Informational Index

The following is a listing of sources of information of which alot of the facts and knowledge HCW-CAUCA teaches comes from. In scholarship and teaching, it is sometimes necessary to prove your facts or be able to trace where you attain them from. Furthermore, for those whom may want to delve futher into studies, you can go to the source.

When it come to ancient African history, alot of scholars seem to trace many things to Africans or African people. There are some whom say that people of African decent think they originated everything. The misunderstanding in this lies in the history of the Twa or Pygmy peoples. They were the first and orginal people of Africa, and quite frankly the world. The Twa went out (during anciens times) from the Nile Valley Region of Africa and migrated throughout the world. These “small black peoples” as they are referred to, are found in the ancient history of all peoples. The Twa took their knowledge, culture, and advancements with them and hence , left traces everywhere they went. These traces, directly reflect the original foundations of things of an African nature.

True African history has been mis-told, mis- reepresented, and hidden for centuries. HCW-CAUCA’s goal as an institute of culture and learning is to correct the miseducation with the truth. The truth cannot be hidden or denied because it is the way of the universe. Anything that goes against the natural laws of the universe will never prevail.

It is not about, nor has ever been about, what civilization, continent, or people are the greatness. There is greatness inherent in them all and within all people. We study other cultures beyond African ones, and this holistic knowledge teaches us that. Each culture has it’s own uniue story, and this is ours of the African lineage and of the Mother continent.

Origins of man

Science magazine 9-11-87

National geographic October 1998

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True African History ; General knowledge

Egypt during the golden age (video) Dr. Legrand Clegg

The theft of African history and concepts (video) Ashra Kwesi

Egypt Revisited (edited by) Ivan Van Sertima

The signs and symbols of primordial man By Albert Churchward

Predynastic Egypt By Alber Churchward

Ancient Egypt, Light of the world By James Brunson

Ruins of Empires By Count C. Volney

Anacalypsis By Godfrey Higgins

Stolen Legacy By Geroge G.M James

The BlackTruth By Asar Jabal

Nile Valley contributions to civillization By Anthony Browder

Egyptian Heiroglyphs By W.V Davies

Book of the beginnings Vol.1 By Gerald Massey

Book of the beginnings Vol.2 (chapter13 in particular) By Gerald Massey

African Holistic Health By Dr. Laila O. Afrika

The Testimony of Tradition By David MacRitchie

From the Browder File By Anthony Browder

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True History of the Moors / Moorish Empire

The Story of the Moors In Spain By Stanley Lane-Poole

The Golden Age of the Moors By Ivan Van Sertima

The History of the Moorish Empire in Europe By Samuel Scott

African Presence in Early Europe By Ivan Van Sertima

Nature Knows No Color Line By J.A Rogers

Sex and Race By J.A Rogers

African Origins of Europe

Black Britannia By Edward Scobie

Ancient & Modern Britons By David MacRitchie

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African Origins of Asia

Los Angeles Times 9-29-98 ; Chinese Roots Lie In Africa

African Presence in Early Asia By Runoko Rashidi

& Ivan Van Sertima

African Presence in Early China By James Brunson

Nuba Wrestling – The Original Art By Neijel BPG

Kupigana Ngumi ; Root Symbols of Ancient African Civillizations

By Dr. Hasan K. Salim & Sasha Mfundishi Maasi

Meter Neter By Ra Un Nefer Amen

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Black Origins of the Americas

Ancient Egypt, Mexico, and the united States By R.A Jairazbhoy

Ancient American Magazine (Issue 17)

We are the Washitaw By Dr. Umar S. Bey

www.hotep.org

Murr Guide to Pyramids, Mounds, and other Earthworks in America

By Dr. Umar S. Bey

They Came Before Columbus By Ivan Van Sertima

Dawn Voyage, The Black Discovery of America By Micheal Bradley

Ancient Egyptians in Middle and South America By R.A Jairazbhoy

Black Indians By William Katz

Forgotton Founders By Bruce Johansen

The New Indian By S.Steiner

The Nations Within By V. Deloria

Agents of Repression By Churchill ./ Wall

The State of Native America By M.Jaimes

This Land is Our Land By Baxendale / Mc Claine

 This system of philosophy happened by “accident” as i say, but was it really and accident or destiny ? I guess it depends on what you believe in.  Long story short, in self educating in multiple religions and philosophies, i took notes, recorded my own thoughts and opinions, and keot a tight refence of all studies. At the end of it all i had learne d so much and gaiend so much inbsight, i said to myslef, should i not share this knowledge with others ? I had all the mass of information right there, and so it came to  pass.  The universal Belief & Warrior Philosophy System (UBWPS). The Universal belief is bascally study of multiple religions and philosophies. their histories and the point of their teachings. e do this from an unbiased viewpoint looking to widen our perspective past what we were taught or programmed with from our own cultures and wholistically see from a world view, not just a community view of teaching and customs nearby us. We study all religions and philosophy as one whole connecting the similarities, and contrasting the differences, pulling principles that we can learn to better live our lives and be. Attaing knoweldge cultivates intelligence, and intelligence leads to wisdom which is the overall goal. you cannot attain true wisdom or insight learning just one method or way, cause it wil not contain all factors. This lifestyle of study also promotes being a scholar and contunied learning which is a must for mental and spiritual health, excersizing the muscles of the mind. We then take a look at warriorism and what it means to be a warrior, this is the Warrior Philosophy aspect of the system. This way of thought was designed for warriors and hence, the warrior philosophy is the core of it. Being wholistic or “all encompassing” we look at many different types of warriorism, and from all prior knowledge form new and fresh perspectives  (same as in out Universal Belief studies) and implement them. It is not about static, rigid doctrine, but about a strong, freeflowing mind and spirit. Pliable enough to bend when pushed just to bounce back explosively. Soft as water able to be hit and smashed but unable to be destroyed.  Like water, able to wear away the tallest mountain given enough time, able to take the shape of whatever you pour it into or able to flow lightly or crash with destructive force.

