Silat is a collective word for a class of indigenous martial arts from the geo-cultural area of Indonesia and throughout South … See more

The oral history of Indonesia begins with the mythical legend about the arrival of Aji Saka (lit. primordial king) from India to Java. At the request of the local people, he successfully killed the monarch Dewata Cengkar of … See more

As with most ancient fighting arts, pencak silat historically prioritized weapons over unarmed combat. While this is usually not the case today, all pencak silat schools include weapons to some degree of importance… See more

Over 150 styles of pencak silat are recognised in Indonesia, although the actual number of existing systems is well beyond that. Older methods are typically identified with specific ethno-cultural groups or particular r… See more

Generalizations in pencak silat technique are very difficult; styles and movements are as diverse as the Indonesian archipelago itself. Individual disciplines can be offensive as in Aceh, evasive as in Bali, or somewher… See more

• Pencak Silat of Sumatra (c. 1915)
• Pencak Silat at Fort van der Capellen (c. 1915)
• Martial arts at east cost of Sumatra (c. 1930) … See more