Thank you so much for having Mansa Myrie on, and please, at your convenience both, have him on again. I love your regular video style, of course, but this was a real breath of fresh air as an African in this community. Y'all's conversation was edifying and inspiring.
Matt Easton is a true academic, and while an expert in European martial arts, he brings his viewers comparisons with martial arts around the world. The fact is that martial arts are universally human, every culture had to fight to protect itself or to expand its influence. Thank you, Mr. Easton! I want to keep learning about my world as long as I'm in it.
The Maori are on all top ten greatest warrior cultures lists alongside the Spartan and Samurai for a reason. The haka was no idle threat. Living on an isolated island, Maori had no range weapons. No bow and arrow. Not even throwing spears (slings only). So all fighting was hand to hand with predominantly bludgeoning and slashing weapons made of greenstone, hardwood, volcanic rock, or whalebone. No shields. No armour. Up close and personal. Brutal as fk. All warriors were trained from childhood in the art of warfare and the maori martial art mau rakau. They were extremely athletic and disciplined warriors. Intertribal warfare was just a part of life. When the firearm arrived this warlike culture took to it like a duck ymto water. The Maori fought a brutal 30 year war with the British in the mid 1800s. The colonialists had much admiration for the military nous of the Maori. They knew how to fight using asymmetrical warfare tactics. And they understood their land. The introduction of gunpowder sparked old Intertribal conflicts igniting into the Musket Wars between warring tribes that killed 40 thousand Maori. When the New Zealand Wars broke out against the British Empire, the Maori were already battle hardened and battle tested. Masters at ambush, guerilla, seige, psychological, and close quarters combat, they proved formidable opponents. Just as they did a century later against the Nazi, who referred to them as "The Scalphunters" for their propensity to fix bayonets and trench raid, finishing the enemy off with knives, tomahawks, and even traditional weapons. See Maori Battalion. Always heavily outnumbered and outgunned, the Maori used knowledge of the terrain, ingenuity, and trench warfare to neutralise the firepower discreprancies. This was 50 years before the famous trenches of WWI. Multi levelled zig zag trenches with hidden firing pits, tunnels, and bomb proof bunkers. They had flax covering their firing pits that the musket balls would just bounce off. With shotguns traded for from american sealers and traditional bludgeoning and slashing weapons in their arsenal. Once the Maori could fool the enemy into close quarters combat.. It was over.
Impressive. Adam is obviously informed and inspired by HEMA and approaches Africa with the same careful and scientific mindset. There are plenty of other possible ways of treating the martial arts of Africa, none of them “wrong” per se, but this is the most historically respectful approach. Full marks, lads!
Matt saying "real life Soulcalibur" was not on my life's bingo card, but I absolutely love that it happened. 😆 Thanks very much for this! African martial arts definitely need more of a spotlight.
I am Brittas boyfriend. Reading books of Osprey Military ( for example Victorias enemies, african warrior people, Zulu and Sudan wars) and visiting a large ethnical Museum in Stuttgart/Germany helped me a Lot in this context.
Absolutely LOVE this video. I discovered HAMA shortly after I started my HEMA journey years ago due to my interest in African arms and armor, and I've been delighting in watching its development and refinement the past few years. Seeing these two communities of passionate nerds come together makes my day.
I have always been fascinated by the wrestling tradition of the Seereer people of Senegal - hope to see more HAMA coverage of the amazing martial diversity across Africa in the future
Thanks for posting this conversation, Matt! Also Da'Mon is a fantastic resource and a solid dude. I was happy to hear him mentioned for his work in HAMA.
Ideally it would be nice if every nations historical martial arts systems could be revived. In the end the more such happens the more it will help the world take the work of reconstructing these systems more seriously.