 Headmaster Abraham Hardy ; Universal Belief & Warrior Philosophy and the true Concept Warriors;

    http://youtu.be/6HnjCNdci2I

   http://youtu.be/wwxSjRejw7w

 The HCW Warrior Arts are built around street self-defense. For those whom want to enter the real of sports, the concept is we take way the “street” aspects of the training and work the realms of fighting related to the particular combat sport. Many martial arts do this and it is by far, nothing new. There still, are many more things that go into the training of a combat athlete. First off, the fighter should not start competing, until they have the necessary training and conditioning. This consists mainly of technique training, fitness and conditioning, and diet. They should have a plan for training camp set up a number of weeks out from their fight and should start their training so that it prepares them to be at their best come the time of the competition. They need to know the rules of the fight and also venue. Are they fighting in a ring, cage, stage / platform with no ropes ? This may go into dictating strategy. A lot of fighters do not care whom they are fighting and would rather not know, this is so they do not psyche themselves out and go in fighting a certain way. This way, they will be ready for anything. Some fighters study their opponent and base a strategy off of their way of fighting. Either of these methods should be up to the fighter, but the trainer should definitely know whom their contender is fighting. To make sure it is a fair matchup as well as if necessary, to prep their fighter accordingly.

   The trainer should see that the fighter does not over train themselves. Rookie fighters tend to make this mistake. A fighter should be well versed in the methods involved in the competition, and know how to force the fight to go to their strengths. Being calloused is another part of conditioning. The fighter cannot shy away from contact or let pain overcome them easily. They should be well aware and fearless of the impact of punches, kicks, and being slammed. There are many methods of callousing for this.  The fighter needs to be disciplined enough to remember to listen to their corner. Many times, the rookie or undisciplined fighter blanks out once the fists start flying and does not want to heed any direction coming from the corner men.

   In the fighter’s regimen, it should consist of not only training in martial arts skills, but there should be strength training running phases from developing power to developing muscular endurance. There should be functional training also, not hitting the weights like a bodybuilder would and depending on solely that. Functional training, in essence, is training that develops attributes specifically used in fighting, in particular, the style of competition you will be entering. They say cardio is king, and also that bad cardio makes “cowards of men”. A strong pair of lungs and heart is a guaranteed demand in competitive fighting. If you do not have good wind, you will exhaust yourself and be at the mercy of your opponent. Attribute development comes sometimes in parcel with functional training for the most part. Doing drills and exercises that will increase you balance, agility and so forth.

  Being a fighter encompasses a lot of heavy training and skill development. Usually this is why, before even considering fighting someone, a trainer will take the newcomer and make them get some months of training under their belt before the fight train them. It will give that probationary period of seeing where the individual’s strengths and weaknesses are (so they can be fixed) as well as allowing one to see a student’s heart. Do they really want it and have the intestinal fortitude for it. This mind factor, the mental aspect is really first and foremost. A lot of people want to be a fighter just cause they thinks is it is “cool” or so they can speak on being one. In the end, the rigors of hard training separate the weak from the strong very quickly.

   By Headmaster Abraham Hardy

   The martial arts world is full of politics. from the titles people use, to who taught who, to what fighting style is the best or more effective even to whose style is the oldest.  Do these things really matter? It is supposed to be about the teachings and passing them on, bettering people lives and outlook on life.  People get so caught up in rank and who has the most or being jealous of the next guy for what he has accomplished, they lose track of their own training and purpose. As a system founder and someone whom has been training just shy of two decades (as of the time I type this) is has surprised me how some martial artists place so much importance over material trappings. Some get to the point where it is all about ego gratification. So much so that they are jealous of whom has more accolades, higher rank, or more successful than they are. As a system founder, I have had to deal with or have encountered it all. I founded my family’s fighting arts at a young age, taking informal training form them and combining it with my formal training attained on my own accord. When some people look at me, they jump to conclusions. Be it jealousy or whatever, they assume I did it for all the wrong reasons. They have seen my rank and titles and make judgments. The thing is, titles mean nothing to me. Belts, rank, all of that means nothing. In African cultures, things were passed down (war arts and others) by word of mouth teachings, ceremony, and so forth. Warriors could care less of some belt hanging from their waist. They did not have a fancy certificate, but they definitely could prove their proficiency in combat though, if necessary. Awards, rankings and all these things are a necessary evil these days. It is how things work, in some instances. For me as an individual, my title is just that, a professional title. No name, belt, or piece of paper is a testament to my training, skill, or devotion to my art. If my belt and papers were to be destroyed, it would not change my knowledge, skills, or ability. In modern day circles, these things define some martial artists. Well, I do not consider myself a martial artist, I consider myself a warrior.  In my belief structure, that encompasses something different. As a warrior, I am a student of combat. My ability lies within my heart, my spirit…….within my warrior ancestors that live on through me……..not some external source. Certificates and belts can be bought ( i.e. charging testing fees for a test you cannot fail , regardless of performance), but heart can’t….being a warrior can’t. Skill and ability can’t. The reason some martial artists make it farther and achieve more than others, is cause they were focusing on their own path opposed to focusing on the path other people are walking.

