Kuntao
Written Chinese | 拳道 |
Bopomofo: | ㄑㄩㄢㄉㄠ |
Pinyin | Quándào |
Pe̍h-ōe-jī | Kûn-thâu |
Indonesian | Kuntao |
Malay | Kuntau |
Filipino | Kuntaw |
Kuntao or kuntau (
Etymology
There are no standard
History
The presence of
Styles
Both northern and southern Chinese martial arts are represented in kuntao, but the majority of systems originate from the same southern states as the Southeast Asian Chinese communities who practice them.
Kuntao in
In
Kuntao in Sarawak (spelled locally as kuntau) was disseminated by Sino-Iban and adopted by the wider Iban people. Masters are addressed as guro and the training area is an outdoor space called kelang. Kuntau remains guarded by secrecy today, seldom shown to the public and rarely taught outside the community. Though traditionally passed within the family, kuntau has dwindled in popularity among the young. There are currently only 24 kelang statewide and 14 styles remain. This includes Lang Nginau, Tepis Memaloh, and Sinding Ujan Panas. The styles known as Spring 12 and Spring 24 closely resemble Wing Chun. As with Lian Padukan, they trace back to a Chinese man from Yunnan. In 2017 the National Iban Kuntau Association (Nika) was formed to preserve Iban kuntau, and has approved selected patterns to be displayed to the public.
Kuntao in the
Integrated systems
Millennia of mutual exchange has at times blurred the line between kuntao and silat. Some schools may use the terms almost interchangeably as in Bali. Others incorporate both words in their name, as with Silat Kuntau Tekpi. In the most extreme cases, a particular lineage is passed down within the indigenous Southeast Asian community until it loses any outward Chinese reference. This has sometimes been intentional, particularly after the Chinese Communist Revolution. Between 1949 and the mid-80s, some schools were rebranded as silat to distance themselves from Maoist China. Additionally, the establishment of Indonesia's silat governing body IPSI in 1948 was a motivating factor for martial arts schools to be recognized by the association if they're considered silat. The rise of racism in more recent decades has further resulted in alterations to oral traditions and histories, de-emphasising their inception as the product of Chinese culture. The following are examples of such revision. All are characteristically Chinese in their techniques, tactics, and medicinal practices.
Cingkrik
From the Betawi word jingkrik meaning agile, legend traces Cingkrik to a monkey style of kuntao created by a woman who based the techniques on a group of monkeys she witnessed fighting. In the early 1900s this kuntao eventually reached a man in Rawa Belong named Kong Maing who further developed it after a monkey stole his walking stick and evaded all his attempts at retrieval. The modern revision credits Kong Maing entirely, ignoring its kuntao background.
Beksi
Kwitang
Unlike most recent revisions, the dispute over
Bangau Putih
A white crane system founded in
Lian Yunan
A family of about 22 styles centered mainly in Johor, Malaysia. They are remarkably similar to Wing Chun with which they share a common origin in Yunnan, China during the 1700s. The most prominent style is Lian Padukan, itself a derivative of Buah Pukul from the Mersing district of Johor. It is said to have been introduced by a Hui man who made a name for himself fighting in the docklands of 1920s Singapore and Johor. Confusion over the Hui identity has led to revisionists replacing the founder's Chinese heritage with an Arab one.
Kuntaw
Spelled as kuntaw in the Philippines, the Chinese origin of kuntao is rarely denied, but it has often become associated with the
Weapons
The vast array of weaponry found in China is naturally reflected in kuntao, the most famous examples being the sword, sabre, staff, spear and
- Kiam (jian): straight double-edge sword
- Tou (dao): any single-edge blade, usually referring to the sabre
- Toya (gun): pole, usually of either wood or iron
- Chio (qiang): spear, often with horsehair attached near the blade to prevent blood from dripping to the shaft
- Taichiu: short-handled trident
- Kwan-tou ( fame
- Hongkiam-kek (ji): crescent-moon spear
- Hwa-kek: a polearm resembling the jibut with two crescent blades, one on each side of the spear-head
- Sangkau (shuanggou): hook swords
- Sanh-chat (sanjie-gun): staff divided into three sections of equal length and joined together by chain
- Liang-chat (liangjie-gun): chained stick divided into two sections, either one long and one short or a diminutive version in which both are of the same length
- Kwai (guai): crutch-like truncheon, usually paired
- Suk piao (sheng biao): rope with a metal dart attached to one end
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8048-1716-5.
- ^ Wang, Ma Rosey; "Chinese Muslims in Malaysia, History and Development"; 2000, http://210.0.141.99/eng/malaysia/ChineseMuslim_in_Malaysia.asp Archived 2006-07-17 at the Wayback Machine seen on 16. June 2013
- S2CID 53659419.
- JSTOR 2094409
- ^ Wiley, Mark V. & Co, Alexander L.; "Kuntao in Southeast Asia"; 1997, http://www.bengkiam.com/bengkiam/archive/Kuntao%20in%20Southeast%20Asia%20-%20Mark%20Wiley%20and%20Alex%20Co.pdf seen on 16. June 2013
- ^ Pulanco, Carlos; "Geschichte der philippinischen Kampfkünste - Teil 1"; 2003, http://www.bagongkatipunan.de/historie_fma1.htm seen on 16. June 2013
- ISBN 978-1881116622