Kuntao banned in Indonesia?

[SilatFan]

Can anyone who studies Kuntao tell me if that art still has any legal restrictions - in Indonesia - regarding being taught there? I believe I read in a Smith & Drager book on Indonesian Martial Arts that Kuntao was banned in Indonesia. Any insights from the group?

 

[OULobo]

never heard that, but even if it was, it would just go underground like all Silat and other MAs in Indonesia did during the Dutch occupation.

 

[silat]

Can anyone who studies Kuntao tell me if that art still has any legal restrictions - in Indonesia - regarding being taught there? I believe I read in a Smith & Drager book on Indonesian Martial Arts that Kuntao was banned in Indonesia. Any insights from the group?

SilatFan,

What you are probably referring to is that after WWll in 1949 Indonesia regained it's independence from the Dutch and tried to rid the country of any Chinese influence like the people, language, food, martial arts etc. because the Chinese sided with the Dutch and the Indonesians always considered the Chinese to be opportunist who used them and their country to get rich.

If memory serves me correct the Indonesian Government actually outlawed anything Chinese or at least some similar extreme policy toward the Chinese.

Do any of the Indo's members have a comment on this subject?

Sincerely,
Teacher: Eddie Ivester

 

[jujutsu_indonesia]

I am a native Indonesian and I never heard of anything being remotely close to Kuntao or any other Chinese Martial Arts being banned in Indonesia. Not before 1949, not after 1949, not even now. We have one of the biggest Chinese populations in Southeast Asia, and their martial arts are welcomed as part of Indonesian culture. As a matter of fact, the Indonesian government subsidized PBTI, the largest Wushu group here...

What happened was, our resident Chinese teachers changed the name of their arts many times for the purpose of advertising... in the 1950s-1960s they call their art Kuntao.. then in the 1970s the term "Kungfu" were more popular thanks to Bruce Lee and Jackie Chen Lung, so they adopt the name Kungfu... in the 1990s the term "Wushu" were more popular (thanks to Jet Lee and Chao Wen Chuo) so many "Kungfu" groups advertised that they teach "Wushu"..

And there were times when Kuntao groups wanted to join Silat tournaments, so they call their art "Silat"

 

[Kiai Carita]

I am a native Indonesian and I never heard of anything being remotely close to Kuntao or any other Chinese Martial Arts being banned in Indonesia.

$uharto's New Order regime practised an apartheid towards Chinese who were only allowed in the economic sector and had to have their ID cards marked WNI Keturunan. However, contrary to what some silat webs say, Chinese were once and often are loved by Indonesian people.

Chinese were welcome and loved in Jawa and the rest of Indonesia since prehistory. Admiral Zeng He's great armada sailed the coasts of Indonesia and made friends on many islands. The Chinese led an uprising against the Dutch in Batavia in the 18th century, resulting in war over Jawa, the Kartasura palace sacked by rebels and for a breif time Jawa had a Chinese king titled Sunan Kuning (The Yellow Man We Bow Down To). The Dutch then implemented an apartheid policy. Jawanese were not allowed to trade between islands or cities, this was left to the Chinese (and other mainland Asians / Arabs). By the tiime the Japanese kicked out the Dutch in 1942 the Chinese in the country had become the significant economic sector appart from the whites.

The first President Soekarno (who played a Sunda silat called Silat Nampon) had many Chinese friends and ministers. However when General $uharto took over with the CIA by turning the people on the Communist Party (PKI) the Chinese were scapegoated. His regime introduced a wierd kind of apartheid in which anything Chinese was repressed, letters were blacked out, names were told to change, cultural and religious celebrations were not allowed. The Chinese were forced to become cronies of the regime, at the mercy of the regime. They were scapegoated once again in the Jakarta riots of May 98.

Many Chinese fought and died for Indonesia's freedom. Suhu Subur Rahardja of PGB Bangau Putih in Bogor was a fighter of the Revolution for independence and always chose to stay in the country he loved. The Indonesian people loved him back. When he founded his silat school in the 1950's he did not call it either kuntao or silat, rather he humbly chose the name Persatuan Gerak Badan, Union of Body Movement.

Salam,
Kiai Carita

 

[Jonathan Randall]

$uharto's New Order regime practised an apartheid towards Chinese who were only allowed in the economic sector and had to have their ID cards marked WNI Keturunan. However, contrary to what some silat webs say, Chinese were once and often are loved by Indonesian people.

Chinese were welcome and loved in Jawa and the rest of Indonesia since prehistory. Admiral Zeng He's great armada sailed the coasts of Indonesia and made friends on many islands. The Chinese led an uprising against the Dutch in Batavia in the 18th century, resulting in war over Jawa, the Kartasura palace sacked by rebels and for a breif time Jawa had a Chinese king titled Sunan Kuning (The Yellow Man We Bow Down To). The Dutch then implemented an apartheid policy. Jawanese were not allowed to trade between islands or cities, this was left to the Chinese (and other mainland Asians / Arabs). By the tiime the Japanese kicked out the Dutch in 1942 the Chinese in the country had become the significant economic sector appart from the whites.

The first President Soekarno (who played a Sunda silat called Silat Nampon) had many Chinese friends and ministers. However when General $uharto took over with the CIA by turning the people on the Communist Party (PKI) the Chinese were scapegoated. His regime introduced a wierd kind of apartheid in which anything Chinese was repressed, letters were blacked out, names were told to change, cultural and religious celebrations were not allowed. The Chinese were forced to become cronies of the regime, at the mercy of the regime. They were scapegoated once again in the Jakarta riots of May 98.

Many Chinese fought and died for Indonesia's freedom. Suhu Subur Rahardja of PGB Bangau Putih in Bogor was a fighter of the Revolution for independence and always chose to stay in the country he loved. The Indonesian people loved him back. When he founded his silat school in the 1950's he did not call it either kuntao or silat, rather he humbly chose the name Persatuan Gerak Badan, Union of Body Movement.

Salam,
Kiai Carita

Thanks for the history lesson. I'm sorry that your people were pawns of the great powers for so long.