     In founding my systems, when I “had” to go through the process of putting a brand to my family’s form of warrior training (names, logos, so forth) I had to go through the process of getting documentation or certificates for all the various things I teach. As a founder of something that only I know in my mind, body, and heart, how can another person judge, grade or classify it? Man tries to place authority and ownership over everything, and in my belief that simply is not possible. Regardless, I went through the process and went further to gain more recognition of what I established. I did this all successfully, and continue to live up to it through my actions, teachings and in my students. I went through the process of attaining documentation cause it was a necessary evil. For me I knew it would be a definite one. Cause those that did not like what I represent or were jealous of my work would simply attack it and try to discredit it. So I made that necessary “paper trail” as I call it, but it was cemented by my actions and those of my students. I have placed my abilities and those of my students before the world.

     In the HCW Warrior Arts, we hold ourselves to the traditions and lineage coming from the Ancient African martial sciences, not that of Asian or any others. So we cannot be expected (nor have we allowed) ourselves to be “forced” to adhere to the customs which are not of our lineage. We may resemble them in certain instances but are no way bound to them. From things like the wearing of a gi or belt and using colored ranking systems in grading students. If we wear a gi or any uniform, it is for a functional purpose ,like the techniques we use may require a jacket, etc. belts, if worn, are for telling a large group of students apart as to know where in the curriculum they are, and possibly as part of any techniques they may be working. Belts, rank certificates, and many other customs are all material things. They mean nothing, it is what you learn and walk away with that means something. The mental, physical and spiritual benefits. Truth is the way of the universe. It cannot be owned, controlled, or bought because it simply exists. Trappings and extraneous things of training will not save your life on the field of battle……

      By Headmaster Abraham Hardy

      The Hacomtaewresdo Warrior Arts and it’s parent governing body, the Hacomtaewresdo Combat Arts and Urban Combatives association are based in being a modern interpretation of African Martial arts. Exactly what is that ? Historically the lineage of the African martial arts / sciences is the oldest and where generally all others come from in technique / concepts. The HCW warrior arts are modern or what some may call “hybrid” martial arts. We prefer the term ”all encompassing”  or what some would say “holistic”. Our fighting systems are separated by fighting type, and each type (system) touches on each range of fighting, just with a different type of technique and concept. This is why we classify what we do as all encompassing. When all these systems are put together, they cover all relating to combat. The systems are separated because it is easier to learn, and also the individual can train in something that suits their specific needs, body type, and preference. From there, if they so choose, they can move onto another one of the systems to fill in anything desired.

   In being “modern” African martial arts / sciences, we take techniques coming from systems of origin in other places. and trace the history and / or technique and concepts back to the original African martial arts / sciences that birthed them. An example would be Judo. We train in techniques coming from Judo. Judo is a Japanese martial art, not African. The same techniques in Judo, are in the martial arts of Africa, like Nuba Wrestling. On the pyramid walls in Egypt, there are techniques of grappling, many exactly the same as Judo for instance. These techniques were being practiced by ancient Egyptians thousands of years ago. So we would trace the techniques of Judo that we use, to Judo, then back to the source of the same movements within the African martial arts / sciences. This, is why and how we consider the HCW Warrior Arts to be a modern interpretation of African martial arts / sciences. While we do practice many techniques coming directly from African martial arts, we still too, practice techniques coming from many systems of many places. We study the fundamentals of their history and culture but we hold to the root and culture of ancient African / kemetic origins as the root and source from which all comes.

   There have been many African-American martial artists whom have founded martial arts based off of multiple systems they have studied. From this point they would trace the history of their said art form back to Africa and the original martial sciences. These systems have commonly been referred to as Afro- American or African-American martial arts. While we do not use this term ( no particular reason), for general discussion, it is one that has been used, and that the HCW Warrior Arts could fall under as well.

   In the end, all fighting arts have roots, traditions, and a history. The most important thing is what you teach and that it positively influences the lives of those that dedicate themselves to said teachings.

       The Universal Belief & Warrior Philosophy System (UBWPS) is a legitimately recognized system of warrior philosophy founded by Abraham Hardy, and is the philosophical / spiritual componet of the Hacomtaewresdo Warrior Arts & the Hacomtaewresdo Comabt Arts & Urban Comabtives Association. Coming from an extensive background of research, training, and study in the martial / warrior arts and sciences, Abraham Hardy is the founder and Headmaster instructor of the Hacomtaewresdo Warrior Arts, and the Hacomtaewresdo Combat Arts & Urban Combatives Association. Abraham holds numerous accomplishments in the martial arts, among them being the youngest Headmaster instructor in the history of the World United Martial Arts Federation.

    Abraham began training in the warrior arts at the age of  9 years old for purposes of self defense. That small start grew into a lifetime endavour. Abraham decided he wanted he wanted to be a True Warrior and fully learn and embody all it encompassed. Abraham studied the lives of many atheletes from past to present; Muhummad Ali, George Foreman, Evander Holyfield, of course the great Bruce Lee, and many others. He saw in these great modern warriors that a spiritual / philosophical quest and discovery took them to the heights of their abilities. Abraham understood a true warrior could never achieve mastery without a spiritual or philosophical presence of some sort in their lives.

