3LEGEND
A number of stories exist detailing the history of particular styles, which are often used as origin
myths for silat in general. One such tale is of a woman named Rama Sukana who witnessed a fight
between a tiger and a large hawk. By using the animals' movements, she was able to fend off a group
of drunken men that attacked her. She then taught the techniques to her husband, Rama Isruna,
from whom they were formally passed down. There are several variations of this story depending on
the region where it is told. On the island of Bawean, Rama Sukana is believed to have watched
monkeys fighting each other while the Sundanese of West Java believe that she saw a monkey battle
a tiger.[10]
The legend in the Malay Peninsula is where the heroine is named Timah. The daughter of a raja in
the Indonesian Archipelago, her husband is a possessive man named Uma.[8] In this version, Timah
tries to scare away a white-rumped shama or murai batu (more than one of them in some versions)
that flies at her as she bathes. With each move the bird makes, she attempts to wave it off with her
hands, and spins as it flies around her. Rather than fighting off drunken men, Teemoh fends off her
own husband who tries to beat her with a stick for taking so long. The fact that this legend attributes
silat to a woman reflects the prominence of women in traditional Southeast society, as can still be
seen in the matriarchal adat perpatih customs of West Sumatra.
Another legend tells of three Minangkabau warriors from West Sumatra, Indonesia. By their masters'
instruction, the young men were travelling north in the hope of attaining moksha (enlightenment).
On their journey, they were caught up in a bloody battle near the Thai border. One of the three was
wounded but managed to escape into a forest. Following a stream, he reached a waterfall where he
stopped to rest. The warrior noticed a lotus flower come down the waterfall but even as it was
pushed below the surface by the waterfall, the lotus would float back up completely intact. The
warrior tried throwing a stone and then a stick at the lotus, both with the same result. Finally he
went into the water and tried slashing at it with his sword but the lotus would only swirl away, still
unharmed. The exhausted warrior then fell into the water and upon climbing out, he contemplated
how this principle of overcoming the hard with the soft could be applied to battle. He subsequently
created a method of silat with his two compatriots. This story is often told in the Malay Peninsula
either as the origin of a particular lineage or to explain the spread of silat from the Minangkabau
heartland into mainland Southeast Asia. A Minangkabau-style silat called silek minang influenced the
style of silat in Negeri Sembilan in the Malay Peninsula.[11]
The time period for this tale is generally believed to be the 14th century. However, a later version
with a more Islamic setting places it during the 17th century. In this version, the three men are
named Burhanuddin, Shamsuddin and Aminuddin. Rather than a quest north for enlightenment,
they journey to Aceh where Islam has recently been introduced in order to learn more about the
new religion. Their status as warriors is not mentioned, nor a battle. Instead, Burhanuddin is filling a
water jar when he sees the lotus blossom. He then thought he heard a voice from the tree telling
him to teach others what he learned. Upon returning home, each of the three men became religious
teachers. This version of the story links it with Burhanuddin Ulakan, a Minangkabau man who
studied in Aceh and became the first Muslim preacher in West Sumatra.[12]
