Mailbag: Question about Obscure Burmese Style

[Phrost]

Putting this in YMAS because, well, there's no other place for it. Try not to be weaboos.

Hi,

My name is [redacted] and I am after a bit of information on a pictular martial art that is called Arakan Martail Art it is apparently a burmese martail art. I have done internet searches and have spoken to a few other professors’ about this and they have never heard such a thing they keep saying that Bando is THE martail art of burma. the reason I am trying to find out if there is such a thing is beacuse there is a group on the gold coast (australia) claiming they are the only people in the world who can practice this art and its taught nowhere else etc and to me this just doesn’t seem rite.... so any information you have would be so helpful, or if you know of anyone who is a expert in this field could you please pass on their details as I’m very keen to get to the bottom of this.

Thank you for taking the time.

Regards

[redacted]

this is the information I have found out about Arakan but I can find anything on this "Martial Art" but this is from there website.

The history of ARAKAN dates back to ancient times and involves a complex web of differing races, religions and kingdoms. The ARAKAN region is located on the Western side of what is now known as Myanmar (Burma) and although it is separated from the rest of Burma by a vast mountain range, it has felt the consequences of sharing close proximity with Burma, Thailand, China, India and Bangladesh.

During its long (as far back as 2666 B.C.) history ARAKAN is reputed to have had in excess of 145 kings divided up into a number of dynasties including the Chandra dynasty and the Mrauk-U dynasty.

Throughout its long history as many as 8 capitals have been established with each capital hosting a succession of kings. ARAKAN was influenced by the Mongols, Burmese, British, Thai, Mons, Tibetans, Arabs, Moors, Turks, Pathans, Moghuls, Central Asians, Bengalees and many more. These peoples came to ARAKAN in the form of traders, invaders, pirates, captives, warriors and holy men and have had a significant role to play in the development of the ARAKAN people both culturally and racially. At one time the ARAKAN region became a significant trade port particularly by sea with hundreds and hundreds of ships mooring on her shores. This led to the region becoming synonymous with pirates and raiding and for hundreds of years those on the sea and in nearby lands would live in fear of the ARAKAN pirates.

Anyone have any ideas?

[Conde Koma]

There was a thread about it a while back:
ARAKAN in Brisbane, Australia - a MA from Burma. - No BS MMA and Martial Arts

I think the general consensus was that it was Bullshido(R) and not the ancient death art it passes itself off as.

[babo78]

No idea. Best bet I think is to find BS members who has ethnic Burmese martial art instructors and ask them through the members. I met at least one member who does have Burmese instructor (JP).

Also my ex-gf is from Burma and she has never heard of Arakan. She still goes back to visit every other year.

However considering how messed up political and social situation is in Burma. Any legit thing would be very difficult to research, verify, and lineage or what not. Especially when you include the fact that current military regime is very repressive to any minority.

Edit: Arakanese are about 4-5% of Burmese population so what are the chances that ethnic group that makes up only 4-5% of entire population that are heavily repressed and poor are able to get out of the country and make it across to say China or Vietnam or Cambodia and then able to make it across ocean to Australia... Did I mention that neighboring countries are communists and they send back Burmese people if captured. The ones that across the border for work are turned blind-eye to because they perform very menial labor for dirt cheap or do prostitution or got sold as slave/prostitute.

Lastly when I asked my ex about how are there community of Burmese folks in NYC this is what she said...

They either left long time ago before regime or they are rich and connected to military. No exceptions.

Take it for what it is. Any Burmese living abroad is rare and minority ethnicity that make up 4-5% of Burma making it across to live in modern world that has legitimate martial art training? Very unlikely.

[kwan_dao]

Even without deeper inspection, there is one thing that strikes me as highly suspicious:

AFAIK "Arakan" is a foreign term for an ethnic burmese minority who call themselves Rakhaingthas. The name they use for their country is Rakhaingpray.

There is a lot of speculation about where the term Arakan came from, but ultimately it was "stuck on" by the portugese and british. The latter owned the country as a colony for quite some time.

Why would the Rakhaingthas use a name for their traditional art, that is most likely an english-bastardized portugese misspelling of their countries name? A term invented and used by occupants?

Their mythical "golden age" was during the Dhanyawadi (Dannavati) and (successing) Waithali (Vesali) kingdoms/dynasties. Their ultimate decline happened somewhen around seventeenhundred and something, by which time the country was (according to Rakhaingtha history) already more then 3000 years old. Internal conflict had made them an easy target for invasion.

One would think the naming of their traditional martial art might refer to the golden times of old. Or at least to their own culture, not to the portugese and brits.

Arakan makes just as much sense as me promoting ancient german martial arts like hun-fu or kraut-jitsu...

[dougguod]

Has any "ancient" art brought to Bullshido's attention ever been deemed legitimate? Off the top of my head, I recall hikuta, rumi maki, stav, and this arakan being quickly and thoroughly debunked. I'm sure there are more I've forgotten. Muay boran, which seems to have as many believers as nay-sayers may be in the purgatory of "undetermined", at best. So are there any verifiable styles that date to antiquity or should we just assume, at this point, that either they A) died out centuries ago or B) were not organized "systems" in the sense that we know them today and therefore couldn't be passed down in a coherent form?

[dougguod]

Why would the Rakhaingthas use a name for their traditional art, that is most likely an english-bastardized portugese misspelling of their countries name? A term invented and used by occupants?

Arakan makes just as much sense as me promoting ancient german martial arts like hun-fu or kraut-jitsu...

Not that I believe the advertised arakan history, but a hypothetical explanation could be that the Rakhaingthas ,having a sense of irony, chose the name in order to throw it back in their oppressors' faces. Sort of like what you see here in America with a lot of downtrodden populations, e.g., blacks that embrace " the N word"(which gets edited to particular individual when I try to submit this post. Cheeky.), gays who identify as "queer", women proclaiming themselves to be "bitches", etc. Are there historical examples of similar things or is it a recent and/or strictly American phenomenon?

Hmm, I seem to be asking a lot of only tangentially relevant history questions in this thread.

[rigger]

saw a car parked near work with www.arakan.com.au plastered over it..when i got up into the crane got the bino's out ..weedy looking guy came out bout half hour later and drove off