I found this article interesting and decided to forward it: Matigsalog Combative Culture A Preliminary Field Study Into Indigenous Philippine Fighting Arts by Mark V. Wiley When considering the fighting arts of the Philippines, what comes to mind most often are the classical and modern civil defensive arts and sport forms. While these systems are representative of the contemporary practice of the Filipino martial arts, they do not offer a complete view of these arts in terms of how they were meant to be used on the battlefield in times of war, raids, and rebellion. During my fieldwork in the Philippines, I have been able to thoroughly research the classical and modern martial arts of the lowland Christian Filipinos, while generally having little access to the various Muslim communities and indigenous tribal groups (now known as the ethnic minorities). An 1997, however, I had the rare opportunity to conduct preliminary field research into the fighting arts and combative culture of the Matigsalog tribes of Bukidnon, Mindanao. And while there is a smattering of information available on the warrior and head-hunting practices of such indigenous peoples as the Kalinga, Bontoc Igorot, and Ilongo, I have found none on the Matigsalog. The purpose of this article, then, is to offer a preliminary yet brief glimpse into the combative culture of the Matigsalog, a traditional Philippine ethnic minority. Turbulent Beginnings The beginnings of Matigsalog combative culture is told in a tale of when, generations past, the tribes fought against the invading Muslims in Kapuling, Kalagangan, San Fernando, Bukidnon. As it turns out, the Muslims were taking Matigsalog women and children as slaves and selling them other countries. The Matigsalog were at that time ruled by Dato Gapaw who, with the aid of the Manobo tribe, fought against the Muslims. Peace between the Matigsalog, Manobos, and Muslims was made during a ritual blood compact in Kapuling, Kalagangan. These groups remain allies to this day. While generally a peaceful people, as recently as July of 1975 the Matigsalogs prepared their warriors again and rebelled against then-president Ferdinand Marcos. As it happened, Dato Gowilan, the chief of the Matigsalog at the time, waged war against the Marcos government as it began taking their vast lands, converting them into ranches, and selling them to "cowboys," as the Matigsalog refer to the ranchers. In addition, a member of Marcos' group began burning Matigsalog thatched homes and placing blame on Dato Gowilan. As a result, Dato Gowilan and some of the elder chiefs of the Matigsalog tribes came together and engaged in a pre-war ritual over the grave of the late warrior, Dato Gapaw. The knife of Dato Gapaw was then given to Dato Gowilan, as he was selected to head the rebellion against Marcos and his armed contingent in Mindanao. Dato Gowilan took the knife for protection during combat, as it is believed to hold the power and strength of Dato Gapaw. Throughout Matigsalog history, the possessor of this knife is looked to as the leader of the warriors. While the troops of Marcos were equipped with firearms, the Matigsalog were not -- they used their traditional weapons of combat: bows and arrows, spears and shields, and various bladed weapons. During the combative encounters that ensued, the Matigsalog would come to acquire firearms as they killed Marcos' men. The conflict ended after Marcos lost too many men and, rather than lose more, negotiated a peace pact with Dato Gowilan and the Matigsalog people. Hunting and Fighting Traditionally, Matigsalogs are hunter-gatherers, and they see a direct correlation between hunting and warfare. When a Matigsalog boy learns to hunt he is at the same time taught the ways of the warrior. It is the same group of men who are the hunters and warriors for the tribe -- and only men can engage in such activities. For the Matigsalog, hunting training and warrior training is seen as a rite of passage into manhood. Indeed, one is already considered as a "real man" if he is able to catch a white pig without the aid of weapons on any kind, and with just his bare hands. They believe this act of tracking down and catching a white pig to be the same as fighting an enemy: if a budding hunter/warrior is able to locate and capture a white pig with his bare hands, he will be able to defeat an enemy in unarmed combat. The means of preparing for combat and the fighting techniques used therein are taught to the initiated by the tribal elders -- who invariably have practical experience in such matters. From childhood, future warriors are trained foremost in the use of the spear. Marksmanship with a spear is trained by rolling something on the ground and attempting to penetrate it with a thrown spear. It is believed that those who are able to hit these moving targets will someday make great fighters. Preparation for Combat Matigsalog warriors prepare for battle by arming themselves with spears known as bangkaw, shields known as kalasag, bow and arrows known collectively as pana, and most of all by holding rituals for their gods. The Matigsalog religion is known aspamubat, and their god is named Manama Mapobaya Pataba, meaning The Creator of Humans and Earth. During times of war or injustice they call on Mandalangan, the god of such realms, for power and protection. Warriors invoke the aid of Mandalangan through a special ritual, wherein they sacrifice a red chicken to the god and shed its blood on the weapons they will use in the ensuing battle. After the shedding of blood on their weapons, the warriors shout "Oh, God, help us." Once the chicken is cut and its blood shed on the weapons, it is thrown into the air. If the Chicken lands and dies facing East, the Matigsalogs will engage in war. If, on the other hand, the chicken lands and dies facing West, they will not engage in war, or surely they will be