Nuba fighting refers to traditional sports of the

Nuba peoples The Nuba people are indigenous inhabitants of central Sudan. Nuba are various indigenous ethnic groups who inhabit the Nuba Mountains of South Kordofan state in Sudan, encompassing multiple distinct people that speak different languages which ...

in the

Nuba Mountains The Nuba Mountains ( ar, جبال النوبة), also referred to as the Nuba Hills, is an area located in South Kordofan, Sudan. The area is home to a group of indigenous ethnic groups known collectively as the Nuba peoples. In the Middle Ages ...

of South Kordofan state, in southern

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

. It involves both

stick fighting Stick-fighting, stickfighting, or stick fighting is a variety of martial arts which use simple long, slender, blunt, hand-held, generally wooden "sticks" for fighting, such as a gun staff, bō, jō, walking stick, baston, arnis sticks or similar ...

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat s ...

Techniques

The goal of Nuba wrestling is to slam the opponent to the ground. Wrestling is relatively recreational, and serious injuries are rare. Nuba wrestling has no pinning and no submissions. Although there are strikes, these are essentially part of the grappling; in other words, this is not a boxing system, as is, for example,

Hausa Hausa may refer to: * Hausa people, an ethnic group of West Africa * Hausa language, spoken in West Africa * Hausa Kingdoms, a historical collection of Hausa city-states * Hausa (horse) or Dongola horse, an African breed of riding horse See also ...

dambe Dambe is a martial art of the Hausa people from Nigeria. Competitors in a typical match aim to subdue each other into total submission mostly within three rounds. It often results in serious bodily injury. Boxers are called by the Hausa word "da� ...

. Therefore, Nuba wrestling is best viewed as a system of standing grappling, historically practiced naked, but in towns today practiced in T-shirts and shorts. Nuba stick fighting essentially mimics the movements of fighting with spear and shield. Little armor is worn, so injuries can be severe.

Training

Training for both wrestling and stick fighting includes practicing under the supervision of former champions, performing athletic dances, learning traditional songs, and drinking much milk, while avoiding promiscuity and beer. (Which is prohibited by Islamic Sudanese law.)

Tournaments

In rural areas, Nuba wrestling tournaments are associated with planting and harvest festivals. The purpose of the wrestling at these festivals is to build group identity and display the prowess of the group's young men. (At Nuba wrestling matches, youths represent their villages, rather than themselves.) Nuba stick fighting tournaments usually take place after harvest. This is partly, because this is the traditional war season, and partly to give thanks for a good harvest. Because stick fighting is dangerous, participants pray before bouts, and

amulets An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word amuletum, which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protect ...

may be worn for protection. If a participant is seriously injured, then he or his family are supposed to be compensated by the other village, usually in the form of a cow or similar valuable commodity. During wrestling and stick fighting tournaments, feasts, music, dance, and storytelling about former champions are integral to the practice. Although stick fighting tournaments are not usually seen in modern cities (police take a dim view of crowds of armed young men roaming the streets), wrestling tournaments are often attended by people living in those same cities to help them retain their sense of cultural identity.

References

Text sources

* Luz, Oskar and Horst. (1966). "Proud Primitives, the Nuba People," ''National Geographic 130:5, pp. 673–699. * Riefenstahl, Leni. (1973). ''The Last of the Nuba''. New York: Harper and Row. * Rodger, George. (1955). ''Le Village des Nouba''. Paris: Delphire. * Sweeney, C. (1969). ''Jebels by Moonlight''. London: Chatto & Windus.

Film

* ''Nuba Wrestling'' by Rolf Husmann (1991)

External links

Nubasurvival.com

Nuba_wrestling_north_khartoum

{{folk wrestling Nuba peoples Folk wrestling styles Sport in Sudan African martial arts