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Shaolin Monk vs Maori Warrior

May 19, 2009 | Author: Matthew | Filed under: Martial Arts, Opinion, Recent Events, TV Shows

After an extended visit to gunville, we are getting back into warriors of antiquity (and I couldn’t be happier about it!)

In this week’s episode the Shaolin Monk faces off against the Maori Warrior in an intriguing clash. Where matchups like ninja vs spartan and gladiator vs apache could be easily fit into the ’strong vs fast’ box, I don’t believe this match is so readily defined.

A Bit About Maori

The Maori are a native tribe of New Zealand who’s ancestors likely came from the islands of Hawaii. Living alone on the isolated New Zealand islands for thousands of years, the Maori developed a unique and complex culture.

It is said that 12 tribes originally made the journey from Hawaii, and over time, split from each other and spread across New Zealand. In order to keep growing (and keep diversity in their gene pools), they would conquer one another and integrate the women from other tribes into their own. Because of this warring nature, the Maori had to develop sophisticated fighting methods.

Here is a look at a Maori warrior in action (it’s just a lighthearted demo, but still worth seeing):

The Maori method of fighting is surprisingly chinese in nature. They utilize meridian theories and exercise through partner training, kata-like drills, and harsh tests of spirit. Much like other elite warrior castes, only the hardiest and most courageous Maori became true warriors.

One interesting note about the Maori is that they would often eat their fallen opponents. They did this both as a sign of victory and as a form of sustenance on an island that had little in the way of meat.

A Bit About Shaolin

The Shaolin Monks are easily among the most recognizable warriors of all time. In their trademark orange garb they fly around performing remarkable feats.

The Shaolin get their name from the trademark Shaolin Temple where their particular brand of Kung Fu was born. As legend goes, the monk Bodhidharma came from India on an historic pilgrimage when he came across a band of sickly monks praying at the Shaolin Temple. In order to improve their abilities to focus during medititation and perform their day-to-day duties, Bodhidharma taught them body hardening and fighting techniques.

Although this mythology has had many holes poked in it, it is the generally accepted story for the beginning of Shaolin.

Now a look at what the monks do:

Shaolin training is famously stark as practitioners are forced to devote their entire being into training. Eating very little and living in spartan conditions, the monks train and perform every day.

The monks have experienced a significant change in the past few decades. Going from religious body to entertainment troupe, the Shaolin lifestyle and goal has become less and less about fighting and more about entertainment.

The Weapons of Maori and Shaolin

If there is one thing the Shaolin have, it is a plethora of weapons. Amongst the most commonly used are the broadsword, straight staff, convenience spade, and whip chain. (see some pictures here).

The Maori, on the other hand, utilize very few weapons. Their focus is on spear (taiaha) or straight staff and club (mere, wahaika, kotiaiti). Maori rarely threw their weapons but could use the spear as a javelin. (see some pictures here).

MATCHUP DECISION

If this were modern times, the decision would actually be easy. Shaolin monks have lost most of their devastating combat ability in exchange for glamorous technique and showmanship. The Maori, on the other hand, are still a select group and their training has maintained a lot of its simplicity and effectiveness.

Unfortunately, I have to assume that this match will take place during both of these groups golden eras. That being the case, the Shaolin will have a sophisticated array of fighting concepts and weapons.

The Maori warrior is likely to be stronger. I also like the simplistic approach they take to fighting. The Shaolin is likely to be quicker and more dynamic when it comes to weapons. Because this show tends to be mostly a matchup of weaponry, I think I have to ultimately decide in favor of the Shaolin Monk. In real life, I would probably go the other way.

What do you think?

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 19th, 2009 and is filed under Martial Arts, Opinion, Recent Events, TV Shows. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

