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		Pentjak Silat Serak^®

	International Headquarters of VDT ACADEMY©

THE AGE OF SILAT SERAK ©

By Maha Guru “Pak Vic�? de Thouars

Copyrights 1957 – 1960 - 1980- 1999- 2003

In compiling this material, much of the research material has been accumulated from genealogy records. Through careful consideration as to the authenticity of such material, this material has been brought forward for the purpose of culture and actual events are kept to facts. From the beginning, with intensive historical Indonesian research work, and with the expansion of the system Silat Tongkat I founded, these writings are with humble thoughts and great appreciation to my friends and students, and those who have contributed to my heart and keen insight of my historical Indonesian ancestors

Adat and Hormat (Honor and Respect) are a hard act to follow, and personal feelings are pushed aside if the art is to continue in a correct fashion. To have a path and guide others that seeks the truth, and teaches the original system of Sera. Not to cloud teachings with personal misgivings, or to Transcend beyond the traditional teachings of the founder. The goal is to teach the original system as it was, so others can learn and historical data shared for decades to come, with no walls of close door system technology “only for the chosen few�?. The International VDT Academy Headquarters or Pusat is still honoring the ones that have taught me in my early youth and intermediate years. To my first Silat teacher Pak Tisari Mardjoeki and to my Uncle John de Vries, who gave me much understanding of Pukulan Pentjak Silat Serak in late fall of 1954. My Uncle Ernest or Ventje who resided in the Netherlands, whom I had many conversations with on "Who did What with Silat Sera" on the phone before his passing in 1982.

My graceful memory of my parents, Henry Alexandre de Thouars who was the patriarch of the family, and our mother Susanna de Thouars, who urged and guided her sons to the right places and learn the arts. My brother Willem de Thouars who I grew up with in the sugar plantation Pradjekan on East Java, and the many of boyhood pranks we pulled of. Besides he still owes me many stories for the cookies I gave him. (In growing up we did not have television or massive entertainment that we now have.) To an older brother Maurice de Thouars my brother, who shared his insight to Silat Serak and shared his take on the system. To another older brother Paul de Thouars, from my early years in Bandung I learned what brothers really can be, and his departure to New Guinea for his adventures. With his joining the family again in June of 1956 in Amsterdam, also his formal learning of the system from his teacher Uncle John de Vries. He also was sharing his brand of martial arts for the next three decades with myself and others. Certainly I appreciate him as an older brother then and spending our time together in learning about our new home in the US. In August of 1994 we went our separate ways in our respective Martial Arts Academies.

If there ever was a time or place to have this biography published, it would be here and now. In essence a part out of time, a part of starting of a race, and then melting in the great smelting pot of an already made great nation. These writings are to be informative about Indonesian History and Pukulan Pentjak Silat Serak coming to the United States.

INDONESIAN HISTORY AND THE ART OF PUKULAN PENTJAK SILAT SERAK®

The 2nd Century, in the beginning and the years that followed in Southeast Asia. Extremely sophisticated civilizations came into their own with their literature, architecture and many political phases. All patterned after Indian culture that passed through the lives of the people in that time period. These Kingdoms built many great monuments they created, that are evident today: Borobudur, Pagan, Angkor and the main “Shiva Temple of Prambanan�? erected by Rakai Pikatan in the 9th Century.

As we travel into time and discover the early Indonesian Kingdoms of that period, that were heavily influenced by Indian culture is not to clear. Some inscriptions are found on stone tablets that have references to these facts from the Ancient Chinese, Indian as well as Classical inscriptions.

Java was mentioned in the Ramayana script as “Yawadwipa�? and also in Almagest of Ptoemy as Yabadiou. First references to Indonesian rulers are found in written Chinese sources and Sanskrit stone inscriptions from the late 4th and early 5th Century.

In those early years the stone inscriptions that were written in South-Indian Pallawa script, the rulers of that time period distributed the Pallawa script in two different regions of all of the Indonesian Islands. Kutei controlled the region of the eastern coast of Kalimantan and Tarumanegara the other region that was near Bogor. The power of the kingdoms of the Hinduized states depended greatly to control the maritime trade. Tarumanegara in West Java controlled the trade for well over two Centuries. At the end of the 7th Century the Buddhist Kingdom bases at Palembang took over the Vital Malacca and Sunda Straits. This Kingdom was the Kingdom of Srivijaya, and for the next 600 years the sea trade was theirs. While Kingdoms rose in the region, Pentjak Silat was very prevalent in those years. Especially with the Royal Guards.

