Main articles:
Silat and
Pencak Silat
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Demo Silat Minang In Jakarta |
Pencak Silat demonstration in Jakarta.
The art of silat was created and firstly developedin the islands of
Java and
Sumatra.
It is an art for survival and practiced throughout Indonesian
archipelago. Centuries of tribal wars in Indonesian history had shaped
silat as it was used by the ancient warriors of Indonesia. Silat was
used to determine the rank and position in old Indonesian kingdoms.
Contacts with
Indians and
Chinese
was further enriched silat. Silat reached areas beyond Indonesia mainly
through diaspora of Indonesian people. People from various regions like
Aceh,
Minangkabau,
Riau,
Bugis,
Makassar,
Java,
Banjar, etc. moved into and settled in
Malay Peninsula and other islands. They brought silat and passed it down to their descendants. The
Indonesian of half-Dutch descent are also credited as the first to brought the art into Europe.
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Silat Minang Kabau |
Silat was used by Indonesian freedom fighters during their struggle against the
Dutch
colonists. Unfortunately after Indonesia achieving their independence,
silat became less popular among Indonesian youth compare to foreign
martial arts like
Karate and
Taekwondo.
This probably because silat was not taught openly and only passed down
among blood relatives, the other reason is the lack of media portrayal
of the art.

Efforts have been made in recent years to introduce and reintroduce
the beauty of silat to Indonesian youth and the world. Exhibitions and
promotions by individuals as well as state-sponsored groups helped the
growing of silat's popularity, particularly in
Europe and
United States. Indonesian 2009 Silat movie
Merantau is one of Indonesian efforts to introduce silat to international scene.
Another martial art from Indonesia is Tarung Derajat. It is a modern
combat system created by Haji Ahmad Drajat based on his experience as a
street fighter. Tarung Drajat has been acknowledge as a national sport
by
KONI in 1998 and is now using by
Indonesian Army as part of their basic training.
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