xygoxen
  • eagle
    I think the Shaolin Monk would win hands down. Kung fu is a weapon of mass destruction. it is not just a matter of fighting but a trained reaction to disarm and remove the potential attack in a split second in more than 50 million different ways. It is not just a punch or a hit with a stick but a mental climax of what is possible with limitless power and achievement of the human mind and body. In my opinion it would be better to match against a thai kickboxer who has a similar perfected art of the state of mind and perfection of reactions and movements in combat. One who is enlightened with such a deep focus in such an art has no fear and no opponent is an obstacle in achieving peace.
  • Hannam
    In a battle in WW2, out of bullets, a Maori soldier stood firm.as he was charged by a German soldier with a "fixed" bayonet. the Maori, armed only with a green stone Mere" (or sharp edged club) in hand,swung, and took the top of the German's head clean off. Or neck from his body. Can't recall exactly, so Check this story if you ever come to New Zealand and visit the Army War Memorial Museum in Turangi.Ask about it.It's written up by a WW2 display there.
  • Hannam
    There's a difference. Shaolin then were tough fought off bandits etc.These days they are all acrobatics and showmanship.The Maori has become fat,lazy,and drunk and drug users.Maori that train as warriors, will be warlike, ready to do battle. We have warriors (gangs) on the Battlefields, (our streets and towns) protecting our front. They can and would fight, but not the true ancient warrior way. There are others, 'radicals' who would fight in the old style, to protect our lands from greedy developers,it's in their blood. These are those who grew up in the deeper regions of New Zealand. Aue aue aue!!
  • Hannam
    I wish I could find a 'Mauri Toa' that would train me.I'd be the Bruce Lee of Toa! Hee hee!
  • Hannam
    Maori would win. Tough,fierce, and putting fear into the very heart of an opponent.
    The yelling,facial expressions,and noise of breast/chest slapping would spoil any opponents focus. In WW2,the Maori battalion performed a 'Haka' or war dance, slapping chests, poking tongues, yelling,stomping,in front of a heavily armed German force. Upon seeing the Maori, they thought they were devils and ran for there lives!
    Maori warriors of old were trained to beat 3 men, and kill mercilessly.They had to, in order to protect the tribe.This was their whole training purpose.
  • Arloparlo
    both videos are very different, i think judging by these videos the monk would win, but if you saw how ruthless a traditional maori warrior reall was i think the maori warrior would win
  • Andrew
    Have none of you seen the Shaolin Monk in action? The Moari are extremely powerful warriors, but can do nothing against the speed of the Monk. Even the most distinguished Martial Arts fighters in the world are unable to even touch the Monks. It doesn't matter how strong the fighter or the weapons are when they are unable to ever make contact with the Monk.
  • wellington_madness
    Kia Ora awesome korero (stories) I am a wahine (Moari woman) who teaches taiaha.. I love what it has done in all aspects of my life.. I have fought against 3 masters at once, 2 on me and 1 on 1; and one thing I learnt from my fights was.. the most passionate one usually wins! background fighting skills only counts toward some of the full package.. afterall even a beginner can get off a lucky shoot! men are very vanerable so I always show that I am prepared to hit IT! its all in the mind. practice allows you to learn your counteractive moves. If your one the defence of cause.. good site.. interesting thought.. make a movie I say! Lee Jaah is the man!
  • Lance Wilson
    yes i support what hakaboi and maoriboi say in there detail. all my life i have learnt mau rakau since i was 7 yrs old.I have been teaching mau rakau for nearly 25 yrs all over in New Zealand, Hawaiki,England,Canada,Rarotonga,Japan.we also have sparring with no armour on,no pad on our sticks.just a stick to hold .also we have 1 on 1,2 on 1,3 on 1,on 4 on 1 sparring similer to street fighting what we call (whaiwhai a Tu).who the winner? well to me shaolin vs maori are both winner. kia ora
  • maoriboi
    Yes what hakaboi says is correct every detail.
    We (maori) both male and female (depending on your tribe) were all trained in warfare, tactics, co ordination, weaponary and the like pre 1900's.
    Training (which is not as much practiced today) back pre 1900's was mainly a way of life rather than a training ritual/schedule. It mainly consisted of hunting, farming, building, dances, certain "games" or what we would call today co ordination and mind techniques with certain objects/timing and ultimatly fighting both close and distant fighting, and also single handed weapons such as the club or "patu/mere", double handed and also such as the spear or "taiaha" and even both males and females practiced the poi (ball on end of string) to help with not only eye hand co ordination but also flexibility of upper body.
    I had previously practiced, trained and performed kapa haka (maori performances) since I was 3 up until i left New Zealand at 18, one thing we were taught to condition ourselves were to sit in a position as if we were going but standing for anywhere from 3-5 hours straight each day for a week when we had wananga/live in/kapa haka training, we got whacked (pretty hard too) from a rakau (stick) sometimes for conditioning of our bodies to make them "harder", but than my grandfather wasn't a soft man lol
    sorry for the long post btw didn't realise but I'm getting carried away so that is enough from me for now.
    however Maori warrior vs Shaolin monk? It is very hard to say, if we were talking 200 yrs ago it would still be a close match, today? there aren't many of us who know mau rakau or keep the old traditions however the ones who do would probably match those of our ancestors, but overall my heart says Maori, my head says Shaolin either way.
  • hakaboi
    Similarly Maori also relied on their speed with their weapons and their athletesism. In the early part of the 1900's a famous Maori chief visited Japan and met and befriended the then emperor. Although he or the emperor did not fight an exhibition was held between one of the chiefs group and one of the emperors men. It was generally agreed that both styles were considered equal.
    In terms of the ancient Maori training, these were conducted in highly specialised schools called waananga. Each waananga were presided over by lead tutors called tohunga. Each candidate were tested accordingly. To make it as a taua you had to excell at hand eye coordination, speed, strength, tactics. You also were required to utilise your mind and like in a game of chess you had to stay three or four steps ahead of your opponent.
    lastly, the ancient Maori were in fact rather tall, lithe people, (not like many today) as Captain Cook once said he had walked amongst a race of giants.
  • very neat hakaboi, I wasn't familiar with that terminology.
  • Da5thProject
    Monks win other then steel weapons, hours of training, and speed... they have another weapon people don't realize. Muscle Memory, from the hours of training their bodies react so that they do not have to think. Your mind is your biggest enemy if you take too long to think about your next move it'll be your last
  • NewEnglandPacificIslander
    Your blog suggests that the Maori came to New Zealand from Hawaii. Although Maori oral tradition states their place of origin as Hawaiki, the name Hawaiki is not analogous to Hawaii but is a mythical place in Maori lore. The following excerpt from Wikipedia suggests the orotin of the Maori and other Polynesian peoples:

