Silat Melayu Ezine 2

Silat Melayu Ezine Vol.2

www.silatmelayu.com 1

Vol. 2/2005 www.silatmelayu.com 21 Nov 2005

THIS ISSUE: Silat Seni Gayong Galore! Silat Kuntau Tekpi! Who Are The Melayu?

EDITORIAL

DDeeddiiccaatteedd ttoo tthhee DDaaeennggow. I can’t believe it’s been two issues already! Forgive me the fantasy thatone day, I’ll be able to say that out loud with a much higher number. Yes,barely a babe, SILAT MELAYU is now into its second week of publication,

with who knows how many more to come before it has to be put to sleep.Fortunately, the ezine is free and published online, meaning it is driven by thestrength of only one thing: me.

In a way, it’s a blessing because there are no financial constraints to consider asin print media and no advertising pressure to include contents the editorial teamdeems unworthy. However, this arrangement has its setbacks as well. Readersinadvertently bore easily reading articles from only one point of view.

This is why support from SILAT MELAYU’s subscribers are paramount to keeping this project alive.Positive or negative feedback assures me that at least, the ezine is being read and I’m not just crowing tothe wind. Creative contributions will also allow for a more varied opinion and knowledge base.

When guru Sheikh Shamsuddin’s book, THE MALAY ART OF SELF-DEFENCE: SILAT SENIGAYONG (plug! plug!) was published in America, support was all he needed. He appreciated even mysmall contribution with a complimentary signed copy of the book, which is being reviewed this very issue.As a thank you to his thank you, this issue will be dedicated to the late Datuk Daeng Meor Abdul Rahmanand Silat Seni Gayong.

That being said, a fuzzy thank you goes out to all who have supported me all this while and continueto do so. If you will just stay around a little bit longer, I’m sure I can whip up something even moreinteresting for you to read.

Now, it only remains to be seen if SILAT MELAYU will garner the kind of support I hope it will, or gothe way of other ezines, destined to be pathetic autobiographical electronic junk mail forced uponanyone’s inbox it can fit in. Salam persilatan!

Mohd Nadzrin Wahabwww.silatmelayu.com

Mohd Nadzrin Wahab is the Managing Director of Tryden Communication and Editor of SILAT MELAYU ezine.

The Silat Melayu ezine is published every Monday online from Malaysia by Tryden Communication. All contents within are © of Tryden Communicationunless otherwise stated. No part of this electronic magazine may be reproduced in printed form for distribution and/ or sale without this copyrightnotification and express permission. It may be legal in the eyes of the law but it's just downright rude.

All submissions sent through email are assumed to be property of Tryden Communication to be used in any of its publications as it sees fit. Anymaterial sent through postal mail shall remain the property of Tryden Communication.

Address: Tryden Communication, F-212, Apt Saujana, Jln PJU10/1C, Damansara Damai, 47830, Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.Company Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

W

I promise to find abetter photo soon.



MALAYSIANA

WWhhoo aarree tthhee MMeellaayyuu??By SABRI ZAIN

Malaysia’s political borders (in light colour) (source: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/)

he Melayu are the race of people whoinhabit the Malay Peninsula (what is todayPeninsular Malaysia) and portions of

adjacent islands of Southeast Asia, including theeast coast of Sumatra, the coast of Borneo, andsmaller islands that lie between these areas.1

Anthropologists trace the home of the Melayurace to the northwestern part of Yunnan, in China.These tribal proto-Malay, or Jakun, were aseafaring people. They were once probably apeople of coastal Borneo who expanded intoSumatra and the Malay Peninsula as a result oftheir trading and seafaring way of life.

These sea-tribes, refered to by thePortuguese historian Godinho de Eredia asSaletes (Orang Selat, or People of the Straits),played a major part in the making of the greatMelayu empires of Malacca and Johor. Thepresent-day Melayu of the Peninsula and coastsof the Malay Archipelago are describedanthropologically as deutero-Malays and are thedescendants of the tribal proto-Malays mixed withmodern Indian, Thai, Arab and Chinese blood.Melayu culture itself has been strongly influencedby that of other peoples, including the Siamese,Javanese, Sumatran and, especially, Indians.

The influence of Hindu India was historicallyvery great, and the Melayu were largely Hinduizedbefore they were converted to Islam in the 15thcentury. For nearly two thousand years, the

1 This article previously appeared as ‘The Malays’http://www.sabrizain.demon.co.uk/malaya/malays.htm

unremitting traffic of traders between theArchipelago and India resulted in frequent inter-marriages along the whole of the west coast of thepeninsula, especially Tamils and Gujeratis.

Some Hindu ritual survives in Melayu culture,as in the second part of the marriage ceremonyand in various ceremonies of state. Malays havealso preserved some of their more ancient,animistic beliefs in spirits of the soil and jungle,often having recourse to medicine men orshamans (bomohs) for the treatment of ailments.

In the northern states of Perlis and Kedah,inter-marriages with Thais were commonplace.The east coast state of Kelantan still has traces ofJavanese culture that date back to the era of theMajapahit Empire of the fourteenth century.

The Sumatran kingdom of Acheh dominatedPerak for over a century. The Bugis fromIndonesia's Celebes Islands colonised Selangorand fought for rulers in States along the length ofthe peninsula - from Kedah to Johor. TheMinangkabaus from Sumatra had their ownindependent chiefdoms in what is today NegriSembilan. This mix of different races to form whatis the modern Malay can be clearly seen in thelineage of, for example, Malacca royalty.

Sultan Muhammad Shah married a Tamilfrom south India. Sultan Mansur Shah married aJavanese, a Chinese and a Siamese-the Siamesewife bore two future Sultans of Pahang. It was thisdiversity of races, cultures and influences that hasthe given the modern Melayu race the rich andunique historical heritage it has today.