      As a youth, Abraham knew his faith was week. He was a believer, but due to the things he faced in his life as a youngster, his faith was not that strong. So it was upon this realization that Abraham began his quest for spiritual and philosophical insight, as well as wisdom. Abraham began to study many different religions and systems of philosophy. As he studied, he accepted what he felt made sense, he related to, or could apply to make him a bettter person. What he did not understand, felt was not right, or felt was of no aid to him in this quest, Abraham left out. Abraham documented his studies and compared all his sum knowledge to see if it fit and nothing that nothing contradicted anything else. From there, he added his own form of warriorism. All the things he learned from martial arts like codes of conduct, moral tenets, and the warrior’s mentality.

      When Abraham finished his studies, as a believer in God, a Higher Power, he felt closer to God and that the things he learned made him a better and wiser person, contributing to that. His faith became solid and be had confidence in it. It was never Abraham’s goal to make a philosophical system. Once he looked at all his research left before him, he thought about how all he learned changed his life. It built his faith, made him wise, and enabled him to deal with life, others, and situations in life better. Abraham thought what if he put all this research together in a way he could spread and teach it to others ? Would that not be a good thing ?

    So Abraham did just that and hence the Universal Belief & Warrior Philosophy System came to be. It is a combination of knowledge, beliefs, and principles from many faiths and philosophies like Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Bushido, Shinto, Hinduism, and many others, all backed by warrior philosophy. For the “Universal Believer” their goal is to take positive knowledge comming from a multitude of places and apply it to themselves and lives to become better people and live better lives. All while maintainig a warrior’s strength, mentality and focus. Anyone can be a Universal believer, be you a Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, any. This is because this system of philosophy for anyone and all, not based around doctrine, but around the concept of  being a open minded scholar.

     The founder too, having been an athlete martial and otherwise, knows the heart of the competitor. There are positives seen to sport style training. There are heavy fitness benifits, but also the regular training with a resisting opponet, the physical contact, dealing with adrenaline, fear, pain and many other things. When training for fighting, technique wise, skills from the various HCW systems are taken that will be necessary by the fighter and those are trained and worked on. be it striking/ kickboxing, submission grappling, or mixed martial arts style training. the goal of the fighter technique wise, is to be well versed in all skill sets apart of the endavour, and to try to fight your fight using the aspects the fighter is most proficient in, or simply taking to opponet into a range where they are least proficient.

One of the goals in the HCW Warrior Arts is seeking truth in combat. this being, the most effective ( in science and concepts) way of fighting. In sport, we see hybrid wrestling (Pankration, Shootfighting etc.) or mixed martial arts as truth in combat as far as sport goes. It includes the general spectrum of fighting with long mind and close quarters fighting involving striking and grappling ( no trapping weapons or multiple attackers which is a adress of self defensive fighting). This type of sport fighting is the ultimate test of one’s ability and skill set(s). Comming second to this format of fighting, we see Chinese rules kickboxing San Shou, as the next best, as it is basically the same, but leaving out the ground fighting / grappling. These are favored by HCW because these sportive formats would aid and help develop the student’s attributes and abilities for the realities of real life combat. While they do not cover everything in self defensive fighting, the core skills and abilities and benefits of these styles of training  are strongly favored.

In the HCW Warrior Arts, combat sport is seen as a positive endavour where the individual can test themselves and their abilities in a safe enviornment. Furthermore, the attrubutes and other things they attain from the training can aid them in the self defensive side of their training.

                                           From the Universal Belief & Warrior Philosophy System

    The invincible warrior has no fear of failure within them. The common fighter is consumed with fear and losing. The fighter is afraid of losing their public stature and revealing their true nature for the world to see. Most of all, the common fighter is scared of confirmation ot themself of what they already know, and that they are not a true warrior. There is no fear of death within the invincible warrior. They have found within themself a belief structure that allows them to let go of their currrent level of existence if need be. This does not mean that the warrior does not value life, but that this huan form is only one level of existence and that all things simple die within time. This is the understanding that death is apart of life. When it comes to battle, there is no need ot fear any creature man or beast, cause any living thing can have life taken from it. There is nothing that can be done to you, that cannot be done unto others ( the enemy).  Being invincible means much more than not being able to be defeated on a mere physical level.

    Invincibiltiy begins and exists with an unbeatable mind. If your mind accepts the possibility of defeat, no matter how hard you train you will remain easily defeatable. The mind controls the body and the body cant do something the mind has not the will for. If you do not accept the possibility of defeat  and your mind is free from all internal battles and influence, the battle is 75% won. Once the mind is set, it is the body that needs to be conditioned and strengthened to it can carry the physical burden its commanded to. The common fighter can be defeated by the sheer presence of the invincible warrior. The  invincible warrior stands tall and is expressionless cause he is free from all intent battles. His power raidiates off of him. This is partly because  he faces battle not caring for the outcome and only thinking of the moment at hand…..and is prepared for whatever may come.

Warriorism is the living of life by realizing one is great by birth and that this greatness is inherent in one’s being as a human. One who strives to live as a warrior does so by constantly developing their attributes and capabilities both physically, mentally, and spiritually.

The sword does not make the man, the man makes the sword. Your power does not come from any weapon in your posession or any techniques you may know. It comes from inside, your spirit.

In fighting the enemy you should battle fullheartedly and be prepared to do all it takes for victory. From using unfair tactics to using lethal ones if necessary.You should employ any attributes and tactics in your arsenal ; be it your explosive speed, vocabulary of maneuvers, or your crushing strength and power.  If you are not willing to destroy another being, then you have no buisness on the battlefield.

