ttt
I am stunned at how good this forum is.
I am not joking when I say that I am not sure I even want to spread the word as that might bring in the maroons.
1 Like
LOL @ Kirik's comment! "Maroons"--Hahaha....!
no maroons on a thread about native americans?
I know a little about the maroons from when i went to school in Jamaica, but little about actual methods of H2H. I do know they figured out how to make ammo and powder, communicated with drums and horns, greased themselves before fighting, and also used bow and arrow, slings, cutlasses and knives. When I lived in the mountains near Nanny Town (former maroon town) there were local kids who were good at jumping and kicking, and I know there were no nearby theaters or TV's for them to pick up kung fu moves, but whether they were just making stuff up, or doing some folk cultural thing, I couldn't really say.
Little Maroon info courtesy of Kronos, over at www.ejmas.com:
1685:Escaped African and Afro-Indian slaves establish an independent Maroon society in Surinam, and, despite Dutch efforts to destroy it, this Saramakan settlement still had 20,000 members during the 1980s. Oral tradition states that a Saramakan sparring dance known as susa evolved from a form of Bakongo foot-fighting known as nsunsa. According to a seventeenth century Dutch painter named Dirk Valkenburg, susa involved one-on-one sparring, and the players tried to knock each other off their feet while musicians played wedge-shaped drums and women clapped their hands.
"According to a seventeenth century Dutch painter named Dirk Valkenburg, susa involved one-on-one sparring, and the players tried to knock each other off their feet while musicians played wedge-shaped drums and women clapped their hands."
Sounds like one of ex-wifes family reunions ;)
You guys do know that Kirik is using the term "maroon" in the Bugs Bunny manner, don't you? As in: "What a maroon!" - denoting idiocy.
Carry on.
I think we all understod that, it just turned into a nice segue.
Even if we didn't, we'll just pretend ;-)
So, what you're saying is that I'm a maroon.
Hey guys was just browsing (o.k. well I was shopping) and came across an article on tomahawk fighting at coldsteel.com, very FMA influenced, but y'all may find it interesting.
"So, what you're saying is that I'm a maroon."
Not in the least. I'm far more crude when I insult people. :-)
In addition to Cold Steel, Pete Kautz either has, or at least had, some 'hawk techs up on his site www.alliancemartialarts.com
and Keith Myers used to have some up also at
http://keith.martialartsman.net/american/tomahawk/tomahawkIndex.html
Same problem again they are both influenced by FMA. I know Pete does some stuff with James Keating, and Keith did FMA and also gets his Bowie/hawk stuff partly from Keating, who has obvious FMA influences.
LOL @ Jason. I'll keep that in mind for future reference.
anyone remember Indian leg wrestling?
is that legit or was it a childhood stereotype game.
stephen
Not sure man but I rock at Indian leg wrestling.
One time my mom's boyfriend came over and challenged me to a duel..LMAO, I flipped him so hard he didnt wanna go two of three...
I'm not 100% sure..but I think Indian Leg Wrestling is a form of a traditional game..as are all these forms of traditional games:
http://members.tripod.com/gtsurber/games-indianwrestling.htm
Instead of structured study like the eastern arts.. Natives usually had games and sports which built skills necessary for hunting and fighting.. The Mohawks had a Spartan-like system where they trained youth from the time they could walk to become warriors...same with Tecumseh.. but they made it seem like play.
At least, this is what I've found through my own research.
Great thread
Here's a random post from the UG that I think was meant to be on this discussion
"From: SCTom
Date: 18-May-02 09:52 AM
Member Since: 01-Jan-01
7 Total Posts
In North America there were NO native tribes that practiced any formal martial arts. I have researched this topic and have asked a few elders as I am native myself. I have yet to find any information that suggests native americans had a formal fighting style. Many tribes believed fighting was done on instinct and gained experience and skill at fighing only through real battles and wars. To the Indians learning to ride a horse well, collect food, hunt (shoot bows) and survive were much more important than practicing fighting because it was something done out of instinct anyway."
hmeboy-First, thanks for rescuing the post off the 23 yr old nhb fighter thread.Second, I think you may have hit the nail upon the head right here:
Instead of structured study like the eastern arts.. Natives usually had games and sports which built skills necessary for hunting and fighting.That is an almost universal approach. Games and play in all cultures and even the animal kingdom can preserve and teach combative behavior and technique. Even many eastern cultures that have formal ma training also have games that preserve different folk aspects of martial behavior. So I find your theory easy to believe. Combine that with informal lessons or advice and simply watching and mimicking, and you probably have a workable system.Jason
I am Mohawk and I was thinking of my own culture for specific examples..and sheesh, I should be slapped!
Lacrosse! The little brother of war!
Lacrosse was the ultimate training for the young warrior..It built stamina, speed, dexterity, agility and all around toughness..it was also very ceremonial and spiritual..
"Almost everything short of murder is allowable," one noted. "If one were not told beforehand that they were playing," another wrote, "one would certainly believe that they were fighting."
http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smithsonian/issues97/dec97/object_dec97.html
http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smithsonian/issues97/dec97/choctaw_jpg.html