T



MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS

DDiiffffeerreennccee ooff aa ddiiffffeerreenntt ssoorrttBy MOHD NADZRIN WAHAB

A map depicting Melaka under British rule in 1854(source: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/)

he Melayu, as Malaysians of Nusantarastock are so conveniently termed, are inreality comprised of many different peoples.

This is due to some social engineering on the partof the Malaysian Government since Malaysiacame into being.

Traditionally, the term Melayu referred only tothose peoples who inhabited the Sultanate ofMelaka as is evident in the account related inHikayat Hang Tuah. During the famedLaksamana’s visit to the Majapahit court, the rulerasked to see the wardancing of the ‘Melayu’.

Modern day Melayu in Malaysia, however, isan ambiguous term that encompasses anyonewith obvious Melayu complexion in form, customand behavior; can speak the Melayu languageand is Muslim. Over several hundred years ofgenetic mixing, this can include strains from Arab,Persian, Yunan, Tionghua, India, Jawa, Bugisbloods and everything else in between.

[IMHO] It is probable that the United MalayNational Organisation (UMNO), the political partywhich currently heads the government had muchto do with this acceptance in its modern sense.Even though the first Prime Minister of Malaysia,Tunku Abdul Rahman was of Melayu royallineage, the third, Tun Hussein Onn was ofMelayu-Turkish descent and the fourth, Tun Dr.Mahathir Mohamed, of Melayu-Indian parentage.

(The author himself has a genetic cocktail ofPersian – Indian – Arab – Achenese – Ceylonese– Portuguese – Melayu blood and is not one offew Melayu who share the same confusion)

UMNO’s roster was open to anyone whofulfilled the three general requirements above. Somuch so that personalities such as Datuk SeriMohd Khir Toyo (Chief Minister of Selangor, Jawadescent), Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar (ForeignAffairs Minister, Melayu-Arab descent) Datuk SeriKadir Sheikh Fadzir (Tourism Minister, Melayu-Indian descent) are deemed full fledged Melayu.

This is no longer a surprise to Malaysians butis accepted since it is also claimed that there areno ‘true’ Melayu anymore. The almost en totointegration of many genetic strains into one racialentity is the cause of wonder for many scholarswho attribute this openness as the source of thegenial acceptance of ethnic Indians and Chineseinto the Malaysian nation-state.

However, cultural segregation doesn’t occuramongst the Melayu the way it does betweenCaucasians and Africans in the West. Since theskin colour of the Melayu range from the darkestdark to the lightest light, this is often not thedeterminant.

Often, it is cultural stratification that takesplace. Once upon a time, stratification occurredalong royalty-commoner lines of demarcation. Thiscan be traced back to the historical myth ofDemang Lebar Daun and Sang Sapurba TaramSri Tribuana.

Demang Lebar Daun was the progenitor forthe Raja Melayu of the eventual Melaka Sultanatewho lived in unrecorded history. In the SejarahMelayu (Malay Annals), Demang Lebar Daun wasof a lineage that descended from Bukit Siguntang

T



in Sumatera, which in turn descended from anIndian princess who was briefly married toIskandar Zulkarnain a.k.a Alexander The Great(however, historical scrutiny casts serious doubtson the claim, even though Alexander wasrumoured to have taken an Eastern princess ashis concubine).

The agreement between Demang Lebar Daunand Sang Sapurba Taram Sri Tribuana2, whospoke for the ruled citizens (the people) – andwhose descendants eventually held the office ofthe Bendahara – was that the Raja Melayu wouldnever oppress the people and the people wouldnever commit treason. However, if either eventwere to happen first, the contract would be void.

This has happened numerous times inhistory. An example being Hang Jebat’s treacherywhen Sultan Mansor ordered Hang Tuah put todeath on suspicion of having an affair with themonarch’s concubine. Hang Jebat eventually diedin the arms of Hang Tuah who had returned fromhiding (the Bendahara saw wisdom in belaying theking’s decree). However, to this day, the debaterages on, who broke the covenant first, the Sultanfor executing an innocent man upon dubiousclaims or Hang Jebat who ran amok to avenge hisblood brother’s ‘death’?

[ORAL] Thus, the relationship of the people,the rakyat, towards royalty has been a principaldefining characteristic of the Melayu. It is said thatthe Melayu, as compared to their brethren wholive in Indonesia, enjoy peace of mind and bodysimply because of their loyalty towards their royalrulers, who, in modern Malaysia, occupy onlyfigurehead status with no real executive powers3.

Even the Melayu language denotesstratification. The historical Melayu referred tohimself in the third article as ‘hamba’ (slave) andthe second party as ‘tuan hamba’ (you). In fact,the word ‘saya’ (me) stems from the original word‘sahaya’ which also means slave. Meanwhile, theSultan is accorded special vocabulary when hespeaks or when spoken of to differentiate betweenhim and commoners.

‘Beta’ (me), ‘titah’ (decree), ‘beradu’ (sleep),‘berangkat’ (travel), tuanku (my lord) and manyother examples show that not only is themonarchy to be respected, but to be revered.Although this is an overt remnant of Hinduinfluence, the coming of Islam could not change ittotally, but merely gave it different validation.

Allah as the Creator of the Realms, appoints

2 M. Y. Hashim, The Malay Sultanate of Malacca, Dewan Bahasa DanPustaka, Kuala Lumpur, 1992, p32.3 Azlan Ghanie, 2002.

mankind as Khalifah or Vicegerents on Earth toadministrate his servants wisely and justly. By thisjustification, the Raja Melayu assumed the role ofthe Khalifah of Islam, if not the piety of the earliestones. As deputies of the Prophet in their region,the Raja Melayu were now to be obeyed by therakyat the way the Ummah obey him.

