culture. Within a matrilineal kinship system, all boys received silek training as soon as they were considered too old to live in their mother’s house (around age twelve) and moved into the communal men’s house (surau).² Silek was considered an integral part of boys’ education once they had left childhood.³ This is still very much the case at present although the matrilineal extended family structure is slowly being replaced by a patrilineal nuclear family due to the advance of Islam into West Sumatra. As a result, silek and Islam are interwoven and the Koran is often taught alongside silek in the communal men’s house. Despite this, silek remains an important element of Minangkabau indigenous traditions and customs (adat) and is considered a valuable expression of their ethnic identity. Silek has been ever-present in everyday life, and consequently it is prominently featured in local folk tales, legends, proverbs, and other oral literature.

There is a large number of different indigenous types of silek throughout West Sumatra. Eleven major styles are recognized; these are Kumango, Lintau, Tuo, Sitaralak, Harimau, Pauh, Sungai Patai, Luncua, Gulo-Gulo Tareh, Baru, and Ulu Ambek.⁴ These major styles are found in large areas of West Sumatra. Many more variations of silek are only found in restricted locations, often only in one village. In these cases, I will refer to them as schools rather than styles. Many of these schools bear only the name of the village or region from which they originated and do not associate themselves with the major styles; some of them bear fancy names like Harimau Lalok (Sleeping Tiger), Gajah Badorong (Charging Elephant), Kuciang Bagaluik (Playful Cat), or Puti Mandi (Bathing Princess). All schools and styles trace their individual silek style back over many generations, its evolution interwoven with the Minangkabau origin myths or with Islam.⁵

Training Methods

The setting for silek training sessions is the sasaran, an open, empty space, preferably one close to the teacher’s house. Training is almost exclusively held at night, after the Islamic evening prayers (magrib), and it lasts for two to three hours, sometimes until after midnight.⁶ Most practice sessions are held in very dim light, often only relying on moonlight, a few torches, or a small gas lamp. This is not done for lack of stronger lights, but to train the eye as well as the intuition (or inner power, kebatinan). Often there will be village elders around the training ground, casually chatting, singing, and playing instruments, mainly talempong (hand-held metal gongs) and saluang (bamboo flutes).⁷

Training typically includes none of the warm-ups known in other Asian martial arts. In silek, two partners of approximately the same physique and level of skill are paired and start playing (main silek is the standard term used for the training; main meaning to play). All this takes place under the close scrutiny of the teacher. Normally, only one pair plays at a time while the other students watch. Before starting, each pair goes through a standard opening ceremony which includes bows and stylized greetings, first towards the teacher and then towards each other. Then they start with the basic silek steps. Depending on the level of their skill, they will remain with the basics, often being interrupted and corrected by the teacher, or they will move on into a more advanced, free-style exchange of techniques. After several minutes, they stop and go through another greeting ceremony that consists of the same elements as the opening greeting, but in reversed order. Then a new pair comes up to the practice ground. The atmosphere during practice is normally relaxed; strenuous physical activity is not considered a high priority, nor is it indicative of effective training.

Two silek practitioners executing the formal greeting

that precedes and ends each fighting sequence. They

squat low to the ground, bring their hands to the ground

and then lift them to their forehead. This movement

is repeated in four directions. (Style: Sungai Patai)

Two silek opponents approach each other with langkah,

or basic steps. Courtesy of Christine Martins.

(Style: Silek Kumango)

The average time considered necessary to learn the basics of silek is between six and eight months. To develop a solid foundation, a student must train regularly for two to three years, and to become a pandeka (master), one has to train for at least fifteen years. Although silek was traditionally practiced by only males, today many aliran (martial arts schools) are open to females as well. A female student is always paired with another female, never with a male student, because physical contact between the sexes is considered improper; nonetheless, the male teacher often functions as a training partner for both sexes.

For training, most students wear either normal street clothing or the traditional silek outfit that consists of galembong (black long trousers), taluak balango (long-sleeved black shirt) and the deta (batik head wrap). A complete outfit also includes a sampiang (batik hip sash). Very often, the students only wear the galembong with a regular shirt or T-shirt during practice.⁸ For more formal occasions (joint-training with other aliran, performances, or when visitors are present) the full costume is worn.

The learning process is based on observation and imitation, but the teacher often corrects the stance or execution of a movement by adjusting the student’s limbs or posture. Rarely does a teacher explain a technique or an underlying concept to the student during practice.⁹ However, after the training is over, most students linger around the teacher for quite some time, and he will often relate proverbs and tell stories, jokes or anecdotes related to silek.

Two female silek students practicing together.

(Style: Silek Kumango)

Students practice the same basic moves over and over again in several steps. First, they merely watch the senior students and the teacher. Then, they imitate the teacher, who executes the movements close to the students. Some aliran use a circular formation to simultaneously teach several students the basic steps. The teacher is part of the circle and the students glance at him from whatever angle is possible from their different positions, following his moves closely. Direct eye contact is not desired; instead, the students are encouraged to use their peripheral vision and intuition to pick up the teacher’s movements. Often the teacher uses vocal cues or other sound cues, called tapuak, to indicate a change of direction or a new step. For this he claps his hands or slaps his leg with one hand.¹⁰

At a more advanced level, the student and his partner are on their own, with no visual guidance; they have to remember the techniques and rely on each other to complete the sequence. At this level, the teacher will often interrupt the sequence to give corrections. When he feels that both students have sufficiently grasped the technique and are able to remember it, he will move on to demonstrate a new sequence. Once students have learned the basics, they are encouraged to practice with other partners as well, thereby learning to adjust to a different anatomy, behavior and level of skill each time.

The formal outfit worn for silek: black, long-sleeved shirt,

galembong pants with low crotch, sashes, and a head wrap.

An old silek master correcting his student’s body position.

(Style: Silek Kumango).

Young boys practicing silek in a circular formation called

galombang, which is used to teach a group of beginners

the basic steps. This formation is also the origin of the

circular martial arts dances used in the Randai

theatre of the region.

At this point, the students will be expected to play continuously (main terus-menerus). The basic strategic concept in this part of the training is garakgarik, best translated as appropriate action and reaction. It can be explained by using the analogy of chess. As in chess, each new move has to be considered in relation to possible reactions. Each partner has several options at all times and attempts to choose the most effective one. One tries to anticipate the possible reactions of his partner and manipulate him into positions