Musangwe (Venda Bare-Knuckle Fighting)
Traditional Venda fist fight in South Africa's Limpopo province, held every year at Christmas near the village of Tshifudi. The winner traditionally receives neither money nor a prize.
Quick Facts
South AfricaCharacter & Origin
Training
Organisation & Competition
What the style is built from
Editorial rating on a 0–3 scale, based on how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
About Musangwe (Venda Bare-Knuckle Fighting)
Musangwe is a traditional Venda fist fight in the north of South Africa's Limpopo province. According to a 2013 article by Ndwakhulu Tshishonga, it is held every year between 16 December and 1 January, most often near the village of Tshifudi, about 20 km from Thohoyandou, at a cattle dip. Fighting is with bare hands, without gloves or protection. According to Tshishonga, a fight continues until blood flows, someone is knocked out or one of the fighters raises a hand to signal surrender. According to Tshishonga, winners traditionally receive no prizes and fight for personal pride and the honour of their village. According to Tshilidzi Ndevana, chairman of the Musangwe Association, fighters are divided into six age categories, from nine years old to legends aged 45 and over. Sources give the origin differently: Tshishonga places it at the end of the 19th century, the Anadolu agency in 1829 and Ndevana in the 18th century. Women may not take part in the fights and, according to a Venda taboo, may not even approach the place.
History
According to a 2013 article by Ndwakhulu Tshishonga in the journal Alternation, the history of musangwe is said to have begun at the end of the 19th century, and villages such as Gaba, Tshifudi, Tshaulu and Halambani have always belonged to it. Tshishonga also writes that fighting in the Gaba and Tshifudi valleys has gone on for centuries and that it was originally to train men for warfare and select the bravest, who were to fight for the tribe. According to him, musangwe literally means a men's game at the cattle dip, which began when people watched bulls fighting.
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In 2017 the Anadolu agency reported that the tradition supposedly goes back to 1829 and that, according to the fighters, it began with young herders who urged their bulls to fight, which spurred on the boys too. The regional paper Zoutpansberger wrote in 2008 that fist fights, locally called musangwe and shibakela, have been popular among the Venda and Tsonga since at least the 19th century. According to Tshishonga, Tshilidzi Ndevana, chairman of the Musangwe Association, says that fist fighting has been part of their life since the 18th century, and that his grandfather fought here in 1939, then his father, and he himself began in the nineteen seventies. According to Tshishonga, tradition has it that only one fighter died, in 1929, and his spirit is summoned at the start of every tournament to protect the participants.
How it differs
The English Wikipedia states that winners usually received rewards decided by the chief (Khosi) or village headman (Vhamusanda), and that a challenged man had to accept the challenge or face fines or corporal punishment from the elders. Tshishonga and the Anadolu agency, on the other hand, write that the winner receives nothing. A commercial tournament differs from the traditional form: according to the newspaper Sowetan, JTK Productions was preparing one in 2009 at the University of Venda stadium. The winner was to receive 25 000 rand. In 2016, according to News24, the Venda king Toni Mphephu Ramabulana awarded a trophy to the best fighter at the heritage weekend.
Technique
Fighting is with bare fists. According to the Anadolu agency, fighters have no protection apart from ordinary clothing. Tshishonga writes that musangwe has no strict rules, anything goes and fighters may strike the opponent with the head or knee. According to the Anadolu agency, on the other hand, elders watch for offences such as biting or kicking. We found no named techniques in the sources.
Ranks and progression
According to Ndevana, cited by Tshishonga, there are six categories of fighters: Vho-Mammbide (9 to 13 years), Roverside (14 to 17), Pre-Ngwenya (18 to 25), Ngwenya (26 to 35), Mature Ngwenya (36 to 45) and Legends (45 and over). According to Tshishonga, the champion (ngwena) earns respect and villagers hold him up as a leader of the community and defender of the village. Older men serve as coaches and advisers. In 2017 the Anadolu agency reported that boys as young as twelve are encouraged to take part.
Competition
According to Tshishonga, a fighter who wants to fight runs into the middle of the circle, stretches out his arm and points his fist at possible opponents. Whoever wants to answers by pointing his fist, the others ignore the challenge or raise their hands to signal surrender. Citing Wende, Tshishonga gives three rules, and the fight lasts until blood flows, someone is knocked out or a fighter raises his hand in surrender. According to the Anadolu agency, the fights have no time limit and end only when one fighter admits defeat. One fight in 1998 reportedly lasted five days, with the opponents facing each other two hours a day. According to Anadolu, there are no medics at the fights, only village elders. Betting on the result is forbidden and the winner takes home only the pride of representing the village or family. According to News24, the fight must end in the ring and opponents may not take the dispute elsewhere.
Today
According to Tshishonga, musangwe is held every year, daily between 16 December and 1 January, most often near the village of Tshifudi about 20 km from Thohoyandou. The daily Sowetan wrote in 2012 that the festival began on 14 December and continued daily to the end of the month. According to Tshishonga, the chairman of musangwe prepares the site with amulets and herbs from a traditional healer to announce the start of the tournament to the ancestors. According to Tshishonga, women may not take part, and under a Venda taboo they may not even approach the fight site, while they wash bloodied clothes and treat and feed the participants. In 2016 Chief Livhuwani Matsila told News24 that women traditionally may not watch musangwe, except at events like the heritage weekend, by the king's decision. According to Tshishonga, critics point to the risk of HIV transmission through blood. In 2017 Anadolu reported that the event has no government support. In 2017 the paper Zoutpansberger wrote that musangwe is held yearly in Tshifudi over the holidays and that the chairman of musangwe in Vhembe is Poison Ndevana.
Did you know
According to Tshishonga, Ndevana says that some people consider musangwe barbaric, but it is their culture and for them it is like karate for the Japanese. In 2008, according to the paper Zoutpansberger, he claimed that fights stop as soon as someone starts bleeding, but the journalist added that this did not happen. In 2017 Ndevana told the same paper that doctors and nurses attend every fight, which contradicts the Anadolu report from the same year.
Frequently asked questions
Is any prize won in musangwe?
According to Ndwakhulu Tshishonga and the Anadolu agency, no. Fighters fight for personal pride and the honor of their village, and betting is forbidden. The exceptions are a commercial tournament with a cash prize announced for 2009 and a trophy awarded by the Venda king in 2016.
When is musangwe held?
According to Tshishonga, every year, every day between 16 December and 1 January, most often near the village of Tshifudi about 20 km from Thohoyandou.
When does a musangwe fight end?
According to Tshishonga, when blood flows, someone is knocked out or one of the fighters raises his hand to surrender. According to the Anadolu agency, the fights have no time limit.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.