If your goal is to risk your life to bite off your opponet’s nose, there should be great chance of your success. You may be heavily injured but you should reach your goal, because that is the type of “emotional content” you should carry yourself with, and battle with. Letting nothing inhibit you from completion of your task. This teaches you that putting your life on the line may be the only way to save it, the lives of your loved ones, or your community.

Many people make the mistake of thinking about winning and losing when dealing with combat. This thought should not enter your mind, because the only thing that matters is your survival. One person walks away, the other may not, after battle has transacted. It is the end that crowns us, not the fight. You only win or lose in sports, in reality it is life and death.

As long as you are alive after the dust settles on the battlefield, you are victorious. You can only truly be defeated in death.

 Victory in combat is all a matter of dominating your opponets. No matter if it is by forceful or non forceful means, in order to defeat your advasary, you must beat them inot submission or flight, or make them lose their will to continue. Your tools are your intelligence, spirit, strength, and physical capabilities.

 The warrior frees themself from the notion of defeat by not caring about victory.

 The warrior spends their life studying and training their mind , body and spirit for a battle that they may not know is comming, when it may come, or what form it may come in. Most of all, the warrior does not expect to survive it, they just paln on fighting with all their might. Living through it is just seen as a benefit.

     The African martial arts are among the largest variety of martial arts on earth. In fact African martial arts are also the oldest and was practiced over 30,000 years ago in the Aquatic Civilization of the Sahara (Zingh Empire ). The earliest African martial art was probably wrestling and various forms of hand to hand combat. Later on, kicking and other forms were added. Stick and pole fighting as well as weapons came in later. AFRICAN MARTIAL ARTS FROM THE TIME OF EGYPT TO TODAY: The oldest and longest practiced martial arts on earth today are Nuba wrestling and Hikuta (the martial arts used to protect the Pharaohs of Nubia and later Egypt (Khemet). Hikuta is a lightening fast martial arts that applys force on particular pressure points that lead to immobilization. Nuba Wrestling is the ancient art found among today’s Nuba (in Sudan) who still practice this art as a test of initiation into manhood. Various martial arts developed from the ancient Wrestling and hand to hand and feet combination martial arts that began in the Sahara and Nubia. These arts spread to Southern Africa, Congo-Angola, West Africa and Eastern Africa. African martial arts comes in various forms: Wrestling (Gidigbo Yoruba) Wrestling/boxing combination (Senegali,Laamb) Boxing/open hand – boxing/slapping (Dambe) Acrobatic feet fighting (Angola capoeira, ) combination hand and feet (Pinge, Danmye, Mani, kicking and knocking) Head butting with knees, elbows (Ja Rock) There are also a wide variety of sword fighting, stick fighting and other weapons forms including ‘knockout’ powders and such chemicals used by those who practice the voodoo and Dahomey/Benin martial arts. MORE ON MARTIAL ARTS: One of the most famous African martial arts is Capoeira. Capoeira is an African martial arts in every sense of the world just as English is a European language. Capoeira comes from the old Angolan martial arts such as Ngolo, the acrobatic martial art done by Angolan males during the marriage ritual – and before choosing a bride. Capoeira also comes from the Angolan art Kipura, which mimics the fighting style of roosters and animals like the leapord. The Origins of Capoeira is Angola. Forms of capoeira is also found in Mozambique, Congo and West Africa. Fighting arts similar to Capoeira are also found in the Americas in places apart from Brazil and points to a common origin in Africa. In ever region where slaves were bought from Congo-Angola or West Africa, the martial arts similar to Capoeira are found. For example. Susa is found in Surinam among the Njuka, Saramaka who both have their own heiroglyphic alphabets and whose boats look identical to boats once used in the Mid Sahara and Egypt, with the curved hulls. Danmye is found in Martinique, the French-speaking island in the Caribbean. Knocking and Kicking is found in the SOUTHERN US, IN MISSISSIPPI AND LOUISIANA. Mani is found is Cuba. Pinge is found in Haiti. Ja Rock is a secret martial arts that is also of African origins. Research shows that this art was used by the bodyguards of kings in Africa as well as special ‘commondo’ units. Ja Rock is found among a segment of African Americans who form one of the most secretive secret societies in the US. Ja Rock is also practiced by some Black fraternities in the US, along with the form of African dancing called ‘stepping,’ which has its origins in Zulu military drilling/dancing movements. Learn more about the ancient civilizations and military arts of Africa.

See, “Susu Economics,”

When one mentions the term “martial arts”, the first thing that comes to mind is most

probably a number of Asian combat sports, namely: Karate, Kung Fu, Judo, Aikido, Tae

kwondo, Ninjutsu, Thai boxing, etc. Very little is known about the “martial art”

techniques invented and perpetuated by dark-hued peoples of the tropics and the purpose

of this article is to serve as an introduction to what I call “Black Martial Arts”, or simply

BMA, a term used to denote the various “martial art” forms of Black origin.

By “black” I mean those people of African, Melanesian, Dravidian, and/or Australian

Aboriginal origin, including their Diaspora, in various parts of the world and by “martial

arts” I mean a physical combat involving daring and risk-taking against any type of

adversary. In my definition, the adversary may be another person (as in Capoeira de

Angola from Brazil), an animal (as in the Savika bull domination of Madagascar), an

object (as in Mallar Khambam pole acrobatics of Tamil Nadu), an element of nature (as

in walking on heated stones in Fiji), or even one’s self (as in the painful Sharo flogging

ritual of the Fulani cattle herders of Nigeria or the Tamil Kavadee ritual of Mauritius and

India).

