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HISTORICAL EVENTS IN
THE PHILIPPINES' - FMA
 The Fighting arts of the Philippines are deeply rooted in the history
and culture of
the Filipino people. They are the products of a highly developed
civilization which flourished long before the arrival of the West
upon its
shores, and of centuries of warfare against a variety of
oppressors. Both these
factors are responsible for the highly
technical and pragmatic outlook of the
Filipino martial arts.
The Maharlika's was the original name of the Philippines before
the
coming of the Portuguese and Spanish in the 15th and 16th
centuries. The
general consensus among scholars is that the first
settlers in the Philippines
were the Negrito's of prehistory. It is
theorized that these small dark-skinned
people traveled by land
from Central Asia, perhaps via an ancient land bridge.
They brought
with them the short bow and later developed the long bow.
This process was followed by a series of Malay migrations from what is
today Southeast Asia and the Indonesian Archipelago. The first of these began
before the birth of Christ. These taller seafaring people brought with them the
first bladed weapons.
In the 5th and 6th centuries in Indonesia and Malaysia a huge empire was
formed due to the migration of the Hindu tribes of India to Sumatra and Java.
The Srividjayan Empire, as it came to be known, eventually spread as far as the
Philippines. Their martial arts skills, advanced weaponry, and superior
organization made it possible for them to conquer the earlier settlers. Some
fled to distant islands, others stayed and the two cultures merged. The
Srividjayan's were the ancestors of the Tagalog's, Ilocano's, Pampango's,
Visayan's,
and Bicolano's. The area of the Central Philippines where these people first
landed is today known as the Visayan region. It is thought by many Filipinos
that the island of Panay, the most western part of the Visayan Islands, was the
birthplace of Kali – as the Filipino martial arts were known at that time. The
Srividjayan brought the influence of Hindu and Indonesian religion, philosophy,
arts, and combative forms to the Philippines. They introduced laws (the famous
Code of Kalantaw), a calendar, written alphabet (Sanskrit), new religion, and a
system of weights and measures. This new culture developed a social unit called
the barangay each independently headed by a Datu (leader or chief). These were
the first to leave a written historical record.
The next major incursion of foreign ideas and culture occurred in the
12th and 13th centuries. The Majapahit Empire of Indonesia, which eclipsed the
Srividjayan Empire spread throughout Southeast Asia and into the Philippines.
At its height the Empire included areas that are today Burma, Indonesia,
Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, the Philippines and Madagascar. Deeply influenced
by Moslem culture, the Majapahit brought Islam to the Philippines where it
settled most heavily in the South. Today the Southern region of Mindanao remains
a Moslem stronghold, fiercely independent and at war with the governing
Christian majority. By the 12th century thousands Chinese had migrated to the
Philippines following the Manchurian invasion of China. They brought with them
the martial arts of the Tang Dynasty, which came to be known as Kuntao
throughout Southeast Asia. The Chinese and their arts were assimilated into the
Island culture.
These diverse influences led to a highly developed civilization, which
existed before the 6th century until incursions from the West starting in the
16th century. The Filipino’s during this period were thought to be followers of
the God of Violence – Kali. The head of the family unit was called the Kaliman.
Each Kaliman had a rank of status represented in his blade known as the
Kali's.
There are at least 25 different types of blades in the Philippines, although
most estimates put the figure much higher. Many of these bear signs of Hindu,
Indonesian, and Moslem influence. Blade designs differed from region to region
and sometimes from village to village. The type and size of the blade was a
measure of the respect to be accorded the individual Kaliman as well as an
indicator of his place of origin. The more well known types of blade are the
kampilan, the Kris, the lahot, utak, gunong, barong, and balasiong. The leader
of the barangay or of the region was said have worn the shortest Kali's – the
short length being a symbol of his authority and fighting prowess. This blade
is known even today as the danganan.
Based upon his fighting prowess and other skills the Kali-man was awarded
a title of rank. In the Visayan region the Datu headed the barangay and above
him was the Sultan who had authority over the entire region. At one point it is
thought that there were three Sultanates – North in Luzon region; Central in the
Visayas; South in Mindanao. It was, however the Tuhon or master teacher who was
often considered the most important person in a particular region. The Tuhon
represented the repository of knowledge and culture of a given area. The
bothoan or central communal school was headed by the Tuhon. It was his
responsibility to pass on the culture of the Filipino civilization. These
teachings grouped under the name Kali, included philosophy, religion, morality,
healing, combative arts and the written word. Long before Spanish rule, the
Filipino’s had developed their own system of medicine, astronomy, engineering,
as well as written language and history. Most of these writings were destroyed
during the Spanish conquest. Written and oral languages differed according to
region so that today there are over 300 major dialects in addition to Tagalog,
the national language.
The history, philosophy, and religious aspects of kali, as an object of
worship and kali, the fighting arts were so closely interwoven that they must be
considered as a single entity. Although Kali was the God of Violence and death,
the Filipinos considered it a peaceful god. The Kaliman, spiritually through
his philosophy and physically through his training in the combative arts of Kali
confronted death as a part of daily life. By this constant awareness of the
presence of death and his resolution to confront it, the Kaliman is liberated
from the weight of his fear of death. In this confrontation with the darker
side of life the Kaliman comes to see things as they really are, a view
uncluttered by futile dreams, hopes and false expectations. Further he learned
not to base his actions on the fear of death, old age or sickness but to revel
in the moment. Only in the “now” can he see things clearly and without judgment
or bias.
