The Fighting Art of Pencak Silat and Its Music: From Southeast Asian Village to Global Movement

468 Pages·2016·7.61 MB·English

by  Uwe U Paetzold

 i
TheFightingArtofPencak SilatandItsMusic
© koninklijkebrillnv,leiden,2016 | doi10.1163/9789004308756_001
ii 
Brill’s Southeast Asian Library
Edited by
M.C.Ricklefs(National University of Singapore)
BruceLockhart(National University of Singapore)
VOLUME5
Thetitlespublishedinthisseriesarelistedat brill.com/seal
 iii
The Fighting Art of Pencak Silat
and Its Music
From Southeast Asian Village to Global Movement
Edited by
UweU.PaetzoldandPaulH.Mason
LEIDEN|BOSTON
iv 
Coverillustration:ThephotocollageofFigures2.2(PerformanceofaIbing Tepak Salancar Cimande)and
12.4(floorpatternofaTari Galombang,courtesyofIndijaMahjoeddin)wasdesignedbyUweU.Paetzold.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Names:Paetzold,Uwe,editor.Mason,PaulH.,editor.
Title:Thefightingartofpencaksilatanditsmusic:fromSoutheastAsian
villagetoglobalmovement/editedbyUweU.PaetzoldandPaulH.Mason.
Description:Leiden:Brill,[2016]|Series:Brill’sSoutheastAsianlibrary
|Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.|Descriptionbasedon
printversionrecordandCIPdataprovidedbypublisher;resourcenot
viewed.
Identifiers:LCCN2015045117(print)|LCCN2015040749(ebook)|ISBN
9789004308749(hardback:alk.paper)|ISBN9789004308756(e-book)
Subjects:LCSH:Pencaksilat.|Performingarts--SoutheastAsia.|Folkdance
music--SoutheastAsia--Historyandcriticism.|Ethnomusicology--Southeast
Asia.
Classification:LCCGV1114.75(print)|LCCGV1114.75.F542016(ebook)|DDC
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ContentCsontents v
Contents
Foreword vii
J. Lawrence Witzleben
Preface viii
Organization of This Volume xii
List of Figures, Maps and Tables xxii
Notes on Contributors xxviixxx
Introduction
Putting the Obscure into the Public: Pencak Silat and Music1
Uwe U. Paetzold and Paul H. Mason
Part 1
The Development of Pencak Silat
1 The Standardisation of Pencak Silat: Javanisation, Nationalism, and
Internationalisation45
Jean-Marc de Grave
2 The Music in Pencak Silat Arts Tournaments is Gone – A Critical
Discussion of the Changes in a Performance Culture76
Uwe U. Paetzold
Part 2
Regional Studies on Pencak Silat and Its Music
3 Silat: A Muslim Traditional Martial Art in Southern Thailand125
Bussakorn Binson
4 Gendang Silat: Observations from Stong (Kelantan) and from Kuala
Penyu (Sabah)167
Gisa Jähnichen
5 Hang Tuah and the Distinctive Art of Self-Defence Culture in the
Lingga Regency of Indonesia’s Riau Islands182
Margaret Kartomi
vi Contents
6 Silek Minang in West Sumatra, Indonesia205
Paul H. Mason
7 Pencak Silat Seni in West Java, Indonesia235
Paul H. Mason
Part 3
Studies on Movement Arts Based on or Related to Silat and Their
Music
8 Dampeang: Social and Textual Structure in the Performance of
Luambek265
Zahara Kamal and Indija Mahjoeddin
9 Dancing Soldiers: Rudat for Maulud Festivals in Muslim Balinese
Villages290
Ako Mashino
10 Sundanese Penca Silat and Dance Drumming in West Java317
Henry Spiller
11 Dancing Toward Autonomy: Jaipongan and the Assertion of
Sundanese Identity335
Sean Williams
Part 4
‘Insiders’ and ‘Outsiders’ Applying the Silat Logic of Body
Movement in Performance
12 The Galombang Wave and the Silek Body359
Indija Mahjoeddin
13 Adaptation of Silek and Randai for Performer Training in the USA:
A Case Study of the Asian Theater Program at the University of
Hawai’i at Mānoa384
Kirstin Pauka
Glossary 397
Index of Names 406
Index of Terms and Associative Expressions 410
438
ForewoFrodreword vii
Foreword
AlthoughIhavebeenreadingabout,teaching,andperformingIndonesianmu-
sicforseveraldecades,untiltheICTMSoutheastAsiaStudyGrouponthePer-
formingArtsofSoutheastAsiameetinginSingaporein2010,pencak silatwasa
termIhadencounteredonlyinpassingreferences.Thepaperpresentationsat
theSingaporemeetingwerethusacompleterevelation,andIamgratifiedto
seethesestudiesexpandedintothisimportantcollection.
