page_title: Banten
section_title: Pencak Silat
hierarchical_section_title: Banten / Culture / Martial arts / Pencak Silat
caption_attribution_description: English: A traditional tradition called "Arak-arakan Banteng Suroan" from people in Kota Batu who celebrate this tradition every year in month of 'Suro'.
context_page_description: Banten is the westernmost province on the island of Java, in Indonesia. Its provincial capital city is Serang. The province borders West Java and the Special Capital Region of Jakarta to the east, the Java Sea to the north, the Indian Ocean to the south, and the Sunda Strait to the west, which separates Java from the neighbouring island of Sumatra. The population of Banten was officially estimated at 13,160,496 in the middle of 2020, up from over 10.6 million during the 2010 census. Formerly part of the province of West Java, Banten became a separate province in 2000. The province is a transit corridor to the neighbouring Indonesian island of Sumatra. Historically, it has had a culture distinct from the rest of Java and that of the broader Indonesian archipelago. In recent years, the northern half, particularly those areas near Jakarta and the Java Sea coast, have experienced rapid rises in population and urbanization, while the southern half, particularly that facing the Indian Ocean, maintains more of its traditional character.
  Centuries ago, the area in what-is-now Banten is ruled by the Sundanese Tarumanagara kingdom.
context_section_description: The Pencak silat culture is a martial art rooted in the original culture of the Indonesian nation. It is alleged that pencak silat had spread to all corners of the archipelago since the 7th century. The development and spread of pencak silat historically began to be recorded when its spread was much influenced by the Ulama, along with the spread of Islam in the 15th century in the archipelago. At that time the martial arts had been taught together with religious studies at the pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) and also the surau-surau. The culture of prayer and martial arts is a close attachment in the spread of pencak silat. Silat then developed from just martial arts and folk dance, becoming part of the country's defense education to confront invaders. Besides that, pencak silat is part of spiritual practice.
  Banten whose name is very well known for its martial arts knowledge and its spread is inseparable from the teachings of Islam. No wonder many names from the moves and movements of the original Banten martial arts were taken from Arabic. Pencak silat Banten began to be known along with the establishment of the Sultanate of Banten which was founded in the 15th century with its first king Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin. The development of pencak silat at that time was inseparable from the use of martial arts as a tool for the mobilization of the royal soldiers as a provision for state defense dexterity taught by martial arts teachers who carried out various schools. Silat is also the basis of the defense tools of the kingdom and the general public of Banten in fighting colonialism against the invaders.
  At this time Banten is still known and widely recognized with its warriors and judges, as people who are proficient in martial arts.
  Debus is a martial art from Banten. This art was created in the 16th century, during the reign of Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin. Debus, an art that demonstrates extraordinary human abilities, immune from sharp weapons, immune from fire, drinking hard water, inserting objects into whole coconuts, frying eggs on the head and others.
  Debus in Arabic which means sharp weapon made of iron, has a pointed tip and is slightly round in shape. With this tool the debus players are injured, and usually cannot be penetrated even though the debus is hit repeatedly by others.
  The attraction of this immune attraction is another variation that is shown by debus. Among other things, piercing the stomach with a sharp object or spear, slicing the body with a machete until injured or without injury, eating embers, inserting a long needle into the tongue, skin, cheeks until translucent and not injured. Slicing the limbs until it is injured and bleeding but can be cured immediately, watering the body with hard water until the clothes are attached and destroyed, chewing glass / splinters, burning the body. And there are many more attractions that they do. Being denied by the debus art or expertise in debus is commonplace and many colleges teach it.
caption: Bantenese men during a debus performance
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