Srivijaya was a maritime (thalassic) Kingdom, and for a certainty did not rely on agriculture. Srivijaya itself was not even mentioned or identified by scholars until 1918. Very sadly only four stone inscriptions in old Malay, several in Sanskrit, and some bronze Icons are all that remain of one of the most powerful maritime empires in history. Certainly, it is understandable that Srivijaya did not leave any monument because of its inherent path of maritime rule and power. After Srivijaya, many small kingdoms rose and fell.

“So for a certainty it is my feeling that Silat Serak will go into oblivion, in many ways like Srivijaya, and become some obscure art if it is not taught more, out in the open as it was intended to be.�?

The mighty dynasty of Mojopahit. In the years of 1298 Queen Thribuana appointed the brilliant Prime Minister Patih Gadjah Mada to guide the Kingdom. It is then truly that during this time period that the Majapahit came into its own. Majapahit or the older spelling Mojopahit, the meaning means “Bitter fruits�?. For a certainty war to unify was one of the methods used. “Unify or find death, that was why the name “Mojopahit�?. With great pain the nation was unified, and the entire Indonesian archipelago was under one rule.

Most of the knowledge about Majapahit can be found from stone inscriptions found among the hundreds of temple ruins on West Java and Mid Java. The known Indonesian poet Prapanaca wrote a poem “Negarakertagama�? after Gadja Mada’s death. Interesting information, that after Gadjah, it took four men to guide the Kingdom. Not long after Hyam Waruk’s death the dynasty fell apart. The Islamic State of Demak conquered Kediri and Majapahit. The entire Hindu Javanese aristocracy fled Java and settled on the Island of Bali.

The Gift and Inheritance of an Art; “Pentjak (Pentjak) Silat Sera-Serak�?

From my early years after WWII, and traveling from Java to the then known country of Siam (Thailand) to meet my father. Actually the whole family was there, with the exception of our oldest brother Henry. He was still serving the military, and every effort were made to unite him with the rest of the family. But sadly that never happened, and he succumbed to an unfortunate accident.

In the short years in Siam, our Uncle was there, Ventje de Vries. Naturally my older brothers trained with him. The years to follow in Bandung were for a time we lived in Kemoening Laan. There Maurice and Paul had already the adventure spirit and soon left for New Guinea.

Not too long after that, we moved to the East Coast and lived on the Sugar Plantage of Pradjekan. It is there were I grew up with my brother Willem, where he was a brother to me in the early years, for Paul and Maurice were still in New Guinea. During the time period of March of 1947 till June of 1954 we resided in Pradjekan, and saw many of Madurian Silat blade fighters show their skills. On many of occasions the hot-tempered Madurians would cross blades with each other. Especially during festival times, when water buffalo races were held, and the whip tournaments. Many an argument would result from the so-called unjust judging, and blade encounters were common. Although I noticed that in the early year of 1953, the tone of the festivals was really kept under control to avoid “Close Encounters of the Steel Blades�?.

Pretty neat really, the participant with the least whip marks on their body had the right to climb a grease pole. The winner would receive either cloth or clothing or a sack of twenty-five kilo of rice. It was great to see the many arts from the villagers, and on many of occasions Sudanese people would come to the East, bringing their arts from West Java with them.

It was good to see arts like Tjamande and Sera displayed by the various travelers that possessed the West Java arts. As a young boy and growing up I absorbed many of the Idealistic systems that I had seen during the time period I lived on Pradjekan, but really began my Serak insight in the summer of 1954 in our visits to my Uncle John de Vries. Finally in the summer of 1956, I came along with Paul to our Uncle John where I participated in learning the Jurus and Idea’s of Silat Serak. It was a great joy to see Paul and Ernst Termeulen practice with our Uncle. For a certainty seeing Paul and Ernst being thrown by my Uncle John from One end of the Kendang (workout place) to the other end.

When we moved to the Village of Wormer (Holland), and lived on Fortuin Straat No.9, Paul completed my training in Silat Sera-Serak. The years I enjoyed training with my brother Paul. As the years went by, and our family decided to travel to the United States

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