Dog Brothers Public Forum

download (200Mb) of the Mursi tribe:

http://dmc.ohiolink.edu:20080/media/ffhDetails?oid=2791612

The Mursi Tribe: The Day of the Donga



Series:
The Last Warriors

Description:
Much has changed in modern Ethiopia, but at least one thing remains the same: the Mursi are still among the fiercest warriors in Africa. This program, a study of life among the Mursi, features footage of a donga, a punishing yet graceful stick fighting competition through which young men display their bravery, establish their status, and perhaps even attract a young woman to marry. Mursi mysticism and faith healing are also considered, as well as customs such as the use of large ceramic lip disks by women as symbols of beauty and wealth. (54 minutes, color)

Date:
2000

Subject:
Social Studies

Length:
54 mins

Copyright:
Films for the Humanities & Sciences

blurb from another site, variation from another tribe:

"It's said to be one of the fiercest competitions on the entire African continent.  But here among Ethiopia's Surma tribe, the Donga Stick Fight takes place in the name of love.  I'm Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet, presented by DuPont.  When their harvest season is over, the Surma people observe a period of courtship, spending days by the river, fingerpainting designs on their bodies.  And according to photographer Angela Fisher, co-author of the book "African Ceremonies", the next stage of the Surma courtship tradition is not quite so peaceful.

"Once the bodies are painted and men and women have started courting one another, the other side of courtship starts.  Once a week, the Surma men from different villages come together, sometimes walking thirty miles on very small grass paths to meet one another to perform the most wild sport we have ever seen on the entire African continent.  The donga stick fight is fought with long, straight poles of about eight foot long made of very hard wood, and the Surma men perform these fights to prove their masculinity, to settle personal vendettas, but most importantly, to win wives."

This competition has only one rule:  you cannot kill your opponent.

"And at the end of the day, the winner of the day's fighting bouts is carried out of the arena on a wonderful platform of poles, and he's held high in the air, and he's carried towards a group of very beautiful young girls.  So as he arrives, the winner is taken by one of the girls."

thanks,

just wondering if they were legit. they're having a tournament next year and it looked like fun. another one for the calendar.

Miguel, you're most welcome. somewhere in that fight you got the heel of my off hand, so now i have a hand that is half pale and half purple. twice you had me "going down the dark tunnel" with the chokes. only way i saved myself was flagrant disregard for my lower jaw and the fact that we were both really sweaty/slippery.

and thanks to D.A. for showing me the error of style without power....ow...ow....ow....


Rob

i picked it up as well. excellent.

also grabbed the book "The Wrestler's Body". a comprehensive book on the physical/social/spiritual aspects of indian wrestling. not much in the way of technique, but everything else: workout, diet, mindset. worth checking out.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0520076974/qid=1068325311/sr=8-2/ref=sr_8_2/002-8553818-3742428?v=glance&n=507846

the diet was interesting, the staples of a wrestlers diet in India are almonds, whole milk and ghee (clarified butter). a close fourth was chana: sprouted chickpeas with salt, pepper and lemon.

Milius had planned on using the wrestler 'Triple H'. they felt he could be made to look younger and older to fit different parts of the story.

great find, makes me recall one of my favorites:

"Prowess without hazard has no honor among men."

- Pindar, Greek poet (518??c.438 BC)

thanks for the heads up on Kulintang. on the 'to buy' list. still looking for Muay Thai ring music.

for moving iron i like: Zeppelin, Sabbath, James Brown, John Lee Hooker

pre-sparring practice: Slipknot, Henry Rollins, Skindred

fighting: Indian, Balinese, African, Mickey Hart, Turku (bellydance music)

heh, i'll probably be ordering the Salty Dog sticks.

i use 36" and even when i can get to the rattan warehouse (2.5 hr. drive), find a dense stave, reasonably straight with no worm holes...i'm not likely to get two decent sticks out of that stave, then have to buy two, at $18/ea+$$$Gas$$$.. so to have someone hand pick me a good stick for about the same price is worth the money. imho.


and mail order? forget it. i tried H. H. Perkins. asked for 1 1/4". one end was 1 1/4", the other was 3/4". and the whole thing was wavy as a kris.

we spiral wrap above the grip w/ 'strapping tape'-fiberglass packing tape , then use strips of duct tape lengthwise. ok if you don't mind changing the balance and weight significantly.

yep. you're right. finally tracked down the penal code on knives. nothing about length/serrations.....

for what it's worth, in NYC (the five boroughs), a knife over 4" is illegal, as are serrations. this is usually ignored on work sites.

he's going to get hit with legal phrases like "going forth armed" and "deadly intent". of course, the description of the knife is about as damning as if he were carrying an "assault rifle".

thankfully, i live upstate in the woods. belt knives are typically ignored everywhere except bars. but really big knives must be accompanied by a Leatherman.

great. are those posted anywhere?

thanks,

probably go w/ rollerblade knees elbows and the street hockey gloves (one step up from Mylec). having a little plastic on my knee is basically a 'mental block' after my ACL surgery. doesn't stop me fighting though.

luckily i have a mask or two laying around here from my days w/ schlaegers.

i respect the 'take off some padding' approach. the game i usually play we wear 12ga. steel helmets, and you always get into the 'arms race' where people feel they have to dent whatever you bring out. got to the point were there were a couple 1/8" plate helmets around because people got tired of pounding out dents. i wear bare minimum to advertise that i don't play that game. got a great photo gallery of some spectacular bruises .

so, looks like i might be attending the Gathering in June.

one question that came to mind is about protective gear. how much is too much. i've seen pictures from different bouts and see the range from light pads and Mylec gloves to 'rigid' skateboard/rollerblade pads w/ hockey or lacrosse gloves. what's the usual? when does protection take away from the fight?


opinions?


thanks for looking....