    "...DNA, linguistic and archaeological evidence indicates that the Austronesian-speaking peoples (including the Polynesians) probably originated from islands in eastern Asia, possibly from Taiwan,[2][3] and moved southwards and eastwards through the South Pacific Ocean. The common ancestry of all the Austronesian languages of which the Polynesian languages form a major subgroup, supports this theory. This evidence indicates that at least some of the migration occurred against the prevailing winds, and hence deliberately rather than just accidentally. Austronesian and Polynesian navigators may have deduced the existence of uninhabited islands by observing migratory patterns of birds."

    I see the computer has the Shaolin monk as winning more encounters against the Maori, but I still feel that the Maori weapons, which are more destructive, gives him the edge, along with his cunning.
  • Thanks for your input! This is good info.

    The shaolin won more from the advanced metallurgy of their weapons. Even still, I found the Maori to be very impressive.
  • Satchi
    Hard to say I think. Cool tho, thanks for sharing. I've never heard about the "martial arts" side of the Maoris. I'm moving to NZ in a couple years or so.. so this is something to look forward to. I'd love to see the Maoris training.
  • jesse wible
    I think that the maori warrior would bet the shali9n monks sencelct.
  • Oh wow. I actually would have picked the Maori warrior as well...

    Too late for me to vote though.
  • Yeah I was figuring the Monk would lose too based on how they kept picking the Maori's weapons. Thing is a slower club that can smash a skull could be outdone by a lighter and faster weapon.
  • hulkster
    well, the club is probably about the same weight as a hook sword, really, it's just that the sword is more flexible in it's uses, whereas the club was a one trick pony.

    i think it's interesting that maori shields were not tested. then again, it's not surprising as this show treats defense (probably the most important aspect of ye olde combat) as something of an afterthought.
  • I was actually surprised when the shaolin won. From the tests it seemed to be swinging the maori's way.

    I'm glad the maori showed so well though - from my research for this post I am pretty impressed with how they train and their methodology.
  • hulkster
    keep in mind, too, that the shaolin won because of the hook sword and actually had fewer kills than the maori with the rest of their weapons.

    the hook sword somehow had more kills than the thompson SMG from previous episodes.

    how, exactly, that would work, we may never know
  • hey chris - check out this interview. It really helped me understand the maori - http://www.fighttimes.com/magazine/magazine.asp?article=1149
  • Would be interested to know how the maori train! Could you give a quick synopsis..? Or post even re. Maori warriors?

    :-)
  • I predicted on my cry for help (aka blog) that the Shaolin would win. More like I wished they would and they did. If you listen carefully it sounds like their "computer program?" does account for things like speed, training, agility, and size.

    Still I'd love to have more information.
  • yea they should do a 15 minute spot on how the program works.
  • Tough call. We have to ask - are we talking a Shaolin monk from 200 years ago, when they were training to protect themselves from bandits and planning the eventual overthrow of the Manchus? Or are we talking those modern wu shu performers?

    As far as the Maori, I do like the body conditioning they include in their training.
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