MidLand – The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) officially designated the Indonesian pencak silat tradition as an intangible cultural heritage on December 13, 2019, precisely on the occasion of the 14th session of the “Intergovernmental Committee on the protection of intangible cultural heritage”. ” in Bogota, Colombia, from 9 to 14 December 2019.
In the session, UNESCO said that the tradition of pencak silat had become the identity and unification of the Indonesian nation. This tradition also contains the values of friendship and mutual respect in social life. According to UNESCO, the tradition of pencak silat can be adopted and developed well in various regions of Indonesia.
Writer Donald F. Draeger in the book “The Weapons and Fighting Arts of the Indonesians” (1977) noted that evidence of the existence of the pencak silat martial art in Indonesia can be found in the reliefs of Borobudur Temple and Prambanan Temple .
There are a total of approximately 2,500 reliefs in Prambanan Temple and Borobudur Temple, consisting of 1,000 decorative reliefs and 1,500 narrative reliefs in the form of martial arts scenes. Meanwhile, there are around 68 reliefs in Borobudur Temple that refer to martial arts, including weapons used for this art. Meanwhile, in Prambanan temple, there are around 20 reliefs related to martial arts.
Borobudur World Heritage and Cultural Heritage Museum archaeologist Hari Setyawan explained that the depiction of martial arts depicted on the reliefs of Borobudur Temple is a visualization or representation of the socio-cultural environment during the ancient Javanese period . Meanwhile, Archaeologist of the Region
As the martial art of pencak silat develops into international championships, the father of the world Pencak Silat, Eddie Nalapraya, hopes that pencak silat is not only viewed from a sporting perspective, but also appreciated for its high cultural value. (Ahmad Faishal Adnan/Rina Anggraini/Keysha Anissa/Syamsul Rizal/Agha Yuninda Maulana/Ahmad Faishal Adnan)
Listen to parts two and three of the episode here:
Indonesian Eyes: Pencak silat: Past, Present and Future (Part 2)
Indonesian Eyes: Pencak silat: Past, Present and Future (Part 3)
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