The important element in the definition here is a competition involving the “risk to life

and limb” and thus whereas basketball and soccer are not considered “martial arts” under

my definition, rugby (a kind of football where protective padding is not used) and Hele

(diving into waves that crash the diver against a sharp precipice) would most certainly

qualify. Among the benefits of engaging in such activities, one finds:

1) combat training for

young men;

 2) the development of body discipline and endurance;

 3) the fostering of

guild loyalty and/or village pride;

 4) an opportunity for a combatant to acquire fame,

prestige, and popularity;

5) an opportunity to demonstrate to friend and foe one’s virilityand courage;

 6) a source of money and gifts for organizers and performers; and

 7) a socially sanctioned outlet for the aggressive tendencies inherent in man.

 In the Fulani stick flogging ritual called Sharo, it constitutes a rite of passage

from boyhood into manhood. Indeed, a Fulani youth who even winces upon being

flogged is disgraced and will never find a Fulani girl that would accept him in marriage.

Over the years, I have studied and written a series of books entitled Black Martial Arts

which presently is composed of six volumes, namely: 1) Hausa Combat Games;

2)Combat Games of the African Indian Ocean;

3) Capoeira de Angola (from Brazil) &

Congo (from Panama);

4) Ladjia (from Martinique);

5) Northern Nguni (i.e. Zulu, Swazi,

and Ndebele) Stick fighting; and

 6) Tamil Displays of Daring. The Combat Games of Hausa speakers (the dominant linguistic group of Northern

Nigeria) include:

1) Dambe – a form of traditional boxing practiced by members of the butcher’s guild and increasingly by local toughs who are not guild members. In dambe

only one hand is “gloved” (i.e. bound for striking purposes), the other hand

being used to ward off blows. In some areas, both kicking and head-butting

are also permitted;

2) Farauta – hunting expeditions in which one group snatches prey from

another. In bishi, a specially convened gathering of hunters, the combatants

(armed with knives, bows and arrows, maces, clubs, and other sundry

weapons) shout their taunts and praises and engage in mock (but sometimes

real) confrontations. Feats of magic, such as the materialization of arrows

from thin air, are said to occur at these gatherings;

 3) Kokawa – a form of traditional wrestling practiced mostly by farmers. Though perhaps the safest of the combat games, serious injury sometimes result – particularly when a wrestler is lifted high into the air and slammed to the

ground at the foot of a spectator. Unlike American wrestling one does not

need to pin an opponent to win. If an adversary’s head, hands or body touches

the ground he is considered defeated. There exists in Sokoto the survival of a

harsher form of wrestling in which adversaries are equipped with ringlets that

can be used to slash the back of an adversary when grabbed;

4) Shanci – a spectacular and bloody contest performed exclusively by the

Maguzawa Hausa in which gallantly arrayed adversaries each armed with two

razor sharp iron bracelets and arm-shields engage in pitched battle;

5) Sharo (also known as shadi) – a Fulani man-hood contest involving mutual

flogging with a long pliant stick or a short inflexible one. Those who cry out

in pain are disgraced and are not considered worthy of marriage;

6) Tauri – a large gathering of tough-skins (‘yan tauri) who (due to their use of

traditional medicines) are supposedly impervious to being cut by metals. They

shout their praises and taunts while demonstrating their invulnerability by

drawing swords or knives across various parts of their body including the

tongue. If conducted in a remote area, these gatherings (commonly called

gangi) produce confrontations which result in serious injury and even loss of

life; and

7) Other contests – a category that includes minor combat games such as faka

(which imitates the butting of goats), kwambe (foot boxing), wowwo

(communal mock raids), and wasan sanda (Fulani stick fighting) as well as

those games of courage which do not pit man against man, but rather against

nature such as: wasan wuta (testing invulnerability to burning), hawan kaho

(riding the horns of a bull), wasan kura (dangerous play with hyenas), wasan

mahaukata (self flagellation with swords), wasan macizai (snake dodging),

and wasan kunama (permitting poisonous scorpions to roam over one’s skin).

          Combat Games of the African Indian Ocean with examples from Madagascar, Reunion and the Comores (see photo gallery) include:

1) Moringue (Reunion) / Morengy (Madagascar) / Mrengé (Comores) – a form of traditional boxing accompanied by music and song which is practiced by Creoles, Malagasy and Comorians alike. This sport (of presumed mainland African origin) is essentially a spectacular form of bare-knuckle boxing though in some areas both kicking and head butting are permitted; (many more techniques were apart of it) practiced by Malagasy farmers and herders. In Toamasina (eastern Madagascar) toho-body (a form of wrestling in which one competitor begins the fight with his back facing his opponent) is practiced;

3) Savika – a form of ceremonial Zebu bull riding practiced by the Betsileo of

Madagascar. This sport (like Jalli Kattu in Tamil Nadu, India) requires the

combatant to grab the hump of an enraged bull and cling to the bucking

creature for a specified period of time;

4) Malaso – a tradition, the object of which is to steal someone else’s cattle. This thieving incorporates many of the elements associated with other combat sports including the performance of rituals, use of magic, songs, dance,

combat, and daring;

5) Hele – a spectacular water sport in which naked or scantily clad Comorian youths leap off rocky crags into a turbulent ocean where they are carried by

powerful waves either back to the very crag from which they jumped or into

another rocky crag;

6) Mixed Genres – the grafting of Asian Martial Arts to Traditional Malagasy Games (i.e. daka, diamanga, ringa, and morengy) resulting new and powerful

hybrid forms. This is somewhat similar to what Mestre Bimba and Mestre

Sena did to Capoeira Angola to produce Capoeira Regional and Capoeira

Estilizado respectively.

