Silat Lineages

[UrBaN]

Hello all,

What are the main family trees in Silat and who are their top people?

Thank you

 

[tellner]

There are hundreds or thousands of different Silats from "everyone knows about them" to obscure ones just taught within one family or village. It comes from a culture that has never been big on Western-style historicity. In other words, good luck getting a firm answer.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

There are hundreds or thousands of different Silats from "everyone knows about them" to obscure ones just taught within one family or village. It comes from a culture that has never been big on Western-style historicity. In other words, good luck getting a firm answer.

Ditto that! Almost impossible to put down a list of the top ones.

 

[Trent]

There are hundreds or thousands of different Silats from "everyone knows about them" to obscure ones just taught within one family or village. It comes from a culture that has never been big on Western-style historicity. In other words, good luck getting a firm answer.

Excellent answer! Not to mention, if by some miracle the first question could be answered comprehensively, determining who the "top" people are would be a monstrous can of worms.

Perhaps determine the major, or most popular, styles of silat in each region and/or country and then the most vocal proponents, or most widely known teachers; however, that still wouldn't necessarily give you the "top" people (depending upon your criterion) of those respective styles.

Best wishes in your research.

 

[Carol]

Ditto to what everyone else said. There are over 900 styles of Silat in Indonesia alone...there are also styles of Silat that can be found in Malaysia, the Philippines, and even some blended styles...the most famous of which being "Inosanto blend" of Maphilindo Silat as taught by Dan Inosanto and Rick Tucci.

There are 4 main reasons why people study Silat:

1. Self-Defense and Fighting
2. Dance
3. Cultural
4. Spiritual/Black Magic

Combine the different styles of Silat, the different reasons for studying it, and the way some of these styles and reasons can be blended...it is very difficult to pick up the "top players." Silat doesn't have a hard bloodline the way, say, Japanese styles do. Most Silat systems also don't issue belt rank...the only ranks are instructor and student.

The unranked systems also lend quite a bit of freedom. My instructor for example has put in serious training time in at least 3 different families of Silat. Everything that he learns he blends in to the class in the way he thinks it should be presented and the way he thinks it should be taught. Other folks may do the same thing with different results.

Best way to tell is to see it for yourself. Stay away from the dark magic stuff, and if you are a non-Muslim, be sure you find a school that is accomodating to non-Muslims.

Ask as many questions as you would like. If I know the answer or can get the answer, I'm more than happy to share.

 

[tellner]

4. Spiritual/Black Magic

...

Best way to tell is to see it for yourself. Stay away from the dark magic stuff, and if you are a non-Muslim, be sure you find a school that is accomodating to non-Muslims.

I don't know about "dark magic". Silat is part of the Qadiri-Rifai Tariqa's practice, and I've never met anyone except a raving Wahabite who believes that what we do is magic of any sort.