Below the status of the appointed Sultan,exist bluebloods who are often granted titles andland by the monarch which further strengthenstheir position in society. These bluebloodsinherited titles such as Raja, Tengku, Daeng,Megat, Abang, Syed and Teuku (the last twospecialized for descendants of the Holy ProphetMuhammad) that cemented their progeny’s claimin the social pecking order.

[IMHO] I personally believe that it was the lateDatuk Meor Rahman Meor Hashim’s royal descentand proximity to the palaces of Perak and Johorthat greatly enhanced Silat Seni Gayong’s spreadthroughout Malaysia, aside from his own and hisstudents’ efforts in promoting the art. Other silatmasters who were not of royal patronage orlineage found it harder to be accepted. In fact,their efforts were far more open to opposition byrival perguruan than the royal-undertoned SilatSeni Gayong.

To this day, having such a prefix in one’sname facilitates business dealings, politicalconnections, acceptance of marriage proposalsand other profitable ventures. It takes a while forexpatriates and foreign companies investing inMalaysia to understand that the better connectedyou are to a high-ranking blueblood, the betteryour chances are of clinching businessopportunities. This isn’t just my opinion (that’s whyno IMHO). Just ask any businessman.

As the dawn of the new millennium broughtmany changes to the world, so too has modernMalaysia seen more social transparency with thearrival of the Towering Malays4 who break nationaland international records, achieve financialgreatness and generally debunk the myth of theLazy Malay, the Fatalist Malay or the ExtremistMalay.

However, it remains to be seen if this archaicvestige of dual caste-ism will disappear from thepsyche of the Melayu or forever be entrenched byhundreds of years of socialization.

Do you have any misconceptions orcorrections you wish to be heard about Silat?Go to www.silatmelayu.com

4 A term coined by Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi todescribe ordinary Malays who strive for success and achieve them withno compromise in their noble values.



MIGHTIER THAN THE KERIS

TThhee MMaallaayy AArrtt ooff SSeellff--DDeeffeenncceeSSiillaatt SSeennii GGaayyoonngg

Review by MOHD NADZRIN WAHAB

emember what Buzz Aldrin said when hestepped on the moon? No one does,because Armstrong went first5. In the same

way, the West has rarely accorded its fair share ofsilat credit, often citing it as an Indonesian martialart, with anything of a Malaysian nature (where?)accorded the status of 'variants'.

It is true that although there exist styles suchas Cimande, Cikalong, Lintau, Terlak and manyothers within the borders of Malaysia, but manynationalists are hesitant to call them Malaysian,because of their obvious Indonesian roots.

However, not all silat arts were importedwholesale from Indonesia. There do existfundamentally and popularly accepted MalaysianMelayu Martial Arts (M3A) that have beenflourishing for the past 50 years and more. One ofthese is the ever present, ever regal, Silat SeniGayong.

Once looked upon curiously by Indonesian-styled martial artists in the West, Silat SeniGayong soon became known for its brutal locksand throws, something many Malaysians werealready acquainted with.

Several masters who visited or relocated toWestern countrieseventually became thevanguards of SilatSeni Gayong in thatregion. Names suchas guru SulaimanShariff (USA), guruYeop Ariffin YeopMahidin (UK) and guruSheikh ShamsuddinSalim (USA) areknown for their tirelessefforts in promotingSilat Seni Gayongacross borders.

Now, guruShamsuddin has takenit one step further, by

writing the first com-prehensive book on Silat Seni

5 Unabashed dialogue lifting from the ‘First Flight’ (2nd season) episodeof STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE.

Gayong for public consumption, to be publishedanywhere in the world.

Published by North Atlantic Books andavailable online at Barnes & Noble, the book titledTHE MALAY ART OF SELF-DEFENCE: SILATSENI GAYONG (GAYONG) contains astraightforward primer on silat and its history froma Malaysian perspective and that of Silat SeniGayong itself.

Sourced from interviews and articles readilyavailable in Bahasa Melayu and tied together withhis own knowledgeand experience in theart, guru Shamsuddinhas created apowerful introductionto M3A by way of SilatSeni Gayong.

GAYONG gives abrief explanation toclear away confusionsregarding the manydifferent organisations that purport to teach Silat

R

Cikgu Joel Champ



Seni Gayong. He makes it clear to the reader, thatthere is no enmity between the organisations andall of them accept one unifying fact, that the lateDatuk Meor Abdul Rahman Meor Hashim is theMahaguru of Silat Seni Gayong.

Readers aretaken through thevarious customs andrituals of Silat SeniGayong, including thefamed hot oil bath.Unfortunately, theauthor barely skimsthe issue of kebatinan(spirituality) in SilatSeni Gayong, pro-bably due to the levelof credibility suchtopics attain in theWest.

However, Malaysians reading GAYONG would besorely disappointed by his decision because itremains one of Silat Seni Gayong's hallmarks.

Happily though, the next section is filled withpictures and pictures of Silat Seni Gayongtechniques with funky translated names such asthe Sinking Python, Golden Locked Slicer, DeadlyAnchor, Broken Paddle Overcooked Rice andBroken Path Supporting Corpse. Can it really getany better than that? On another note, I wouldhave liked the photos to be larger and with betterdefinition.

Due to the small size and both performers in thetechnique series wearing black, there's not muchdetail to be had if anyone wanted to try them out.Be reminded though, there IS an indemnitydisclaimer at the beginning of the book, somethingthe author has probably become recently

acquainted with, since in Malaysia I have yet tofind a book on M3A with such a creature.

Probably the most valuable addition to thebook is a section of questions and answers wherethe author has collected 34 of the most valid andinane questions ever to be asked by a foreigner(most of them his own students) about Silat andMelayu culture, which he answers satisfactorily.

A section of historical and current Silat SeniGayong photographs illustrate just how far thisM3A has come since it was first taught publicly atPulau Sudong in 1942.

