Author Topic: african stickfighting  (Read 11791 times)

nile

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african stickfighting
« on: July 05, 2006, 08:36:18 AM »
Just like the FMA, Africa ( zulu nation) and the carribean islands also have a rich history of stick fighting. I was hoping someone could point me in the right direction to begin my own research into their stick fighing tradition and hopefully application.
Any type of help would be appreciated
Blessing,
Nile

Crafty_Dog

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« Reply #1 on: July 05, 2006, 09:15:23 AM »
I think there has been mention of this in this forum already.  I'm sorry we don't have a search function (at least not of which I am aware :oops: ) so try surfing through the back pages and see what you find.

xtremekali

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african stickfighting
« Reply #2 on: July 05, 2006, 10:47:32 AM »
Woof,

Sorry Guro C. I searched the back pages and found nothing.  I know there is a thread on the members forum though.

Anyway, while I was in Eastern Africa a few years back (Djibouti and Somalia) I was introduced to a tribe from SW Ethiopia.  The Surma Tribe has a Tribal get together that involves stick fighting (Donga Stick fighting).  It is both ritual and martial.



Africa: Surma / Stick fighting
ambience: Stick Fight


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.  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."

Myke Willis
For those who fight for it, freedom has a flavor the protected will never know

TomFurman

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african stickfighting
« Reply #3 on: July 05, 2006, 07:03:59 PM »
You can check with Kalindi Iyi from Detroit. He frequents Africa and is an expert in those arts. So is Dennis Newsome of San Diego. There is a Won Hop Kuen Do friend of Cliff Stewart who has also been to African a few times and practices the stick and empty hand art. I was lucky enough to have these arts shared last year while staying at Guru Stewart's.

--Tom Furman

Crafty_Dog

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« Reply #4 on: July 05, 2006, 09:51:30 PM »
The Surma of which Myke writes can be seen in the beginning section of "Real Contact Stickfighting #1 Power".

Myke:

Would you be so kind as to email me the URL of the relevant thread(s) on our Association forum?

Edited to add:  Agree that Kalindi Iyi would be a good call.

Blain

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African Stickfighting
« Reply #5 on: July 06, 2006, 04:02:06 AM »
Hi

I don't know, but perhaps these links might be of help:

http://ejmas.com/jalt/jaltart_Coetzee_0902.htm

http://ejmas.com/jalt/2004jalt/jcsart_green_1104.html

Greetings,
Blain

nile

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« Reply #6 on: July 06, 2006, 06:00:33 AM »
thanks for the help eveyone, i appreciate it  :D
Blessings

cranford

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« Reply #7 on: July 06, 2006, 10:58:12 AM »
There was a show on the Discovery Channel called"Going Tribal". The basis of the show is an Englishman going and living completely with a tribe for a while.  One of the episodes was of him living with the Surma tribe and doing some training with them, but they would not let him actually take part in the fight as they did not want him hurt.

nile

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« Reply #8 on: July 06, 2006, 11:00:52 AM »
dennis newsome actully has a website i was lucky enogh to find today. i sent an e-mial to him but i guess he changes it because it was sent back to me. Its a start though and he seems like the person to talk to.

nova

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african stickfighting
« Reply #9 on: July 06, 2006, 03:03:04 PM »
Nile:

For historical reference, there used to be some material on nabbut (Egyptian stickfighting) on Yahoo.  If I remember correctly, it was posted by the singlestick group.