Raising the Submerged Log of ‘Silek’

Kompas/Heru Sri Kumoro

Students of the Sasaran Sinpia school practice the traditional Minangkabau martial art of silek on Wednesday (24/1) in Solok City, West Sumatra. The children’s high enthusiasm is good news for the preservation and development of the indigenous martial art, which has also gained followers in Europe and the US.

Minangkabau’s martial art of silek, which had been taught for centuries at surau, had been dormant. However, a change in era has taken silek overseas, where it has thrived in countries such as Singapore, the United Kingdom, Germany and Austria.

Shortly after 8 p.m., the yard at the home of Zamzibar in Sinapa Piliang, Solok City, West Sumatra, filled with children 3-15 years old. Clad in black outfits, they practiced silek, a martial arts form indigenous to the region.

Starting with the recitation of syahadat (that there is one God, and Muhammad is His Prophet) and after warming up, they practiced kicking and punching. Then, they paired off to spar.

The Sinpia school, where the children were training, is one of 22 martial arts schools in Solok and has 80 students. The school, some 51 kilometers from Padang, teaches silek tuo, believed to be the oldest martial art of Minangkabau.

Sinpia teacher Asraf Danil Datuak Tan Panggak said the school’s name was not only an acronym derived from Sinapa Piliang, but also the name of a move in silek. “Sinpia is a side-step. This is for self-defense,” he said, while demonstrating the move.

Silek tuo did not only teach how to fight physically, but also spirituality. It comprised a code of ethics, behavior and culture. In practice, the participants could make friends while they could get closer to God spiritually.

The students were taught the principle to “block on the first move, attack on the second”, which means they were not allowed to instigate a fight. But if they were attacked, they could retaliate.

They learned gradually, starting from bungo silek, consisting of various steps, followed with the core moves of the martial art, which included a variety of kicks, punches, blocks and holds. The next stage of the practice consisted more of spiritual teachings.

The moves of silek are like a dance, slow but full of power, anticipating the opponent’s move. Even though the moves are light-footed, they require a powerful breath. In Minangkabau’s customary tradition, the beautiful moves of silek are part of its culture.

It is not easy to enter a silek school. There are requirements to fulfill. The students must bring a chicken in accordance with their sex, siriah langkok (betel leaves and seasoning), a knife, a needle, a mirror, chili peppers, sugar and a length of white cloth. Each of these carry a specific meaning.

The chicken is symbolizes the student’s commitment. The siriah langkok indicates the student’s emotional bond with their senior. Sugar indicates that the student is quick to adapt, and the white cloth represents their intention to learn silek is for good, and not evil.

Sinpia principal Taufik Rusli said the school was founded with a new paradigm. Silek was once in decline and he reawakened the willingness of children and youths to train in the martial art. “We used to learn silek at surau [small prayer house] or under a rumah gadang [communal stilt house]. Now, we practice in the front yard so that people become familiar with it and become interested,” Taufik said.

Andalas University anthropology professor Nursyirwan Effendi said silek Minangkabau experienced many ups and downs because of changes in the social function of the rumah gadang and surau. In the past, the women of an extended family lived in the house and the boys lived in the surau to study, including silek. This function changed and now, only the main family lives in the rumah gadang. Silek used to be mandatory, but it is now voluntary.

An annual silek festival is held after the harvest season in Sawah Solok, West Sumatra, in an effort to revive silek. Nursyirwan said this is a form of “mambangkik batang tarandam” (raising a submerged log), or reviving silek. Now, more elementary and junior high school students come to silek training in Solok.

The enthusiasm for reviving the martial art is also seen at the Singo Barantai martial art school in Lubuk Lintah, Kuranji district, Padang. The school, which teaches Silat Pauh, has 100 students from 6-28 years old.

Dody Mirsal, 33, a silek teacher at Singo Barantai, said the aim was not only to teach the traditional martial art. It also teaches plays for children, such as randai, as well as traditional dance and music. No less important is the religious teachings to improve manners and customs.

Silek’s popularity rose when it appeared in movies. A few films star Iko Uwais, such as Merantau (2009) and The Raid (2011), which was released internationally as The Raid: Redemption, and its sequel, The Raid 2 (2014). The films received positive responses at home and abroad.

Merantau, directed by Gareth Evans, was screened at the Punchon International Fantastic Film Festival in South Korea and at the Austin Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. At ActionFest 2010 in Asheville, North Carolina, the film was awarded as the best film.

Silat Harimau Minangkabau patron Edwel Datuk Rajo Gampo Alam, who was also the choreographer for Merantau, said the film made the Minangkabau martial art more popular. He said he taught the martial art in Europe, such as in the UK, Austria and Germany. In Asia, Singapore has been developing the martial art in the past year.

“Currently, I’m training a Filipino who has practiced martial arts for 55 years. He will open a school in the Philippines and the US,” Edwel said.

In 2017, the feature film Surau dan Silek was released. “The response from the public was positive, and the film was screened for 40 days at cinemas. It was also screened at festivals in Australia, Hong Kong and Italy,” said Surau dan Silek director Arief Malinmudo.

Singo Barantai principal Zulhendri Ismed, who is also a Council of Masters member of the Indonesia Silat Association, was optimistic that silat and religious teachings would be preserved through the Minangkabau tradition.