Silat Bawean

Silat Bawean or 'Pokolan' as it is called by its practitioners originates from the island of Bawean, Indonesia located in the Java Sea, off the coast of Java.The martial art which utilizes the sword as part of its play, is part of indigenous Indonesian culture. It has stemmed out to Malaysia and Singapore, where many of its earlier ancestors have settled since the turn of the 20th century. Today, like many other forms of martial art in its region, Pokolan has become a spectacle and public performances at weddings and formal exhibitions. Like many other Bawean cultural heritage that has seen a decline, there are not many swordsman in Bawean left to preserve this once renown Bawean tradition. There were hundreds of Bawean swordsman just a few decades ago. Today, there are about 48 Swordsman left on the island - one of whom had shed the light to the origins of the art form in High Definition Video.