Over the decades that I have studied martial arts, I have always enjoyed not only the study of the martial skills and combative sciences of various countries/peoples, but also their culture and histories. When I first began studying the Indonesian art of Pencak Silat, my first teacher, the late Guru Besar Herman Suwanda of Pencak Silat Mande Muda would tell me that he felt he was not only teaching martial arts , but also acting as an “ambassador” of sorts for his country and culture.
His statements made me more aware of a certain truth in what he said. Pak Herman would tell us when we were training with him in Indonesia, that he could teach us how to hit someone or how to throw someone any where — there was no need for him to have us travel to Indonesia to learn that. What he truly wanted was for us to get a real “feel” and appreciation for the land and people where his Pencak Silat came from — to see the topography of the land, the culture, to sample the traditions, customs and courtesies first-hand in order to have a better idea of what Indonesia and Indonesians were all about. Having us there to learn Pencak Silat was one vehicle for how he was getting us to understand Indonesia better.
Pak Herman believed also that understanding the culture, ultimately, would make our Pencak Silat richer and deeper. Martial arts students often enter into the study of a country’s or peoples’ “martial art” purely for studying a means of self protection or combat. However, as time goes on and physical skill develops, so does an expanded interest in the history and cultural context of that art and, eventually an interest and enthusiasm for the study of the more general culture, politics, traditions, topography and history of the “parent” country and people.
As curiosity builds about the homeland of a particular art, so does an interest in the food, language, customs, history and politics. The student might even resolve to one day travel to that land with a positive enthusiasm and an anxious desire to get in touch with the culture, to stand on the same soil as the people and interact with them face to face. At home, they may even incorporate some elements of that culture into their own homes — perhaps art, decor or other elements, such as how they do things within their home. For instance, I have seen some enthusiast of Japanese martial arts take up bonsai or build incredible Japanese gardens as well as adopt a “no shoes inside the house” policy .
To call this cultural appropriation would be off target, in my opinion, as, instead, it signals a genuine enthusiasm for that culture and a recognition of all the many “positives” that culture may have, as well as a true appreciation regarding how those things can make one’s life better. I have seen such enthusiasm in those studying all manner of arts — Chinese, Irish, Indonesian, Malaysian, Japanese, African, etc etc. Students become interested in their teacher’s challenges when they immigrated to this country. They go to museums and festivals celebrating the culture and art of their particular martial arts homeland — they become interested in visiting local ethnic markets or sections of town where they might never, otherwise, have considered such exploration.
My experience has been that martial art students often have a keen interest in the struggles of other peoples against oppression and colonial rule and the immigration of those peoples to other lands. Certainly, I have seen this in students of Filipino martial arts, Chinese Kung Fu , Indonesian Pencak Silat and even Irish Bataireacht. Many of my students have participated enthusiastically in local/regional events with the Indonesian Diaspora. Undoubtedly, with martial arts being, at its most fundamental, about fighting proficiency, there are some practitioners who might remain close minded or xenophobic. Yet overall I find that most students develop a broader appreciation of other cultures and peoples beyond their own and can be sympathetic to the historical struggles of other peoples who often had to use their specific arts in struggles against oppressive rulers, colonial powers or invading armies.
At first glance, it would appear that a practice steeped in close quarter combat, armed or unarmed would not open a students mind to the positives of another land or culture, but what I have personally observed (and experienced) has been quite the opposite. I would throw out that often martial arts is one of the best ways not only to build confidence foster skill in handling oneself when faced with adversity , but also to begin to build a wider field of cultural curiosity and greater propensity for acceptance and understanding of other peoples.
