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Silat
A vietnamese pesilat.
Also known as	Pencak Silat, Seni Silat, Silek
Focus	Hybrid
Country of origin	Malay Archipelago

Silat is an umbrella term used to describe the martial art forms practiced throughout the Malay Archipelago. Silat is a combative art of fighting and survival and it has been evolved in Indonesia and Malaysia civilizations for centuries into social culture and tradition.^[1] During the colonization era, both in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam as British colonies and in Indonesia as Dutch colonies, practitioners (locally known as pesilat) used the martial art as a form to liberate from foreign authorities.

The distinctive forms of silat with other Asian martial arts, such as kung fu, tae kwon do or karate, lie on the cultural aspect. Silat is not only for combative purposes. When accompanied with traditional instruments, such as kendang, silat transforms into a folk dance. In Minangkabau area (the West Sumatra province of Indonesia), silat was the oldest men's tradition known as silek and it is one of the components to perform the Minangkabau folk dance of randai.^[2] In Malaysia, one form of silat known of silat pulut also shows the harmonic silat styles as a dance accompanied by traditional instruments. A silat form in West Java province of Indonesia, known as pencak, is usually accompanied with music, notably by the traditional Sundanese suling instrument.

Randai performances with silek (silat) as one of the dance's components.

A theory states that silat word itself comes from silek from Minangkabau language.^[2] Silek was one of the of components to perform the Minangkabau's randai folk dance components besides bakaba (storytelling) and saluang jo dendang (song-and-flute).

The term silat is actually a noun which has a formidable arsenal of terms used to refer to martial arts in Southeast Asia.^[3] It can be said in Malaysia as seni silat, seni bela-diri and sometimes ilmu silat. In Sumatra silat is known as silek and more popularly in Java and Indonesia as Pencak Silat. The Chinese fusion of silat is known as kuntao.^[3]

Silat spread throughout the Malay Archipelago since the seventh century AD, but its origin is still uncertain. However, silat has been acknowledged as a genuine Malay art.^[4] Malay people that have inhabited coastal cities of Sumatra island and Malay peninsula, from Aceh in the north to Kelantan, Kedah and Riau archipelago in the south, were the people who practiced silat. Contacts with other ethnic groups in the coastal cities had also influenced silat. There is evidence that Chinese and Indian culture had influence the martial art forms.^[5] When Islam was spread throughout the archipelago in the fourteenth century, it was taught alongside with silat. Besides as a combative art and cultural folk dance, silat then became a spiritual training.^[1]

Silat was gradually refined into the specialized property of sultans, panglima (prime-minister) and pendekar (warriors) during the Malacca Sultanate, Majapahit and Srivijaya empires. It was the time when silat spread through Malay peninsula, Java, Bali, Sulawesi and Borneo. Malays, in particular in Malay peninsula, considers the legendary story of Hang Tuah of the fourteenth century as the father of silat.^[5]

Silat shares the same history in Malaysia (incl. Singapore and Brunei) and Indonesia during the colonization era as a form to liberate from foreign authorities.^[5] During post colonization era, silat has been evolved into formal martial arts. National organizations were formed, such as in Malaysia: Persekutuan Silat Kebangsaan Malaysia (PESAKA), in Indonesia: Ikatan Pencak Silat Indonesia (IPSI), in Singapore: Persekutuan Silat Singapore (PERSIS), in Brunei Darussalam: Persekutuan Silat Brunei Darussalam (PERSIB), as well as tens of silat organizations in US and Europe. Silat is now officially included as part of the sport game, particularly during the Southeast Asian Games.

Pesilat in Bali.

In Indonesia, pencak silat was chosen in 1948 as a unifying term for their martial arts. It was a compound of the two most commonly used terms for martial arts in Indonesia. Pencak was the term used in central and east Java, while silat was used in Sumatra. In modern usage, pencak and silat are seen as being two aspects of the same practice. Pencak is the performance aspects of the martial art, while silat is the essence of the fighting and self-defense.

In Bali, with a predominantly (94%) hindu population, silat is a unifying force in each district and almost every village.^{[citation needed]} Formal instruction takes place every morning and evening by one of two organizations: Satria Muda Indonesia (SMI) and Kertha Wisesa.

In Malaysia, silat is a term which is sometimes used as an umbrella term for all Malay martial arts.

• Sheikh Shamsuddin (2005). The Malay Art Of Self-defense: Silat Seni Gayong. North Atlantic Books. ISBN 1556435622. 
• Quintin Chambers and Donn F. Draeger (1979). Javanese Silat: The Fighting Art of Perisai Diri. ISBN 0870113534. 
• Donn F. Draeger (1992). Weapons and fighting arts of Indonesia. Rutland, Vt. : Charles E. Tuttle Co.. ISBN 9780804817165. 

• Donn F. Draeger and Robert W. Smith (1980). Comprehensive Asian fighting arts. Kodansha International. ISBN 9780870114366. 
• Sean Stark (2007). Pencak Silat Pertempuran: Vol. 1. Stark Publishing. ISBN 9780615136985. 
• Sean Stark (2007). Pencak Silat Pertempuran: Vol. 2. Stark Publishing. ISBN 9780615137841.