15:20 north Africa and persa use same weppons but persians normal fight heavy armor doing "less cycles" direct choping well Africans fight lighter armor and do more cyrcles and "drawing" 18:00 note on house techniques. 18:40 some swords 22:48 his special sparing sword for big hands and gloves, 23:30 a peice of African armor (and central asia...)very good with a shamshear 24:44 leather/lamal armor 26:19 some experts They alsi talk about different Marshall arts fighting together And how most groups use the same gear like fencing masks because they work
i've always wondered why there was no equivalent to HEMA for africa, i'm glad this is coming together, and that members of the HEMA community such as yourself help shed some light onto this. 👍
Because Africa isn't a real continent, I mean it literally is but it doesn't have a shared history and culture/ race like Europe, Africa is so large and diverse that most of those so called HAMA are more like middle eastern and way closer to Turkish and European Historical martial art than to African
I think you have it backwards... Africa is a real continent. Continents are just really big and are not cultural monoliths. Africa is big and diverse. Asia is big and diverse, so is north and south America. Only Australia and Europe are small. And some would argue that Europe should be looked at as a sub continent like India apart of Eurasia rather then its own separate continent but this is something people have really strong opinions about.
@@miracleyang3048He literally mention HAMA covers different regions and cultures of the continent like the Sahel, South Africa, Ethiopia as well as Sudan, Nigeria and Chad along with many others.
Thank you for doing this video. All of it's fascinating, but I'm especially interested in the shield/buckler plus parrying stick shown in some of the clips. I've long been fascinated by such defensive implements, such as from the Dinka culture, as they seem very effective. Covering the hand makes it safe to take full advantage of the stick's length for parrying. I'd love to know more about them & how they were & are used.
I am assuming you are referring to the nguni stick fighters of Southern Africa. Although there are small differences between the different ethnic groups, such as the Xhosa and the Zulu, basically it works exactly how you described. For the Zulu people, the blocking stick is held in the same hand as the small shield. The majority of defense is done with he stick and the shield is there to protect the hand. Interestingly the shield is not held by the shaft that runs down the middle. That shaft is only there to support the rawhide. The shield is actually held by a rawhide handle built into it's construction.
About 15 years ago, I discovered the same thing. I was practicing SCA rapier fencing and instead of choosing between buckler or scabbard, it occurred to me that I could use both in my off hand. It turned out to be a very effective defensive technique.
As a follower of HAMAA, I say yes! We definitely want more! 😁 I have a collection of weapons, shields and armor. I'd love to see explored, and explained more indepth.
This was amazing! I absolutely love the idea of digging deeper into African martial arts and collaborating with experts like Adam in the future. More like this, please
This was a fantastic video! Thanks so much for making it, for making me aware of HAMA, and for introducing us to Adam; it was an informative pleasure to watch an erudite and collaborative conversation between specialists in parallel, intersecting fields. I particularly appreciated a few themes that you both touched on: the importance of recognising and engaging with living and/or continuous traditions, the limitations of living in the Anglosphere (and, by extension, a linguistic Euroshpere), and the influences these factors exert on our perception of context. I would love to see more videos in this vein, and more exploration of the breadth and depth that living traditions and non-English-speaking sources can bring to our understanding of weapons and the martial arts associated with them. Love your work!
North African/Sahel martial arts are the most fascinating to me because they are so infrequently discussed, and as a nerd, I really love to include them in my TTRPGs. So for me, this was an absolutely wonderul discussion. Thanks so much to you both!
Great guest. Ancient Nubia was also called T'neshi, roughly meaning "Land of the Bow". They were famous archers and used a "long bow" or sorts. The Egyptians would even hire them as mercenaries, when not at war. Many Greek Myths/Characters are set in Africa, in places like "Libya" and "Ethiopia", as well as Egypt.
@@HaldirMark Both terms are used to describe "Nubia", but "Nubians" were not "Egyptians", as their unique name indicates. Go read the Tombos Stela ;), or look at any of the countless artistic depictions of the Nubians being "smited" by their Egyptian neighbors. Cleopatra wasn't Black either ;)
@@KarlKarsnark There is "Egyptian Nubia" and "Sudanese Nubia". The first four nomes of "Egypt" are in Egyptian Nubia. See Drs. Sally-Ann Ashton, Aaron DeSouza, Maria Gatto, Solange Ashby, Shayla Monroe, candidate Deborah Heard, etc. Many nubiologists conduct ALL of their research in Egypt. Secondly, "Nubian" is as anachronistic a term as all the rest we are using, and unnecessarily muddies the waters. The Nehesi were made up of many different peoples, as elaborated in the countless artistic depictions of southerners - with the "reddish-brown" skin of Egyptians, and golden hair, with very dark brown skin and black hair, with jet black skin and silver hair, etc, (many/most of which are still extant on the continent today). One does not go to war with "Nubians"; one goes to war with one or more peoples of the south. Thirdly, you, nor I, nor Egyptology knows: C7's paternal grandmother, C7's mother, nor C7's maternal grandparents. I'm not a race purist, so this argument is stupid to me in the first place, but if, as is possible, all of those missing persons are African (knowing that C7's father indeed lay with an African in the person of C7's sister Arsinoe's mother), C7 would most definitely be considered black today - as the offspring of a mulatto and an African. I don't positively make this claim, as Egyptology does not, but the positive assertion that "she isn't black" is unsupported in the same way by Egyptology. Hope this helped. ;) Edit (further clarity): The first nome of "Egypt" is also named Ta-Seti, btw; it's not that "unique" a name.
