Seni Gayong originated among the Bugis people of Sulawesi in Indonesia and was called "Silat Sendi Harimau". Literally meaning "tiger joint silat", the system utilised the tiger claw technique to lock opponents' joints. The Bugis prince Daeng Kuning, descended from a long line of warriors, brought the style to the Malay Peninsula in the 1800s. It was eventually passed down to his great-grandson Meor Abdul Rahman. The teaching of Seni Gayong, as with most styles of silat, was once restricted to relatively few students under each master. In 1942 during the Japanese occupation, Meor Abdul Rahman taught Seni Gayong publicly in Sudong island, Singapore when the locals feared an attack by the Japanese. Having inherited the art from his grandfather; Syed Zainal Abidin Al-Attas, Dato Meor Abdul Rahman eventually founded Malaysia's first martial arts association, "Pertubuhan Silat Seni Gayong Malaysia". It was and still remains the method of unarmed combat taught to the Royal Malaysia Police force