Ethnic Sport, Its Concept and Research Perspectives Tsuneo Sogawa *

Sogawa, T. Paper : Cultural Anthropology Ethnic Sport, its Concept and Research Perspectives Tsuneo Sogawa * *Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University 2-579-15, Mikajima, Tokorozawa, Saitama 359-1192 Japan [email protected] [Received April 21, 2006 ; Accepted May 25, 2006] The present paper discusses a concept of "ethnic sport" and its research perspectives. Ethnic sport means the play and games which are practiced by a fi xed ethnic group or in a fi xed society, and relates more or less to the traditional culture, so contributes to identity building. Ethnic sport therefore looks to the ethnicity, and faces international sport such as the Olympics which looks to global standardization. However both were invented or discovered equally in the huge globalization current of the last two centuries. Ethnic sport has been studied from the different ethnological or cultural- anthropological theoretical models such as evolutionalism, diffusionalism, acculturation, structural-functionalism, symbolism and so on. Recently approaches from identity, tourism, ethnoscience body theory have attracted scholars. Keywords: ethnic sport, international sport, identity [International Journal of Sport and Health Science Vol.4, 96-102, 2006] The purpose of this study is to clarify the concept during the rice-growing season and serves as a prayer of ethnic sports and discuss the research perspectives to the Dragon, the god of water2) ; c) the swinging, that ethnic sport provides. an event held during the Tuan wu festival in Korea in which women compete to see how high they 1. The Concept of Ethnic Sport can swing on 10-meter-long swings. Competitions for this sport are held in North Korea and among Ethnic sport is a general concept for those sports Koreans in China3); d) the big tug of war in Okinawa, that are related more or less to the traditional culture Japan, performed annually from July to September. or contribute to the forging of a specifi c cultural The rice straw ropes used in this event, the Male identity of the people within specifi c countries, rope and Female rope, are each 30 meters long and societies, ethnic groups and areas who perform them. 1 meter in diameter with 3-meter-in-diameter loop Among ethnic sports are the following: a) at the end. The loop of the Male rope is inserted Buzkashi in Afganistan, in which two teams of men through the loop of the Female rope, and the two on horseback compete to bring a sheep that has had ropes are locked together by a log inserted through its head and four limbs cut off to a goal1); b) the the loop of Male rope. This competition takes dragon boat race, held at the Tuan wu festival in the place on New Year’s Day on the old calendar of river basin of southern China on the fi fth day of the Okinawa4) ; e) Ulama, a ball game played in Mexico fi fth month. Traditionally, elongated dugout boats 20 during the pre-Christian Olmeca era. In this game, meters long and 1 meter wide are used in the race; two teams of players use their hips to hit and pass however, recently the dugout boat has given way to a 5-kilogram, 20 centimeter-in-diameter ball made boats made from planks. In an attempt to evoke the from the sap of the rubber tree among one another. image of the ancient creature that this race honors, When Spain ruled the country, this ball game was the participants draw a dragon on the sides of their forbidden out of fear that it would awaken ethnic boats, with the carved head and tail stuck into the consciousness5); f) Holnussen, a ball game played in bow and stern. The Tuan wu festival is celebrated Switzerland. Players are separated into two teams. 1 Blanchard, K. and Cheska, A., pp.128-130. 2 Sogawa, T., Field work. 3 Sogawa, T., Field work. 4 Sogawa, T., Field work. 96 International Journal of Sport and Health Science Vol.4, 96-102, 2006 http://www.soc.nii.ac.jp/jspe3/index.htm Ethnic Sport A player on the offense hits a disc with a bat, and Winners are awarded a branch of the acacia tree, the players on the defense try to hit and stop the disc whose ash is thought to be a source of power. by throwing boards into the air. Points are awarded Wrestlers put the ash on their body before matches based on the distance that the disc fl ies before it and also hope to be buried with the ash when they is brought down6) ; g) Rarajipuami, a type of road die. Wrestling is loved throughout the world, and race performed by the Tarahumara people in the variations of it can be seen in ethnic sports around highlands of northern Mexico, 2000m above sea the globe: Schwingen in Switzerland, Ranggeln in level. Rarajipuami is an individual or team sport Austria, Glima in Iceland, Koshti in Iran, Karakucak in which players run 200km while kicking a ball. in