Guru Shamsuddin is obviously familiar withthe difficulties non-natives who study silat havewith the Melayu language and the terms used inthe course of teaching the art. He includes aglossary of the terms and a basic conversationalhelper which ensures that anyone can at least askif he's attractive to someone else (Is it hot?-Panas?).

All in all, GAYONG is an invaluable resourceto have for anyone keen on finding out just what isa Malaysian Melayu Martial Art?

I recommend it to those who are currently,intend to or are just curious about studying SilatMelayu. Future books on M3A will discover thatthis one is truly a tough act to follow.

Guru Shamsuddin can be contacted [email protected] or through theofficial United States Gayong Federationwebsite http://home.att.net/~gayong.

SILAT MELAYU welcomes copies/ scans ofmanuscripts or books to be translated and/ orreviewed in this column.Go to www.silatmelayu.com

Error! Unknown switch argument.Error! Unknown switch argument.Error! Unknown switch argument.Error! Unknown switch argument.

Silat Seni Gayong is presented as several progressive series of techniques that culminate in a deadlock orstrangulation. The book provides details on the concepts and philosophies governing Silat Seni Gayong, evasion,striking and locks that make up the hallmarks of the style.

Cikgu Joel Champ andGuru Shamsuddin



STYLE OF THE WEEK

SSiillaatt SSeennii GGaayyoonngg MMaallaayyssiiaaBy JOEL CHAMP

ilat Seni Gayong is a martial art fromMalaysia that has a long and distinguishedhistory stemming from the old Majapahit

Empire of pirates, warriors and tradesmen thathas found its way throughout Southeast Asia, overto Europe and finally to the shores of America.

Silat Seni Gayong is currently being led inIllinois, America under the guidance of Cikgu(teacher) Sheikh Shamsuddin Salim, originallyfrom Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and his band ofInstructors and students.

Cikgu “Sam” is the head founder of the UnitedStates Gayong Federation who now calls Americahis home. Cikgu Sam is the highest rankedexponent of Silat Seni Gayong in America that hastrained directly under the lateMahaguru Datuk MeorAbdul Rahman and hisfirst batch of instructors.

Silat SeniGayong is an allencompassing art thathas among its arsenal;striking and tearingtechniques, grapplingand counter grapplingtactics, agility and escapingdrills, and a large assortment of extensiveweapons training that helps complete thisdevastating art.

This art in its entirety is not some new crosstraining fusion of many arts. This form of silat ispure and raw holding long established roots thathave been infamous in Southeast Asia for years.

The late Mahaguru Datuk Meor AbdulRahman established the Malaysian art of SilatSeni Gayong, making it the first officiallyregistered and recognized silat system by theMalaysian Government.

Datuk, as he is fondly called by thousands ofloyal Gayong practitioners, comes from a long lineof Bugis warriors. He is the direct descendent ofthe famous Bugis Warrior, Daeng Kuning who wasgiven the title of “Panglima Hitam” or “BlackKnight”.

It was from this Bugiswarrior that Gayong firstfound its roots and spreadthroughout the Indonesianand Malaysian Archipelago.Daeng Kuning and hisbrothers spread the art ofwhat was then called SilatSendi Harimau fromCelebes Island throughoutSoutheast Asia that spreadfrom modern day Indonesiaand Malaysia to Singaporeand modern day Thailand.

But, it was by the workof the legendary DatukMeor Abdul Rahman thatSilat Seni Gayong isinfamous throughoutSoutheast Asia for itsdevastating techniques.

It was the Mahaguru that taught the Britishand Malaysian military hand-to-hand fightingtactics and at the age of 19 received the title of“Panglima Sendo Perak” or “The Invincible Knightof Perak” after demonstrating his Silat techniquesbefore the Sultan of Perak.

Another more famous story of Datuk Meor iswhen he had a short meeting with an up andcoming Chinese action star, Bruce Lee. The twomet while Bruce Lee was working on one of hisearlier movies.

There have been many rumors as to whathappened at their meeting, but in reality BruceLee was only looking into the various usages ofsilat and even offered a small role in his film toDatuk who graciously declined the offer.

There are many belt levels in Silat SeniGayong. Unlike most arts it begins with Black andends with Black. This represents the continuouscycle of learning found in the art. Each colouredlevel also holds a specific meaning, arepresentation of attributes found in the pesilat(one who does silat), attributes like purity,courage, loyalty, warriorship and the like.

Among the belt levels one may also achieve atitle rank like Khalifah Muda (Young Caliph) which

S

Datuk Meor Rahman



denote recognition for special time and effortbrought to the art to help its growth.

Only one restriction is held in the belt system,Datuk Meor Abdul Rahman will always be the onlyperson to carry the title of Mahaguru and carry themarking for achieving the highest level in SilatSeni Gayong which is a 7th level. There are nowonly trustees to the art of Silat Seni Gayong at itshighest level who oversee its growth and highstandards.

Since the passing of Datuk Meor there havebeen off-shoots to the original association. DatukMeor’s closest followers who wear the sixthdegree black belt, the highest level any studentcan attain, lead all these offshoots.

The biggest is Pertubuhan Silat Seni GayongMalaysia (PSSGM) which is led by thegrandmaster's daughter Cikgu Kalsom. The otherassociations are Pertubuhan Seni Silat PusakaGayong Malaysia (PSSPGM) which is led byCikgu Majid Mat Isa, Silat Seni Gayong PasakSingapura (SSGPS) by Cikgu Hussain Kaslan,Pertubuhan Silat Seni Gayong Warisan SerantauMalaysia (PSSGWSM) by Cikgu Mat Nayan, andThe Silat Association of the UK by Cikgu YeopAriffin Yeop Mahidin.

