Martial Arts Of The World - Webs

Thirteenth century Tahitian priests introduce the Huna religion into
Hawaii. The martial art associated with this religion was known as Lua, a
word meaning “to pit [in battle]” or “two” (i.e., duality; the idea was to
balance healing and hurting, good and evil). The methods developed from
both military hand-to-hand combat and the ritual killings that were part of
the Huna religion, and its practitioners were divided into those who used
their skills to heal and those who used their skills to harm. Skill in Lua involved
setting or dislocating bones at the joints, inflicting or stopping pain
using finger strikes to nerve centers, and knowing how to use herbal medicines
and sympathetic magic. Working-class Hawaiians, both men and
women, also boxed and wrestled. There were no set rules in these latter
games, which were known collectively as mokomoko. Accordingly, players
slapped palms upon agreeing to terms or to signify a draw.
1207 King Pedro II of Aragon sponsors the first European tournament
known to have honored a woman (his mistress, of course, as Iberian nobles
married for land and children rather than love). The construction of prepared
stands soon followed, as the lady and her servants could not be expected
to stand in the mud like ordinary people.
1228 A woman challenges a man to a judicial duel at the lists in Bern,
Switzerland, and wins. Such challenges were not uncommon in Germany
and Switzerland during the thirteenth century, particularly during rape
cases. To even the odds, such judicial duels were arranged by placing the
man in a pit dug as deep as his navel while allowing the woman free movement
around that pit. The usual weapons included leather belts, singlesticks,
and fist-sized rocks wrapped in cloth. During these duels, if a participant’s
weapon or hand touched the ground three times, he or she was declared defeated.
Male losers were beheaded, while female losers lost their right hands.
1280 The Venetian merchant Marco Polo describes a Mongol princess
named Ai-yaruk, or “Bright Moon,” who refused to get married until she
met a man who could throw her. The story may be exaggerated, as it was
not written until around 1295, and the writer, Rustichello of Pisa, was never
one to let facts stand in the way of a good story. Nevertheless, it is likely that
during his travels Polo really did see some Mongol women wrestling.
1292 Northern Italian towns start holding pugil-stick fights, bareknuckle
boxing matches, and cudgeling tournaments. Legend attributes the
creation to the Sienese monk Saint Bernard, who taught that fists were better
than swords or sticks for deciding arguments, but illustrations show
slapping games in which players sat cross-legged on benches, and then took
turns slapping one another until somebody fell off the bench. Another
game involved slapping buttocks; this was often played between men and
women. Mock equestrian battles were also fought in which a girl sat on a
boy’s shoulders, and one pair then undertook to knock over another.
Women in the Martial Arts 669