Silat is a collective word for indigenous martial arts that originates from Indonesia, it is traditionally practiced in, Malaysia, southern Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Brunei and the Philippines.
There are hundreds of different styles but they tend to focus either
on strikes, joint manipulation, throws, bladed weaponry, or some
combination thereof. Silat is one of the sports included in the Southeast Asian Games
and other region-wide competitions. Training halls are overseen by
separate national organizations in each of the main countries the art is
practiced. These are
Ikatan Pencak Silat Indonesia (IPSI) from
Indonesia,
Persekutuan Silat Kebangsaan Malaysia (PESAKA) from
Malaysia,
Persekutuan Silat Brunei Darussalam (PERSIB) from
Brunei and
Persekutuan Silat Singapura (PERSISI) from
Singapore.
Etymology
The origin of the word
silat is unknown. It likely comes from the Tamil word
silambam, which has long been practiced by the Indian community of
Malaysia.
[citation needed] The Tamils also use the word
silatguvarisai to define their silambam movement patterns. Other similar-sounding words have been proposed but none have been proven.
Originally
silat was used as a generic term for any system of
fighting in the region. Today, the word has a formidable arsenal of
terms used to refer to
martial arts in
Southeast Asia.
It is usually called
pencak silat in
Indonesia or
silek in the
Minangkabau language. Some examples of the word's application in
Malaysia and
Singapore include
seni silat (art of silat) and
seni bela-diri (art of self-defence).
History
Fighting arts in the
Malay Archipelago
arose out of hunting methods and military training by the region's
native inhabitants. The descendents of former headhunters still perform
ancient wardances which are considered the precursor of the freestyle
form in silat. While these aborigines retained their tribal way of life, the Indo-Malay diaspora instead based their culture on
China and
India. By adopting the Indian faiths of
Hinduism and
Buddhism, their social structure became more organised.
Evidence shows that silat was influenced by both
Chinese and
Indian martial arts.
Many of the region's medicinal practices and weapons originated in either
India or
China, and silat's thigh-slapping actions are reminiscent of
Hindu wrestling.
[4] The Chinese community also practiced their own localised martial arts known as
kuntao, which both influenced and borrowed from silat.