In Silat Seni Gayong the average beginner istaken through a series of basic fundamentaltrainings to build upon the more complextechniques that make Silat Seni Gayong sofamous. First of al is the set of strikes and kickscalled Gerakan Anak Harimau (tiger cubmovements), forms called Gulungan to teachweight distribution and balance, and AvoidanceTactics called Asas Elakan to learn footwork,entrance and escaping attributes that take thepesilat into the next level.

There is a dance-like form that is learned thatdistinguishes the Gayong practitioner as a studentof Gayong. This form is called the “Tarian BungaTanjung” or bay flower dance.

Hidden within this “dance” is a series ofblocks, strikes, and evasive footwork. Thephilosophy is that from the flower you have thefruit, this leads the pesilat into the innerunderstanding of the infamous grappling andcounter grappling techniques of Silat SeniGayong.

Once the beginner pesilat has trained in andlearned the fundamental movements they thenmove into the Buah Tapak Kunci Mati/Tangkapan(Fruit Techniques/ Body Dead-Lock Tactics) andSerangan Maut (Super Combat).

The Buah Tapak techniques are grapplingtechniques that differ from the more popular“grappling” moves seen in America. Thesetechniques use submissive choking, throwing andbreaking tactics that are used by the Malaysianmilitary and police units to subdue violentcriminals. These Buah techniques can be used tocause pain and/ or paralysis/ death to anadversary.

The other side of the unarmed combat seriesoffered by Silat Gayong is the Serangan or“Combat” techniques. These techniques are moredirect and to the point with a combination ofstriking, throwing, pokes and tears to vital pointson the body to end a confrontation quickly.

The Buah grappling techniques and theSerangan/ Combat techniques can also be unifiedto deliver a constant flow and adaptable barrageof techniques to any given situation.

After the pesilat has started to learn the BuahTapak/ Tangkapan techniques, they are thenintroduced to the two partner set of prearrangedCombat scenarios based on the Buah techniques.

These are a set of counter for counterscenarios where one practitioner starts the buahand then is countered by the assailant who thencounters that movement. These prearrangedscenarios help the Gayong student develop astronger foundation in flowing from one technique

Datuk Meor Rahman (in slacks and tie) demonstratingkeris technique.

The Boiling Oil Bath ritual.



to another.

That is one of the meanings of “Gayong” inSilat Seni Gayong. Silat is the art, Seni is the finetuning of the art, and Gayong is the ability to adaptto any given situation.

There is a common saying in the Silat world,“Silat without knife is not Silat.” Silat Seni Gayongand Silat Melayu is no different, there are a seriesof weapons offered in Silat Seni Gayong otherthan just knife work though.

It would be safe to say that Silat Seni Gayongis almost a predominantly weapon-based art. Themost common weapons training offered is Knife(pisau), Short Stick (Simbatsop), Long Stick (SeniKayu), Keris (Dagger), Machete (ParangPanjang), Cloth/ Chain (Seni Cindai), Spear(Lembing), Lawi Ayam (commonly referred to as“kerambit”), Sword (Sundang Lipas) and Sai(Tekpi).

The same as in unarmed training, weaponstraining consists of basic fundamental strikes andfootwork, followed by forms and specificcombative scenarios followed by pentas or mockcombat scenarios of counter-for-countertechniques for each weapon and mixing oneweapon against another.

The pesilat should feel as comfortable with aweapon as without one and will be able to flowregardless of what is in their hand. Real edgedblades and live weaponry is emphasized in

training that brings a heightened level ofawareness and respect for what is practiced.

When a student of Silat Seni Gayong firstbegins training they are initiated by performing aceremony called Mandi Tapak which officiallywelcomes them as a student of Silat Seni Gayong.

There is also a ceremony for the beginning ofweapons training as well called Mandi Seni, whichis a blessing for safety during weapons training.These ceremonies are rooted in the philosophyand culture of Gayong which are called AdatIstiadat (Melayu cultures and traditions), morals,and adab (respect).

There is no bowing in Silat Gayong, just aknown respect level and a brief moment of silenceat the opening and closing of every class to clearthe mind and to give homage and thanks to yourparticular religious/ spiritual belief.

Although these philosophies are steeped inthe traditions and lifestyle of the Muslim Melayupeople, religion is one’s own personal quest soreligion and spiritual practice are left up to theindividual students belief’s.

Since its introduction in the United States,Silat Seni Gayong under USGF has added to itsoriginal curriculum while keeping its rich traditionsalive and continues to add more modern trainingmethods to adapt to the times and follow the truemeaning of Gayong.

The use of firearm knowledge and defenseand boxing methodologies are among some of themore recent additions.

Other than USGF. there is also the GayongAmerika group in New Jersey being lead byRepresentative Bill Reid who follows the tenets ofthe Pertubuhan Seni Silat Pusaka GayongMalaysia (PSSPGM) of Malaysia.

This article was previously published in InsideKung Fu magazine. Pix taken from thePertubuhan Silat Seni Gayong MalaysiaUniversiti Malaya website athttp://members.tripod.com/~onnjadi/

Silat Seni Gayong demonstration.



FEATURE

JJeeffff DDaavviiddssoonn:: SSpprreeaaddiinngg TThhee SSaaiillSSiillaatt KKuunnttaauu TTeekkppii iinn tthhee UUSSAA

By MOHD NADZRIN WAHAB

n a Sunday afternoon, a dozen peoplehave gathered together in a small traininghall located in a quiet neighborhood just

north of Detroit, Michigan. They take off theirshoes, and form a circle around a man dressed ina black uniform.

Following a few moments of silence, the manin black leads the class through a full hour ofSenaman Tua. After this time, the students aredripping with sweat, and panting to catch theirbreath, some are struggling with trembling handsto open bottles of water. The man calls the classto order and announces: "Today I’m going to startby teaching you Kembang Layar."