         Capoeira, a patrimony of Brazilians of African descent, is a spectacular form of acrobatic

fighting which is said to be derived from an Angolan ritual where males (imitating Zebra

fighting) squared off to determine who would wed the girl of his choice. The combat

resembles a battle between two cocks and is accompanied by music and songs. Congo, on

the other hand, is a remarkable dance ritual from Panama which takes the form of a

mock-combat between a man and a woman. Although these two arts are superficially as different from another as “male” and “female”, they have a great deal more in common than meets the eye. Whereas Capoeira is a mock-combat between two men, Congo is a mock-combat between a man and a woman and in both “games” the aim is not to defeat the opponent, but rather to cue the adversary to defend himself/herself. Moreover in both games:

1) the combatants must stay in rhythm with the music which is played

throughout the contest;

2) a combatant tries to anticipate the movements of his/her adversary and tries to oblige her/him to break rhythm;

3) there is a “call and response” singing with music and evocative lyrics played

throughout the match; 4) there are a prescribed number of characteristic attacks and defenses, but the performance is spontaneous and not choreographed;

5) both cunning and malicia (treacherous deception) play a more important part

in the development of the contest than strength; 6) both games are of supposed Bantu (Congolese) origin that were further developed in the context of slavery in the American diaspora – Capoeira in Brazil, and Congo in Panama;

7) both dances incorporate many bird movements and motifs; and most

importantly 8) the two arts can be seen as complementary aspects of a mating ritual

(Capoeira to select the male who will mate and Congo the male’s attempt to

seduce the female) both having the same “raison d’être” – the preservation of

the species.

Ladjia (also known as Danmyé and Wonpwen) is a martial art of probable African origin

that took root on the soil of the Caribbean island of Martinique. It is performed to

rhythms produced by the tambour (drum), ti-bois (sticks) and choral response singing.

Here, agile fighters deliver blows with the hands, feet, elbows, knees, or head and [unlikeCapoeira] also employ grappling techniques to best their opponent.

Throughout the combat, drummed binary rhythms are accompanied by evocative solo

singing and enthusiastic choral responses. In choreographed versions of this art the agile

fighters perform a mock-fight following the commands of the drumming – each beat of

which is known and decoded by the performers. Thus, when the drummer executes the

kassé stroke, the fighters stop abruptly, and when the drummer executes the oulé stroke,

they just as suddenly resume fighting.

The primary reason for the continued existence of this art form is the result of the effort

of certain Black Martinicans (particularly members of AM4) to rescue and preserve this

unique element of their culture which was passed down to them by their African

ancestors. In addition to being a regional patrimony and a great source of black pride, the

practice of Ladjia serves as a means to:

 1) develop skills in self defense;

2) test one’s

(newly acquired) combative skills against those of an adversary;

 3) stay in good physical

condition;

4) put on shows as a form of spectator entertainment;

 5) earn money;

 6)receive acclaim;

7) impress women;

 8) release frustration;

 9) identify with one’s culture; 

10) simply have fun.

It, too, can be compared to a mating ritual, but here one need not travel to Panama for the

dance of seduction. Indeed, the Martinican Belé dance – which utilizes the same

instruments as Ladjia – plays the role of the Panamanian Congo admirably well.

Northern Nguni (i.e. Zulu, Swazi and/or Ndebele) stick-fighting is an African

“celebration of masculinity” (dating from time immemorial) that involves a contest

between two adversaries each of which is armed with two sticks. The attack stick (usually

held in the right hand is used to strike with; whereas the stick held in the left hand is used

to parry strikes made by the opponent. The blows may be delivered from any direction

(i.e. down-swing, slashing swing, up-swing, or side-swing) to any part of the body; but

neither striking with the stick used to parry nor jabbing with the attack stick is permitted.

Moreover, fighters must refrain from injuring the eye of an opponent and strikes to the

head and knuckles are discouraged. Depending upon the nature and venue of the contest,

the left hand may be either unprotected or protected by a small shield.

Nguni children learn stick-fighting from an early age with relatively harmless light reeds.

As in Capoeira, sparring is used to teach and train a companion rather than to defeat him.

After learning the basic rudiments of the art, the boys then begin to employ harder sticks

and/or war clubs that are very lethal. Boys typically engage in stick-fighting with other

herd boys while grazing their cattle or sheep. More serious competitions typically take

place at weddings and/or other ritual events such as puberty celebrations. Though stickfighting

is considered a game (umdlalo wezinduku = “game of sticks”) rather than a

“fight”, it can result in serious injury and (in some cases) even death.

The Tamil – a dark-skinned race from southern India – have several “Displays of Daring”

(see photo gallery) which I classify as martial arts, namely:

1) Silambam – which primarily involves stick fighting using long bamboo poles.

This combat requires a great deal of hand, leg, and eye-co-ordination to strike

an opponent and prevent one’s self from being struck and there are a number

of techniques employed to force an opponent to drop his pole. Bare hand

techniques and weapons other than sticks are also learned and employed. This

art has been largely preserved in southern Tamil Nadu – particularly in

Tirunelveli – a district that gave birth to many experts like Marudupandi,

Kattabomman and Umaithurai. During festivals the art is performed as a game

accompanied by both music and song;

2) Malyutham – one of the 64 arts listed in ancient literature, this sport (similar to wrestling) reached its zenith during the Pallava dynasty. During the mid- Chola period, local champions traveled to other communities and even to Sri

Lanka to participate in tournaments there. In ancient times this art was the

patrimony of the Malliga Chetty community.