Althoughethnomusicologistshavepaidconsiderableattentiontomove-
mentintheformof“dance,”wehaveignoredtraditionssuchaspencak silat
thatblurtheboundariesbetweendance,martialart,andspiritualdiscipline,
butthatplayanimportantroleintheartisticlifeofmanypartsofIndonesia.
Assuch,thechaptersinthiscollectionareground-breaking,andthiscollec-
tionwillnotonlybeofgreatvaluetoscholarsofSoutheastAsianperforming
artsandculture,butwillalsoprovideinspirationforthosewhoworkinother
regionssuchasChina,wherethescholarlystudyofsimilarlygenre-defying
performativetraditionshasbeensadlylacking.
J. Lawrence Witzleben
April2015
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aieiPSscceneteaetdreerOrmduinaiosaqAnnolsrinctbuStiigifPhtcymypleaUiePemcsinosrnereTfifisnt.sotyHiascprltama1ei9kwoaa9nSans9iiclA’iaepattpMlieādnDoaur(73x67x911446155668922222222233x52xx181111111111222222222222222333332xxxx111111112458111111111111111111222222333333333333333333333333333333826119iU327777333939446244560111124455555556668888731366668867279677322323220044400000000122345566667771114466990014556690000699n3vvviviii73679654218811i4258898ixxx567770001338822i755793956781927029525872757104091H0444882243220016678ii346i845700017748240858669957igiiiMCo)mpetitions 38808
viii Preface Preface
Preface
Socialscientistsconductresearchintomanyaspectsofhumancultures,with
performingartstheorists,ethnomusicologistsandethnochoreologistsclaim-
ingacademicjurisdictionovertheatre,musicanddance.Whiletheatre,music
anddancehaveanacademichome,wheredomoreobscureformsofcultural
expressionsuchasfightingartsfit?Fightingartsareseeminglyaggressive,po-
tentlydestructive,ethicallycharged,aestheticallyrough-edged,repulsiveto
someandobscenelyenjoyedbyothers.However,doesthismeanthatintellec-
tualsshouldoverlookfightingarts?Perhapsfightingartshavebeendisregard-
edbysocialscientistsinthepast,butfightingartsareinfactvaluabledoorways
intotheculturalworldsofothers.Fightingartshavetheirownbeauty,their
owninternalphilosophy,andareconnectedtoculturalworldsinmeaningful
andimportantways.Theirworthinessofbeinggivenacademicconsideration
becomesevenmoreapparentwhenoneconsidersfightingartsasthesource
andinspirationformanyformsoftheatre,musicanddance.InSoutheastAsia
fightingartshaveinspiredtheatreformsinWestSumatra,musicalgenresin
WestJava,andtraditionaldancesacrosstheentireIndo-Malayanarchipelago.
Furthermore,fightingartsareanimportantculturalreferenceinindigenous
formsofeducation,culturalcodesandsocialstructure.Onstage,obscure
fightingartsarethrownintothepubliceye,andinprintfightingartsareput
underintellectualscrutiny.