The teacher is Jeff Davidson, and thestudents are part of his Silat Kuntau Tekpi class inOak Park, Michigan. This particular group meetstwice a month for 4 hours per class. Beginningeach session with Senaman Tua, the studentsthen spend 1 hour practicing each new buahlearned.

"I like to go slow, and make sure everyonehas the proper footwork before I make specificcorrections on the upper-body portion of the buah"Davidson explains.

"Once a student has the correct technique, Ihave him perform it on several different trainingpartners, so that he gets a feel for how to applythe buah against someone taller, shorter, or moremuscular. It’s great that we have students of somany different body types to work with."

Whenasked if SilatKuntau Tekpiis difficult forAmericans tolearn,Davidsonsays "It’s notdifficult forthem tolearn; it’sdifficult forthem to beon thereceiving

end of thebuahs!Americanstend to resistand tightenwhen theyare beinglocked,instead ofjust goingwith the flow,so if I canget them torelax, it willbe a far lesspainfulexperience."

Mr.Davidson began his martial arts training at age 10,with Korean and Japanese Karate. He earned ablack belt by age 16. Throughout his teen yearshe studied several different martial arts systemsincluding Jujutsu, Aikido, and Kung-Fu, anddeveloped an after-school martial arts curriculumfor his city’s public school system which servedover 500 students in total during his tenure.

While attending university, he was introducedto the martial arts of Southeast Asia, specificallyFilipino Kali, and Indonesian Silat. In 1995 heopened a commercial martial arts school in hisstate, devoted solely to the Southeast Asianmartial arts. In 2001, he traveled to Central Javato further his knowledge of Silat.

"What impressed me about the IndonesianSilat masters that I met, was that they placedequal emphasis on ‘healing’ as they did to‘fighting.’"

"That was also when I began to understandthe relationship between Silat and Islam. Thepower to overcome an attacker or to heal does notcome from jins or ajimats, but from Almighty God,and without a strong deen, Silat is meaningless."

In 1999, Jeff Davidson became arepresentative of the Pekiti-Tirsia Kali systemdirectly under Grandmaster Leo T. Gaje Jr. It wasthrough fellow Pekiti-Tirsia practitioners that he

O

Guru Jeff’s eyes shoot thequestion: You want some of this?

Steel-eyed pesilat with their barsof steel...



became aware ofthe highlyacclaimedteacher, OmarHakim.

"All of thepeople that Irespected most inthe Pekiti worldhad one thing incommon: theyhad been trainedat some point intheir developmentby Omar Hakim"Davidson relates.

"I contacted Omar by phone, and we hadseveral long discussions on various aspects of themartial arts. Also since Omar is quiteknowledgeable on Sufism, he shared manyinsights with me on some of the more esotericaspects of Silat." Mr. Davidson is also a memberof the Albanian Bektashi Tariqat.

It was at this time that Omar Hakim wasmaking preparations to hold a training camp inTexas for the purpose of developing several"Instructor Candidates" to spread Silat KuntauTekpi in the United States.

Mr. Davidson was invited to be among thefirst group - which consisted of only 4 students - tolearn the first and second levels of the Art, as wellas Senaman Tua, pelebat, and basic exerciseswith single and double tekpi.

At the end of this camp, lasting one full weekof grueling 8 hour blocks of training, Jeff Davidsonwas awarded the title of Cikgu Muda of SilatKuntau Tekpi, and given permission to teach hisown students upon his return to Michigan. Hecurrently has 15 students who are devoted tolearning Silat, outside of the Pekiti-Tirsia class thathe also teaches.

"Pekiti-Tirsia and Silat Kuntau Tekpi are verydifferent in theory and practice." he observes.

"The obvious difference is that Silat KuntauTekpi is guided by the principles of Futuwah,which proscribe various tactics that are acceptablein Pekiti-Tirsia. This is not to say that I considerone system superior to the other in terms ofeffectiveness, but I find that the two Arts are verycomplimentary of each other."

One of Davidson’s students, BassamHammoud summarized his view thus: "Pekiti-Tirsia is a very aggressive system, while SilatKuntau Tekpi is more ‘receptive’ without beingpassive."

Davidson devotes a good deal of time duringeach class to explaining several important aspectsof Melayu culture, which includes expounding onthe English translations of the names of the buah.He makes certain that the students know the basichistory of Silat Kuntau Tekpi from Panglima Taibto Cikgu Sani.

"I emphasize to my students that we do notOWN this Art. Silat is a gift from Allah, first andforemost. Also, there were many generations ofMelayu who practiced and developed this Art longbefore we came to study it, and long after we aregone the Art will continue to be practiced if GodWills it. So we are only the ‘caretakers’ of the Artat this time in this place," Davidson continues.

"Moreover, it is through the grace of CikguSani that Cikgu Omar was permitted to pass thisMelayu Art to us. It is our obligation as students tounderstand and respect the rich Melayu culturefrom which it comes. Only if we accomplish thatcan we realize the true baraka that is inherent inthis great system."

Jeff Davidson concludes by saying "One dayInsha Allah, I will go to Malaysia to further mystudy of Silat Kuntau Tekpi and Tariqat, and toimmerse myself in the Melayu way of life."

Guru Jeff Davidson may be contacted throughhis website at www.maphilindo.com

Please visit www.silatmelayu.com

“Strange that asphyxiation wasn’tmentioned in the brochure…”

Guru Jeff (in black) with his proud class of SilatKuntau Tekpi practitioners.

A Senaman Tua session kicks off the class and putssweat where it belongs: on the floor!



RE:SPONSE

After the initial announcement that I was going topublish a Silat ezine, I got a few supportiveresponses. When the inaugural issue was sentout, I received even more kind emails. Hopefully,the good word will spread-Editor.