This is so cool! We need more of this, I’ve heard about a couple things, but I had no idea there was so much information, and so much serious research and training. I love it!
Love to see more with Mansa! This was really great talk and super informative. Love Adams understanding and method for exploring these African martial arts and sharing what he's learned. Always love people who understand that martial arts and culture influence each other and also that things can develop without such influence and celebrating all cultures arts.
I love learning about history of and when I can't practice in different martial arts from around the world. My actual hands-on experience is limited in predominantly Asian martial arts and the Americanized versions of those martial arts. I also love collecting and playing with weapons when I have a chance. Having a chance to play with African weapons in learning more about African martial arts would be really cool. Also, the more knowledge is shared the less likely an art is to die or the very least we can maintain the history of that style or martial art respectively.
I went into this thinking "Ugh, this is gonna be a long one... hope I can stay awake for it." Once it was over, I was all "Is it over already!? But I haven't learned all there is to know yet!!"
I hope you'll go through the list of names Adam rattled off and invite them all to appear in later episodes, talking about other regions in Africa. There's so much material there, and I am here for it!
I don't know about a specific topic, but I definitely want to see another more on this topic. I normally find these types of presentations with guest speakers to be very dry and boring. But this was fascinating, and would love to learn more about the history of African martial Arts as well as the state of modern martial arts in Africa. Maybe a stream where you two catalog different martial arts. Which styles are popular in what regions and how do they compare or contrast to other martial arts in the region and the continent more broadly.
I would love to watch a comprehensive discussion of the 3rd crusade. In regards to the fighting styles and the evolution of armour. I really enjoyed this video and hope to see more on the subjects. Thank you both for giving us a very over looked subject matter.
More, please! More HAMA and Mansa collaboration would be appreciated. Lazering in on your expertise is amazing, but the occassional collaborations and exposure to the wider world of martial arts and history helps both help set HEMA-related art/history into the broader context of the wider world, while at the same time builds bridges and illuminates the the human through-lines that tie us together.
I would love to learn more about the interaction between different cultures (between the continents as well as within Africa) with regard to the evolution of weapons and fighting styles in Africa... and as always, reference to primary historical sources is great
I would absolutely love if this became a regular part of your channel. This interview was so enlightening. Until i found your channel i had always been most interested in Japanese martial arts, expanding into European and Middle Eastern arts has been so cool to see, and now seeing African natural arts I would love to see more of it.
Great interview. African martial arts are fascinating but we need nore info. Stick-fighting & stick & shield are so different from Asian or European styles especially.
Please more of this! I find it fascinating, particularly the movement styles. I feel like there are a lot of interesting comparisons between African and Southern Asian and Pacific fighting styles. In specifically, watch the footage of South African fighting compared to something closer to me like New Zealand Māori Taiaha fighting.
Very good. I really like how you are connecting people all over the world. African history and martial arts is a very big field and thousands of years to explore. Thank you, Matt and Adam
From a historical point of view, it's so important to have all of these things documented before the information gets lost in the modern era. It's fantastic that they are preserving these traditions and documenting them. Fantastic.
This is a great dialogue. I'm very glad to be learning about an aspect of history that I had known very little about. Thank you and your excellent guest for this video!