Theeditorsofthisbookstartedoffwithdeepconsiderationsaboutthe
manyrichfacetsoftheSoutheastAsianfightingartofpencak silat.Categori-
callythemostwidelydisseminatedSoutheastAsianartform,pencak silathas
morepractitionersworldwidethangamelan music,wayangpuppetry,orany
SoutheastAsiandanceform.Yet,SoutheastAsianmusicanddancehasdispro-
portionatelygainedmorescholarlyattention.AWesternethnocentricbias
amongacademicshasalsomeantthatthestrongconnectionsbetweendiverse
SoutheastAsianperformanceartsandpencak silathaveoftenbeenleftun-
stated.Foreignpencak silat practitionerscanalsobeaccusedofethnocentrism,
becausetheperceptionofpencak silat asamartialarthas,forsome,precluded
aninterestinassociatedmusicalgenresandperformancearts.Thedistinguish-
ingfeatureofthisbookisthatithighlightsthecentralityofpencak silat among
SoutheastAsianartsanditsimportancetoanetworkoftraditionalandmod-
ernperformingarts.WithadistinctchangeinthewayweviewSoutheastAsia,
thisbookprovidesawealthofinformationaboutacomplexofperformingarts
relatedtopencak silat.
Preface ix
Acknowledgements
Thisbookisajointeffort.Itwouldnothavebeenpossiblewithoutalltheacts
ofkindnessfrompeoplewehavemetthroughoursharedinterestinpencak
silat.ItwasinitiatedbythesupportandencouragementofMargaretKartomi
duringasymposiumoftheInternational Council of Traditional MusicinSinga-
poreinsummer2010.ThemeetinginSingaporehostedseveralpanelsonsilat
andwasthefirstinternational,ethnomusically-andethnochoreographically-
focuseddiscussiondedicatedtotheartisticandculturalaspectsofthepencak
silatculture(“kebudayaan pencak silat”).Startingfromthisevent,theeditors
wereabletocompilechaptersfromthreegenerationsofscholarsresearching
numeroussegmentsofthenetworkofperformingartsrelatedtopencak silat.
Compilingandeditingthisbookbecamearealadventureandchallengefor
theeditors.FromthefirstdiscussionsandconsultationsinSingaporetothe
“callsforcontributions,”theprojectinvolvedgettingincontactwiththecon-
tributingauthors,exchangingwiththem,andchaperoningthisbookuntilit
finallybecamerealduringthepublishingprocess.Whatawonderfultask!
Whentheoldermembersofour‘virtualteam’startedwiththeirfieldworkin
thelastdecadesofthe20thcentury,wewerestillboundtothepostalservice
forinternationalcommunication.Wewouldsendletterstothepeoplewe
wantedtocontactinSoutheastAsia,andsometimeswewouldhavetowait
weeks,evenmonths,untilafeedbackletterwouldbereceived.Finalarrange-
mentswerethenmadeviaFax,orTelephone,wheneverpossible.The‘virtual
team’ofcontributorsforthisvolumecouldnothavebeenbroughttogether
withouttheindispensableassistanceoftheInternet.
