Search, View and Navigation
Harimau Guardians Appeal
Wednesday, 15 September 2010 14:58
Chinese regard tigers as a symbol of power and strength. In Japan, it is the emblem of the samurai warrior depicting the virtue of courage. The Malaysian police force feature the tiger on its royal shield. This animal is portrayed on many national flags, emblems, mascots and as icons.
As the largest member of the cat family, the panthera tigris is a solitary creature that occupies exclusive territory. Their night vision is six times better than that of man’s, which accounts for their prowess in stalking and killing.
The tiger, or harimau as it is called in Indonesia, is at the top of the endangered species list. There are less than 400 Sumatran tigers left in the world today--that is in captivity and the wild. The Sumatran tiger measures between eight and ten feet in length, it weighs around 264 pounds, and this predator can pull down an animal four times its size.
The Minangkabau tribes in West Sumatra adopted a fighting style that utilized the tigerʼs biomechanics and called it harimau selik, known today as harimau pencak silat.
Through my journey in harimau silat, studying the tiger has been the essential part in making my silat effective in combat. You look at how the tiger attacks and pulls down its prey but you also have to look deeper than that. If you look at how the tiger adapts to its environment you can see why it is so efficient in what it does.
In the year 2000, a Bengal tiger re-wilding project releasing captive bred tigers into the African planes has been started. These tigers immediately adapted to the open space from generations of being solitary hunters in Asia. They adjusted to this new terrain, working in a group effort to bring down animals they had never encountered before.
The Siberian tiger lives in snow temperatures of -41 degrees Celsius. At the same time, the Sumatran tiger, the smallest of the tiger species, lives in the most extreme dense jungles with poisonous plantation and volatile weather where you can hardly move. The tiger is a highly intelligent animal, constantly changing with the world.
There is a danger that is becoming more real as time goes on--that one day the only tigers left on this planet will be the ones that we see walking back and forth in a small cage at the zoo. The reason these animals are pacing is because they are slowly going mad. The wildlife expert Sir David Attenborough posed the question “is a caged tiger really a tiger”.
The tiger conservation programs in Indonesia, Thailand and England are all fighting a losing battle to secure the legacy of this animal. They need more help. This is the year of the tiger so I am asking my fellow silat peers and anyone else to become a harimau guardian, make a donation on our website or any other related tiger funds (e.g. www.tigertrust.info).
The harimau is critically endangered, they desperately need your help to ensure their survival.
This appeal is an exclusive publication for the Black Triangle Silat website, 2010.
Additional Information
DVD - Tongkat: Journey of a Stick Fighter
Tongkat: Journey of a Stick Fighter is the 3rd installment in the Black Triangle Silat series of indie documentaries focusing on the Sumatran fighting system of Minangkabau Silek Harimau. In this documentary, Guru Scott McQuaid embarks on a journey across the globe, tracking the many variations of tongkat (stick) combat used within the styles of Silat and its influences from diverse martial arts. The film features many world renown martial artists in their respected fields.
DVD - Silek Harimau: The Minangkabau Art of War
Silek Harimau: The Minangkabau Art of War is an indie demonstration film and a follow-up release to the highly acclaimed underground documentary Dark Gift. In Silek Harimau Guru Scott McQuaid explains and demonstrates the deadly fighting art of Silat Harimau originating from the Minangkabau tribe in the jungles of West Sumatra.
DVD - Dark Gift: The Origins of Silek Harimau
Dark Gift: The Origins of Silek Harimau is an indie documentary film that took over seven years to produce. It is a unique and unprecedented attempt to trace the historic lineage and respected Harimau Silat masters across the globe. Follow the origins of this tribal warfare martial art system from Indonesia’s dense forests to the urban jungles of London and the United States.
Search Our Website
Stay in Touch
Join Us on Facebook
Help Sumatran Tiger
There are probably less than 400 Sumatran Tigers left in the wild today. They are critically endangered and in desperate need of our help to ensure their survival.
Please consider assisting us in raising funds that we will fully transfer to the Sumatran Tiger Trust, a UK registered charity. Help us preserve the original and ultimate teacher of Harimau Minangkabau Pencak Silat.