A Gayong ReceptionBrother Nadzrin,Assalamualaikum,You know you have my full support and that ofUSGF. I would be honored to help you in any waywith your ezine (promotion, contribution, etc). Justlet me (us) know!Your American brother,Joel ChampUnited States Gayong Federation

SM- Waalaikumsalam. I definitely welcome allassistance in promoting the ezine. For now,creative contributions are all I need, but soon, Iintend to set up a method for readers to contributeto a research fund. The fund will be used to buybooks and research materials to further enrich theSilat Melayu library I am currently building. Out ofprint or rare copies of books and manuscripts arealso welcome to be sent.

Tekpi ThanksAsalaam Aleikum Brother,I'm glad to hear that you are doing well - AlHamdulilah! I just want you to know that mystudents and I support you in all of yourendeavors. The ezine is a great idea, and I hopethat later you will entertain some suggestions thathave come to mind since I read your email, buteverything in its time, Insha Allah. Right now, weare praying for you and wishing you the very bestof luck in your undertakings. Your friendship hasthus far been a blessing to me, and I look forwardto resuming our discussions at your convenience.Salaam Persilatan.Your Brother,Jeff DavidsonSilat Kuntau Tekpi USA

SM- Waalaikumsalam. Thank you for all yourprayers! I can’t wait to go through any ideas toimprove the ezine with you not to mention theresumption of our long overdue discussions.

Gayong TooNadzrin,Very well written and very good info for people likeus here. Looking forward to receive all futureissues.Salam,Sheikh ShamsuddinUnited States Gayong Federation

SM- I surely couldn’t have done it without yourmotivation all these years. Your book has been apotent source of inspiration to me and I hope itwon’t be the last I’ll see you in print.

Ideas GaloreHey Nadzrin,Well done mate, this SILAT MELAYU ezine couldbe the start of something excellent. Informativearticles written with a ready wit. I'm glad I'm asubscriber. Keep at it. You might want to: talkabout and demonstrate different combat principlesof Malaysian Silat, methods of generating power,compare and contrasts with other martial arts-what is alike and what is different, compare andcontrast different technical aspects of MalaysianSilat systems themselves i.e. how does Kalimahdiffer from Kuntau Tekpi etc, the hardest thing foranyone to get their head around when learningabout 'a martial art', is that there are manyvariants of something that shares the same name,some of these differences can be highlightedthrough discussion and demonstration of differingprinciples. Example, principles that some systemsof Malaysian Silat have in common versusdiffering principles within different Silat styles etc.Interviews with famous, highly experienced oraccomplished Silat Teachers. Book Reviews etc.Vast potential there.Russell WilksSkyclad Films

SM- Wow! Those are all fantastic ideas, which Iwill definitely look into. Book reviews? Check outthis issue’s first one! Interviews? Coming soon!

Marketing A MustAssalamualaikum,I don’t know when but I would love to contribute.I'm thinking of doing 'something about nunchaku'in your style column and contribute somethingabout martial arts and legal aspects. Contentwise, very good but how about your marketingstategy? Since this bulletin is more towardsreflecting Malaysian arts you should work togetherwith the Tourism Ministry to promote this goodstuff. Anyway, well done Nadzrin. I'm proud tohave you as one of my good martial arts friends.Regards,Zaidi HassimInternational Islamic University MalaysiaMatriculation Centre

SM- Waalaikumsalam. I will await your articleswith bated breath! Your suggestions are valid andsomething I will look into soon. Thanks. (ZaidiHassim is a law lecturer serving with IIUM in KualaLumpur and was formerly the university’s MartialArts Unit Manager)



It’s About That Time AgainAssalamualaikum Nadzrin,First and foremost, I'd like to say "It's about time!!"you produce something like this. This periodicalcan be sort of an 'ambassador of silat' to the worldoutside the Malay 'realm'. Throughout the years,I've been reading a lot of articles and writingsabout silat in English that are quite 'onedimensional'. What I mean by this is that, some ofthe authors seem to be biased towards aparticular system or style. We lack a person likeyou, Nadzrin, someone who can open-mindedlylook at silat and write about it objectively. You theman!! Many good articles about silat were writtenin Malay giving little chance for people who don’tread Malay to understand more about it. Thus,misconception arises about silat; its terms andconcepts. Your Myths and Misconception columnwill be a good place to deal about that. Maybe youcould translate and reproduce articles fromPENDEKAR and SENI BELADIRI in English.That'll be great. Some silat masters also havecommuncation issues conveying silat to foreignersin English. A lack of good vocabulary andunderstanding prevents them from conveying thereal message and ideas effectively. With yourskills, I bet you can easily overcome this barrier. Ihave some questions. How deep will your writingsget in this ezine? How far will you go about silatconcepts such as 'lam alif' and 'mata angin'? Willyou be writing about that as well in your mag? TheMalay society is only beginning to open theirminds towards 'outsiders'; there might be somewho will not agree with your effort to expose theso called 'secrets'. This is temporary actually, untilyou can safely point out to them that the so called'secrets' are also found and exist in other martialarts as basics (using other names and are slightlydifferent of course). 'Shuchu-ryoku' (focusedpower) in Yoshinkan Aikido for example hold toalmost the same principle as 'lam alif' and 'mataangin' (correct me here if I'm wrong) such thatpower from the whole body is concentrated to onepoint and direction. Looking forward to your nextissue. By the way, how much will it cost me tosubscribe to your ezine? Keep up the good work.Take care.Ahmad Hafidz

SM- That’s a lot to digest! In all fairness, beforethis there were many magazines, forums andezines dedicated to silat. This is just the latest in along line of efforts. As for the magazines youmentioned, I will probably refer to them in myarticles, but will stop short of reproducing them. Iprefer to approach a topic from a fresh angle.Also, no, I won’t go into too much detail regardingconcepts that I myself have a scant grasp of. But

SILAT MELAYU will not be shy about things, that’sfor sure. Currently, there is no cost involved inowning and reading the ezine. It’s free of charge!