Thank you for the interesting conversation. I am surprised that Mr. Myrie did not mention the Iberian Falcata (4th C. b C E), or the greek Kopis (8th C. b C E), when speaking of the Moroccan Nimcha sword [18:48], and instead spoke of Portuguese swords or even of its knuckle bow coming from the Italian Falchion,... and he states that the "sword was invented in Morocco". I think that would be an interesting discussion, and not as clear as he puts it.
haha this afternoon i was talking with my moroccan colleague about the long conflict of their country against the ottomans (was funny when he said "ha! then we killed their king, well, ok, they killed 3 of ours but... in the end..."🤣) and it was very interesting because i don't know the history of north africa in great detail! and there we go i get another piece tonight, nice! Adam seems like a great guy i'll have a look at his content for sure!
Things I'd like to see perhaps? Armour - especially leather Unarmed combat Fighting styles and weapons from West and Central Africa e.g. Benin, Oyo, Ife, the unarmed boxing and wrestling traditions of the Igbo in Eastern Nigeria and their conflicts with the British in the Biafra in the C19 Blacksmith and horse traditions of West Africa pre-colonisation
I have a collection of different examples of armour and weapons from these cultures on my Pinterest if you're interested. As for the other things you mentioned indeed I'd love to see more indepth takes on those arts.
I lived in Kenya 4 years and spent time visiting the Maasai, Turkana, Pokot and others one of my favorite memories was watching was a stick fight waiting for the goat to roast they hit so hard and fast, standing so close to each other that it sounded like firecrackers going off. I don't know if it was just choreography or more spontaneous. I still have and treasure several fighting sticks that I sparred with in college. I still hunt with my my Turkana Shooting cane. it hangs nicely on the belt and is a great shooting stick for hunting. mine has AK-47's carved into it :D
Historical African Martial Arts (HAMA) refer to the traditional combat systems and fighting techniques that have historical roots in various regions of the African continent. These martial arts have a rich history and were often developed for self-defense, warfare, and traditional rituals. It's important to note that Africa is a vast and diverse continent with numerous ethnic groups, each with its own unique martial traditions. Several African martial arts have gained attention and recognition in recent years as practitioners and scholars work to preserve and revive these traditions. Some examples of Historical African Martial Arts include: Nuba Wrestling (Sudan): Nuba wrestling is a traditional form of wrestling practiced by the Nuba people of Sudan. It is not only a sport but also a significant cultural event with ritualistic elements. Dambe (West Africa): Dambe is a form of boxing that originated among the Hausa people of West Africa, particularly in Nigeria. It often involves one-armed striking and is associated with cultural festivals. Zulu Stick Fighting (South Africa): Zulu stick fighting, also known as "Iklwa," involves the use of short stabbing spears and shields. It has historical roots in the Zulu warrior tradition and is considered both a martial art and a cultural practice. Ko-Bodu Jutsu (Nigeria): Ko-Bodu Jutsu is a traditional martial art practiced by the Kanuri people of Nigeria. It includes a combination of striking, grappling, and weapon techniques. Krav Maga South Africa (KMSA): Krav Maga, a self-defense system developed in Israel, has also been adapted in South Africa with a focus on incorporating elements of African martial traditions. Esima (Sierra Leone): Esima is a traditional Sierra Leonean martial art that combines striking and grappling techniques. It has cultural significance and is often performed during ceremonies and celebrations.
This is so cool! Helping each other out and offering a free flow of information between different groups all wanting the same, which is the truth about their arts.
I love martial arts of all kinds and I was eating every moment of this up. Please have him back on! My neighbors probably thought I was I having a good time because of all my satisfied groans upon seeing each weapon and armor Mansa Myrie showed. I’ll have to check out his channel too.
AYOOOOOOO I didn't expect him to mention Bois Academy in Trinbago!!!!! Was noticing that it seemed (maybe very vaguely) similar to the Algerian stick fighting that was shown in the video, then he mentions it. Big up Mansa Myrie for real he ain't no joke.... 'cause who tf knows about Trini stickfighting?
When Matt talked about having a HAMA video a little while ago, my first guess was Da'Mon despite knowing very little on the subject. Dude is a legend. A broad overview of common weapons, or known regional fighting styles would be nice.
I want you two to make more RU-vid videos together. I think this a great collaboration. I find you both to be very honest and nice people. Make more as I said please 😊