overrun and defeated. If the Matigsalog decide to engage in war, they look to signs of divine assistance, such as in the bird known as alimotan. During the course of either tracking an enemy or engaging in a surprise attack, the Matigsalog look up to see the alimotan. If the bird is seen flying overhead and singing to either the right or left of where the warriors are headed, they will take the opposite route, believing that the direction in which the bird flies and sings is where the enemy is to be found. During times of war, Matigsalog warriors also use talisman called anting-anting -- though such things are considered "secret" and not to be divulged to foreigners like myself. There are three categories of fighting arts employed by the Matigsalog: striking (hand and foot), wrestling (armed and unarmed), and weapons (bow and arrow, spear and shield, sword, knife). The Matigsalog empty-hand striking art is called parogtukay, meaning hand-to-hand. While parogtukay makes use of the hands for striking, the Matigsalog do not strike with the closed fist. Rather, they strike their opponent with the bottom part of their hand, similar to a generic hammer-fist strike. Kicks of various types are also used. However, like the empty-hand strikes, no specific names are given to them and they lack clear and specific technical classifications. Basically, what works best for the individual combatant is what tends to be used. The Matigsalog grappling art is called panahungoy. Since this is a combative grappling art and not a sport or civil defensive art, techniques of lock-and-control are not utilized. Rather, since the art must be and is used for real-life combat, its techniques favor immediate limb breaking maneuvers. Indeed, when the throat is grabbed, the Matigsalog warrior does not merely attempt to cut-off his opponent's air flow, but tries to pull out his esophagus to quickly end the encounter. Headlocks are executed in much the same manner, with the combatant attempting not to choke his opponent as much as to pull his head apart from his body. Again, since the Matigsalog view their unarmed fighting arts as methods of life-preservation and life-extinction, there is no time to "mess around" with their opponents. As such, if the Matigsalog is faced with an opponent highly skilled in unarmed combat and he finds himself outmatched, the Matigsalog will draw his knife or sword in an attempt to finish the encounter as quickly as possible. This is especially the case when Matigsalog warriors are outnumbered and forced to engage several opponents at a time, as in the case of battlefield warfare. The Matigsalog weapon art is called pangayaw, meaning to be in confrontation with an opponent. As mentioned earlier, this art encompasses the use of the bow and arrow, spear and shield, the knife and short sword. Bow and arrows are used during long-range battlefield encounters and at closer range for surprise attack while the users are under the cover of brush or trees. During closer battlefield ranges the spear and shield are used in conjunction. This method of fighting finds opponents circling one another in search of an opening and thrusting their spears at one another. Spears are not generally thrown long distances as they tend to take awhile to make and, once thrown, leave the combatant without a long-range weapon. At extreme close battle range the warriors fight hand-to-weapon and hand-to-hand. As a last resort in battlefield combat the Matigsalog will employ the grappling art. This art, while viewed as good one-on-one, is seen as inferior when faced with multiple adversaries, as is often the case in times of war. The Warrior Art in Peace Time These days there appears to be no overt or formal combative training among the Matigsalog. Rather, the community is concerned with more immediate things as keeping peace through politics, maintaining their ethnic identity, and keeping themselves healthy. Be this as it may, specified individuals are still found hidden along their geographic boundaries. In this way, if a neighboring ethnic group decides to one day attack the Matigsalog people or raid their hamlets, the Matigsalog will know far enough in advance to marshal their forces and prepare for combat. These look-out men have their own fighting techniques in which they can use to engage the invaders should the situation arise. When I asked one of the warriors to explain to me his fighting art in detail, the request was denied. They truly believe that the person they tell such things to could one day rebel against them. And without such "secret" fighting techniques with which to defend themselves, the Matigsalog would surely cease to exist. The Matigsalog do, however, maintain their warrior ethos during peace time through the performance of the war dance called saot, which makes use of the spear and shield. Each July, during the designated "Matigsalog Day," the members of the tribe gather and perform all of their traditional dances of war, love, agriculture, and so on. Unlike other festival dances, while performing the saot war dance there is no accompanying music. There is, rather, a good deal of shouting by the symbolic combatants. This is known as panahahaw, meaning to shout. Such shouting is a symbolic gesture of battlefield psychology carried over from times of war. From the start of a war, and during all ensuing battles, Matigsalog warriors shout and scream. After the war and after each battle, if all of the opponent's have been killed, the Matigsalog shout once again for victory. In Conclusion While this article has been short and quite non-specific, I hope that it has shed some preliminary light on the truly combative arts of the Philippines and their intended battlefield use. Certainly, much more research needs to be done in this area of Filipino martial culture before a deeper understanding of these arts can be reached.