Theeditorsarenotthefirsttotrytofacilitateaworkgroupofpeopleinter-
estedinpencak silatculture.Theearliestworkgroupthathascometoour
knowledgewascalledthe“Saudara Riksa Diri”(“siblingsinexaminingthe
self”),whoworkedtogetherinWestJavaduringthe1960sandearly1970s.This
group,basedonapencak silatschoolofthesamename,hadnoofficialinstitu-
tionalstatus,butwasjustagroupofyoungbutwellexperiencedpencak silat
performersfromtheBandungareathatwentalloverJavatosearchforand
visitpencak silatspecialists.Theythencarriedbacktheirresultstodiscusswith
their‘siblings.’Theydidn’thaveanyfunds,onlyverylimitedprivatemoney,and
travelledfromonefriend’shousetothenexttodotheirinvestigations.They
wereledbythelatePakEmuhSukejaandthelatePakNunungHudayat,two
prolificpencak silatteachers.Theirstudentsincluded,amongstothers,thelate
PakMochammadSaleh,wholaterbecamethepencak silatteacheroftheASTI
(STSI)Bandungandauthorofseveralbooksonpencak silat,andPakSaini
K.M.,wholaterbecamethedirectorofthisacademy,andthedirectorofthe
x Preface
Direktorat Kesenian Indonesia.PakSukeja’swife,thelateIbuNaniR.Sukeja,
wastakingthetaskastheorganiserofthisgroup.ShebecameUweU.Paet-
zold’smajorresearchfellowinWestJavaintheearly1990suntilheruntimely
deathon15March1996.Whenthingsbecamehecticduringfieldresearch
tasks,sheusedtoapplyanIndonesiansaying:“diambil dari bawah, dibawah ke
atas,”whichliterallymeans:“takenfrombelow,liftedabove”;andwhichcanbe
interpretedas:“Receivedwithmodesty,reveredtobecomehonoured.”Keep-
ingthissayinginourminds,wewouldliketoacknowledgeourgratitude
towardsourfriends,teachers,informants,andGewährsleutefromthecultures
ofpencak silat,whogenerouslyshared,andkindlytaughtustheirartsandcul-
tures.Oneimportant,moregeneral,qualitywewereabletolearnfromthemis
thatacordialmultidirectionalaltruismispartandparcelofthe“Silatworld.”
Therefore,beforegoingintoanydetailedstudiesofpencak silat,weshouldre-
mindourselvesoftheincrediblepassion,dedicationandlovethatpencak silat
artistsdemonstratefortheirartandtheircompanions.
Wewouldliketoacknowledgeourgratitudetowardsourpublisherwho
tookthechallengetoletuscompileandeditthisbookunderaprimarilyeth-
nomusicologicalfocus.KoninklijkeBrillNVsupportedourendeavour,though
recognisingthatweandourco-authorsarereportingonmusicgenresand
formsthatarestillrarelyknown–neitheronstagenorinthemedia–andthat
arenoteasilyaccessibleoutsideofSoutheastAsia.Withthatinmindwewould
cordiallyliketoremindthereaderofanotherworkpublishedbyE.J.Brillmore
than130yearsago–namelythereportentitled:“Midden-Sumatra. Reizen en
Onderzoekingen der Sumatra-Expeditie, uitgerust door het Aardrijkskundig
Genootschap 1877–1879. Geschreven door de Leden der Expeditie, onder Toezicht
van Prof. P.J. Veth. Deerde Deel. Volksbeschrijving en Taal. Erste Gedeelte.”Itwas
ArendLudolfvanHasselt(1882:117–120),oneofthemembersofthisexpedi-
tiongroup,whowasthefirsttoreportwithina‘Western’publicationbasicphe-
nomenaandterminology(“DenationaledansenderManangkabo-Maleiers,
despiegelgevechten,…hetmāmantjaq,hetbāgajoëngenhetbāsilè;delaatste
soortwordtookweltari tanganenbādampiïnggenoemd(117)…Descherm-
meesters,pandéka`s,(118)…menari piring,debordendans,(120)…”),that
wouldeventuallyenablecolleagues,i.e.thecontributorsofthepresentvol-
ume,tofurtherconductpencak silatrelatedresearch.Further,wewouldliketo
thankourcopyeditorandouranonymousreviewer,whoseknowledgeable
commentsandsuggestionswegreatlyappreciated.
UweU.PaetzoldwantstoacknowledgehisgratitudetowardsVolkerKalisch,
AndreasBallstaedt,andDieterDerichsweileroftheRobertSchumannUni-
versityofMusic,Düsseldorf,fortheirkindhelp,discussionsandcounselon
manyaspectsoftheproject,aswellassupporterswithintheinevitableorgani-