3) Kai kuthu sandai (Gushti) – a kind of boxing where the adversaries “rain blows on each other” in an attempt to floor the opponent. Skilled practitioners of this art are known to be able to easily defend themselves against an armed

opponent with their bare hands;

4) Sword fighting – this art reached its zenith in Tamil Nadu during the period of the Chola dynasties. Victory came when the adversary was wounded or when he lost his sword. Swords were sometimes used for parrying during these

competitions;

5) Jalli kattu – in this competition ferocious bulls with sharpened horns are

released from an enclosure one at a time. When the bull rushes into the arena,

one or a number of courageous youths try to slow it down by holding down its

horns, grabbing its hump, or climbing on its back. In the old days a prize of

gold or money was attached to the horns awaiting he who was bold enough to

snatch the prize. In those days it was (like Sharo of the Fulani) also used as a

test for youths seeking a bride. This competition between man and bull (which

is quite similar to Savika of Madagascar) typically takes place during the

second day of the pongal festival;

6) Urimaram eruthal – considered an activity of great courage – involves an attempt by youths to climb a tall greased pole at the top of which is tied a pot

filled with colored water. As a youth attempts to climb the pole, people shout

and throw water on him to thwart his efforts. The first one to reach the pot and

break it is rewarded with gifts. The danger here consists in the risk of falling;

7) Deer-horn fighting – – involves the use of a weapon made from razor-sharp

deer horns in which the practitioner (using twisting and turning movements)

defends himself against an adversary armed with a staff, knife, dagger, etc. He

may choose to use one deer horn or two (one in each hand);

8) Mallakhamb – Here, a youth utilizing exceptional body flexibility, quickness,

balance, strength, and perfect timing, pits himself against a pole which he

climbs and then executes various yoga postures (usually) at its summit.

Traditional martial artists and soldiers trained in this art to strengthen their

muscles, discipline, co-ordination, body control and daring. Soldiers who

underwent this training were held to perform better in combat;

9) Curled swords – this weapon consists of a number of thin tensile steel blades

which are attached to a strong handle. When it is swung at an adversary, “the

blades unfurl slicing through the flesh”. It is a very dangerous weapon and a

great deal of skill is required to use it properly;

10) Burning torch – here the practitioner plays with fire and (according to M. Shahul Hameed) becomes “one with it”. In one type of performance a long flexible pole is selected and both ends are wrapped in cloth soaked with oil

and set afire. The performer holds the pole in the center and twirls it around

(like a baton) creating a magnificent display of light and fire. Two burning

torches can be held (one in each hand) and twirled in a similar way.

Sometimes a lighted wheel or star is used and the performer spins it from

various positions (standing, seated, prone, kneeling, etc.). Performers also use

chains to produce the same effect. The chain can be twirled with the chest,

mouth, or even hair;

11) Kavadee – an awesome ceremony of apparent great pain and sacrifice

(similar somewhat to Fulani Sharo, for which see above) that clearly

demonstrates the physical and spiritual heights that man can reach when

forgetting self and taking refuge in god. Here devotees become one with god

by purging passion, pride, hate and envy from the soul by means of a ten-day

abstention period followed by participation in an arduous barefooted kavadee

procession during which their bodies are typically transfixed with metal

needles, skewers, and weighted-down hooks as they carry a kavadee (arc)

over a long distance. This abstinence from physical gratification is said to lead

to self-liberation;

12) Teemeedee – is a ceremony in honor of a Warrior Goddess in which devotees, after undergoing austere preparations, walk bare-foot across a bed of burning

embers to obtain the goddess’s protection from adversity (cf. Fijians who

walk on stones which have been heated red hot); and

13) Kathi poosai – Here, certain Tamil men, after undergoing a ritual of austerity, mount a ladder, the rungs of which consist of sharp swords with the blade side facing up. They do this as penance for wrongdoing or to seek a boon against ills that might befall a family member or the community as a whole.

It should be noted that although I have identified all of these forms as “martial arts”, I

have also occasionally referred to some of them as “combat games”. According to the

Collins Dictionary a game is defined as a competitive activity involving skills, chance,

endurance on the part of two or more persons who play according to a set of rules usually

for their own amusement or for that of spectators. As such Northern Nguni stick-fighting,

Ladjia, Capoeira, and the other competitions discussed above can also be called games.

What distinguishes a “game” from a “fight” is mainly the existence of rules designed to

lessen the risk of serious injury (e.g. no jabbing with the stick in Nguni stick-fighting, no

head strikes in Silambam, etc.). Note that in the more spiritual kavadee, teemeedee and

kathi poosai, described above, the “rules” that must be followed in order to be able to

tolerate the pain. 

Nevertheless, despite these rules and regulations, risk taking and daring are such that the

possibility of serious injury is not only possible, but frequently occurs, and it is for this

reason that they are all considered – according to my definition – to be “martial arts”.

Indeed, despite all precautions, several people typically die each year in the jalli kattu competition and painful injuries during silambam sparring matches (despite the use ofmasks and headgear) also occur.

There are no doubt many other African martial arts forms that have not been mentioned in this article.