Subject: 師傅 sai hu master of kuntao

Culture: Peranakan / Sino-Javanese

Setting: Dutch colonial period, Java 17-19thc

Evolution:

Context (Event Photos, Primary Sources, Secondary Sources, Field Notes)

* Wickberg 2002 p240

"In Java the descendants of Chinese immigrants formed a special group known as peranakan Chinese, or simply 'peranakan.' For several generations they identified themselves as Chinese and remained apart from Indonesian society. Their cultural life was a creation of blended Chinese and Indonesian elements. They were, in other words, neither Indonesian nor completely Chinese. Although they were in many ways culturally Indonesian they resisted assimilation into Indonesian society for a number of reasons. Javanese culture, as the culture of a conquered people, lacked prestige and there were legal liabilities attached to identifying oneself as Javanese. Dutch culture, as that of the conqueror, was attractive but not really available. In the classic 'plural society' of Java, ethnic lines and class lines were identical. The peranakan Chinese, classified always as Chinese, were the middle class of Java. Assimilation toward Indonesians meant a move downward. Upward social mobility meant moving toward the Dutch. But there was no way for the peranakans to move. They could not change status. Even those who tried to move toward assimilation to Javanese society had difficulty being recognized as anything but Chinese. Caught between an attractive but inaccessible Dutch culture and a partly attainable but unattractive Javanese culture, the peranakan was fixed where he was. And the peranakan social system he developed served as an 'assimilation trap' -- a half-way house between 'Chinese' and 'Indonesian.'"

* DeMarco ed. 2015 vol. 2 p74 (Michael A DeMarco, "Practical fighting strategies of Indonesian kuntao-silat in the Willem Reeders Tradition" p72-89)

"Immigrants from China came to Indonesia over many centuries. Some Chinese fled to Southeast Asia as northern Chinese dynasties brought their power into southern China. Others came for work opportunities, and any became leading businessmen and traders. The waves of immigrants included boxing masters, a number of whom were enticed by wealthy merchants to teach Chinese and help protect their business establishments. There are still strong social ties among Chinese-Indonesians; however, social relations between them and native Indonesians remain strained to this day.

"Kuntao styles bear resemblance to a number of styles from the Chinese mainland, especially those from the south, such as Shaolin styles of White Crane Five Animals, etc. Time has allowed Chinese and native Indonesians to build better relationships -- through friendships, intermarriages, and business relationships. In turn, this affected the martial arts' development with pure Chinese styles mixing in varying degrees with native Indonesian styles."

Saber

Costume