War-warkan KewujudannyaAssalamu'alaikum wrt. wbt.Syabas dan Tahniah atas kejayaan saudaramenerbitkan e-magazine SILAT MELAYU yangpertama. Semoga ia menjadi perintis danpendorong kepada saudara untuk menerbitkansatu lagi bahan bacaan persilatan yang bertarafdunia. Macamana nak subscribe e-m'zine ini?Kalau boleh saya tak mahu ketinggalan dalammengikuti perkembangannya serta mendapatkansetiap edisinya. Cadangan saya juga cuba war-warkan dalam web CekakHanafi.com, supayamember-member silat dapat manfaat drp e-zinetersebut.Sekian,Ikmal Rashmy Ismail

SM- Waalaikumsalam. Terima kasih atas segalasokongan abang Ikmal. Ezine ini diberikanpercuma dan dikirim ke petimel abang setiapJumaat sebelum tarikh keluaran. InsyaAllah,abang takkan ketinggalan satu edisi pun!

Persilatan Melayu di MalaysiaAsalamualaikum,Terima kasih kerana memberi peluang untukmelanggan ezine saudara. Saya ucapkan tahniahpada usaha yang dijalankan bagi memertabatkanbudaya Melayu kita. Saya ingin mengambilpeluang untuk berhubung dengan saudara Mohd.Nadzrin sendiri dan kepada mereka yangberminat dalam melibatkan diri bersama dalampenulisan sebuah buku 'Persilatan Melayu diMalaysia' yang masih dalam cadangan.Bidang persilatan bukan kepakaran saya tapi sayarasa terpanggil untuk merakam persilatan Melayukita yang makin kabur daripada pandangankebanyakan muda-mudi yang begitu leka dengankeduniaan dan kebendaan yang punyai nilaikerohanian terbatas. Semoga usaha saudarasedikit sebanyak dapat memperkasakan muda-mudi kita yang sedang bergolak dengan pelbagaicabaran kehidupan moden yang mencabarsemangat dan keutuhan bangsa Melayu kita.Dalam mendekati jiwa muda-mudi kepadapersilatan Melayu, kita perlu pendekatan yangbersesuaian. Mungkin kita boleh usahakanbersama. Sekian WasalamProf Madya Abd.Rahim AwangFakulti SeniBina Perancangan & UkurUniversiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Shah Alammerangkap Penasihat Persatuan Silat CekakHanafi UiTM



IN HINDSIGHT

ColumnsSILAT MELAYU has some several semi-permanent columns that deal with different issues.Malaysia Truly Asia describes Malaysia as a country and its eclectic mix of cultures, political landscape,current issues, etc.Myths & Misconceptions deal with incorrect beliefs held by non-natives of Malaysia towards Silat andMelayu culture.Mightier Than The Keris examines Silat in the media and presents published sources that are difficult tofind outside of Malaysia.Style Of The Week focuses on a particular Malaysian silat school in brief.Feature will showcase submitted articles on a particular style or issue.However, SILAT MELAYU is still a work in progress. Depending on the amount of content available, theezine will either balloon or shrink from time to time. Therefore, prepare to be surprised for changes in thenext few issues!

Re:SponseDirect all your letters to the editor to Re:Sponse. This can include suggestions, questions or even rants.For article requests, pose a question regarding Silat or Melayu culture and we will answer it in the form ofan article. If the question is beyond our ability to research, it will be open to other readers of the ezine toanswer. So, what are you waiting for? Ask away! In the subject line, type RESPONSE.

Article SubmissionsWe welcome all article submissions in MS Word format. Lengthy articles will be edited into several partsand published over successive issues of the ezine. Articles should preferably revolve around Silat andMelayu culture. Pictures should be in JPG format and formatted at 100dpi. Submit them by email with thesubject line ARTICLE.

Silat LinksFor those of you interested in having your website links portrayed in every issue of the ezine, please sendit to us with the subject line LINKS and a one sentence description of the site. When we have enoughsites on the list, we may start up a review column as well.

Foreshortening guideThe following terms sometimes appear in articles:[IMHO] – Writer’s personal opinion or conclusion based on experience and not on any concrete evidencethat can be directly quoted.[ORAL] – Denotes first hand oral transmission with a footnote stating the source, date and wheneverpossible a near verbatim account of the original utterance.M3A – Malaysian Melayu Martial Arts. In reference to any style largely developed within the territories ofMalaysia by a person or persons of Melayu Muslim descent from or including martial art strains fromtraditional Nusantara culture. This includes eclectic arts such as Kuntau, Lian and Pukulan.

Alam Terkembang Menjadi GuruSome of you may have noticed the motto underneath the SILAT MELAYU masthead. When translated, itreads ‘The Vast Universe Becomes Your Teacher’. It is a Minangkabau proverb of knowledge that whenarticulated in its original dialect reads: Alam Tokombang Monjadi Guru. Its meaning is deep for those whoknow and is a guide for those who don’t. Since the SILAT MELAYU ezine transcends culture, belief andborder and is open to contributions from all, there is no one ‘teacher’, simply a vast universe ofknowledgeable people in the martial arts sharing what they know with each other. The editor thought itwas an apt choice.

CorrectionsThe first issue of SILAT MELAYU suffered from several typos which we have corrected below. We shallendeavour to keep them to a minimum in the coming editions.Page 2: “Attempts to wrest port Melaka…”Page 7: “…the general had to relocate his family to Kerian of the state of Perak.”

Silat Melayu Ezine 2

Documents

Transcript of Silat Melayu Ezine 2