Turkey, Palaima in Greece, Trinta in Romania, The 10cm-in-diameter ball is carved out of wood. Koureche in Qazaq, Goughty in Tajik, Kokh in Players hold the ball on the dorsum of the foot and Armenia, Penches in India, Gulat in Indonesia, Bukh kick it forward. In the team game, the player who in Mongolia, Sirum in Korea, Sumo in Japan, the catch up to their own ball have the right to kick it Inuit Pajartuit in Canada, Panmo and Uiteke in Brasil, next. Players are not allowed to use their hands and many others. These varieties of sumo have no matter where the ball comes to rest after a kick, different rules, techniques, costumes and cultural even if the ball lands between rocks or in the water. meanings10) ; k) sports in which animals are used. The distance of the race varies and is determined On Bali Island in Indonesia, for example, a cow cart in advance by discussion. If the competition goes race is held. In Madura, a two-cow sleigh race is through night, supporters prepare torches7) ; h) held. The Lapp in Finland hold reindeer races and sporting events held by the native people of Alaska reindeer sleigh races. Furthermore, sheep fi ghting, during the World Eskimo Indian Olympics (WEIO) bull fi ghting and cock fi ghting are found throughout in July of every year. Events include various unique the world. In China, cricket fi ghting is popular, and sports such as the One-Foot High Kick, in which there is a nationwide organization of cricket fi ghting. contestants must jump up, kick a suspended object Fish fi ghting in Thailand and spider fi ghting in Japan with one foot and land again on the same foot, the are known, as well11) ; i) ethnic sport involving the Nalakatuk, or Blanket Toss, in which "pullers" throwing of objects: the Caber Toss in Scotland in holding a blanket of walrus skins work together which a 5m-long 70kg log is thrown, the Unspunnen to toss the contestant high up into the air, and the rock toss in Switzerland, the Tika spear slide in Ear Weight, in which contestants walk with a 5-kg the Tikopia islands of Oceania, in which a spear weight hung from one ear8) ; i) the Log Relay, run is thrown on the ground for distance, the Ao-Naga by the Timbira, who live near the mouth of the Rio pestle throw in Assam, in which contestants hold one Amazonas. Runners carry a 100kg log on their edge of a standing pestle used for grain threshing shoulders, passing it to the next runner in a relay and throw it with centrifugal force for distance, between two teams. Not only men but also women and Jyarid in Turkey, in which men on horseback participate in this race9) ; j) Bachama wrestling, throw lances whose edges are rounded trying to hit practiced by the Bachama people of Nigeria that one another. A similar game performed on Sumba is connected to their annual agricultural cycle, island in Indonesia is known as Pasola12); m) sports vayato. The wrestling has very signifi cant social involving lifting and carrying weight: the Tibetan and and supernatural meaning for the men of Bachama Basque sports in which contestants carry large rocks because it is thought to be the most effective way of and the Japanese sport in which contestants carry a increasing one’s muroune, or value as a man. The heavy rice bale13); n) martial arts in which contestants Nuba people of Sudan also practice a wrestling. knock down opponents using weapons, or by batting, 5 Krickeberg, W. 6 Schweizerisches Sportmuseum Basel. 7 Blanchard, K. and Cheska, A., pp.130-132. 8 Kelly, M. 9 Hye-Kerkdal, K. 10 Sogawa, T., 1995 ; International Amatuer Wrestling Federation. 11 Sogawa, T., Field work. 12 Firth, R.; Webster, D.; Schweizerishes Sport Museum Basel; Sogawa, T., Field work. International Journal of Sport and Health Science Vol.4, 96-102, 2006 97 http://www.soc.nii.ac.jp/jspe3/index.htm Sogawa, T. striking and hitting with hands and legs. Such sports pre-modern societies (i.e.: primitive societies exist worldwide: Kararipayat in India, Puntjak Silat and non-Western societies) where all sports are in Indonesia, Mukalekale on Bali Island, Tjatji on supposed to be traditional, it is unnecessary to use Flores Island, Muray-Thai in Thailand, Wushu in this adjective. S. Culin in America, for instance, China, Tae kwon do in Korea and Kendo, Kyudo and titled his detailed reports on the traditional sports of Karate in Japan. Because regional and indigenous the North American Indians, "Games of the North religions play a role in many of these martial arts, American Indians" (1907), and his comparative they are strongly related to identity formation14); o) research of traditional sports in Korea, China and the sport of kite fl ying, in which contestants compete Japan, "Korean Games with Notes on Corresponding for height, or attack and knock down other kites.

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