A modern day Tuhon, postulates that this view of the world
engendered mutual respect among men and a respect for life itself. Therefore
the god of violence was also one of respect and peace. Indeed, the ancient laws
of Kali, known as the code of Kalantiaw, contained 18 laws – the first was “Thou
shall not kill”. In all its phases – philosophy, healing, the sciences, combat,
the written word, etc. – Kali was an art for the preservation of life. The life
of the individual, his family, village, and culture. The importance of Kali is
emphasized in the words basic to the Filipino and his view of the world.
Kaligayahan or happiness and Kalayon (freedom) both contain the spirit of the
Kali within them. They are words still used today in parts of the Philippines.
The concept of Kali as an art which preserves life and freedom and
which cultivates mutual respect among men can be most vividly seen in the
unconquerable spirit of Muslims (Moro's) of the Southern Philippines. Dan
Inosanto relates that the Muslims warriors opposed the Spanish conquests with
their religion, their courage, and their unparalleled fighting ability. Attempt
by the Spanish to capture Muslim leaders as a lever to make their people submit,
as they had done with Montezuma in Mexico, ended in failure. The Filipino
leader held his position by dint of his fighting knowledge his fighting prowess.
He was expected to die for his people in order to preserve their freedom. The
Southern Philippines remained exempt from tribute throughout the Spanish
occupation. With American intervention and occupation at turn of the century
the Moro's continued their resistance to foreign government and religion even
when the rest of the country submitted. The .45 caliber automatic was issued to
American servicemen because their .38s did not have sufficient stopping power to
halt the charge of these ferocious warriors. This battle continues even today
between the Moro's of Mindanao and the incumbent government.
Knowledge of the Filipino martial arts first appeared in the 16th century with
arrival
in the Philippines of the Portuguese explore Ferdinand Magellan. Magellan
attempted
to subdue the natives and convert them to Christianity but he was resisted by
Lapu Lapu
a leader of the local people. Lapulapu men were well trained in native fighting
arts due to
preparations for the battle over a territorial dispute between Lapulapu and
Humabon, the chief of the neighboring tribe. The tribes of Lapulapu and Humabon
were part of the Sri Visayan Empire in the earlier centuries of Filipino
history. The fighting arts of both Lapulapu and Humabon were originally brought
to the Visayan Islands by their ancestors.
The early styles of Kali advocated by Lapulapu and Humabon were also
known as Pangamut. They consisted of only eight strokes – six slashes, two each
to the head, chest, and kidney area, and two thrusts – one to the head and one
to the chest. According to Eulogio Canete of the Doce Pares Club, the
differences were more in application than in theory. Lapulapu was reputed to be
extraordinarily powerful. His favorite weapon was a huge kampilan (double –
pointed blade). It is said that he could throw a short stick with such force as
to stick it fast in a coconut tree. The kali of Humabon was softer and more
evasive than Lapulapu's hard, powerful techniques. Despite the preparation of
the two chiefs, a battle never took place between their tribes. Instead on
April 27, 1521 the Portuguese were defeated in the battle of Mactan. Lapulapu
and his men met swords and musket fire with blades, spears, and sharpened
sticks. Magellan himself died in the battle.
The Filipino martial arts under went a radical change during the 18th
and 19th centuries. The Spanish conquistador’s had learned to respect Filipino
weaponry and fighting skills in the intervening years. Under their rule the
display or carrying of blades and practice of Kali were prohibited. The
Filipinos turned to the use of the bahi (hardwood) or oway (rattan) stick.
Practice with the blade still continued in secret or in Moro Moro plays. These
indigenous stage plays had Christians engaged in sham battles with Moro's.
Kali,
in a modified form, and Filipino dances became an important part of the show.
It was through the Moro Moro plays that arnis survived the Spanish conquest and
later the American occupation.
With Spanish rule the native fighting arts adopted new terminology and
new methods. Previously the art had been one in which the blade was the primary
weapon. Under the Spanish the emphasis of the art turned to the use of the
stick. Before the Spanish Kali was known as pananandata to the Tagalog's,
Kalirongan to the Pangasinense's, among the Ilocano's as didya or kabaraon, to
Visayan's as kaliradman or pagaradman. The Pampagueno's called it sinawali and
the Ibanag pag kali kali. After Spanish occupation the art had became known as
arnis de mano derived from the Spanish word “arnes” meaning trappings or
defensive armor. In the Tagalog province it became estocada, and in other
areas estogue, fraile, arma's de mano, or simply arnis. Among the Visayan's it
changed to egrima, Escrima, or Eskrima from the Spanish fro “to fence” or
“skirmish”. The stick became known as the baston, garrote or tabak and the
blades are often grouped under the term bolo. Espada y Daga was what Spanish
called the blade and dagger, and sinawali or double baston refer to the use of
two sticks. Today the native fighting arts of the Philippines are grouped under
the name arnis. The National Arnis Association of the Philippines (Naraphil), a
government supported organization, is attempting to unify all of the native
fighting arts of the Philippines under one body, although many styles are lost
or remain secret handed down only within the family or from father to son.
 Lapu
Lapu
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