Folk wrestling

Europe

In Great Britain, wrestling traditionally developed around two main areas: the West Country, which gave rise to the Devon and Cornwall styles, and the northern counties, where the Cumberland and Westmorland styles and Catch wrestling emerged. Lancashire wrestling is a historical style from Lancashire, famous for its catch-as-catch-can approach, meaning no holds were banned. Catch wrestling grew out of Lancashire wrestling and was refined during the travelling circus era of the 1800s and early 1900s. Backhold wrestling, with unknown origins, was practiced in northern England and Scotland as early as the 7th and 8th centuries, and today competitions still take place at Highland and Border Games, as well as in France and Italy.

Backhold styles differ from Lancashire wrestling because they have rules aimed at reducing injury by banning ground fighting. Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling, also called Cumbrian wrestling, is a type of Backhold where wrestlers place their left arm over the opponent's right arm and grip behind the back. Throws and trips are key, as the first person to touch the ground or break the hold loses.

Competitors typically wear stockings, a singlet, and trunks. Scottish Backhold is very similar to the Cumberland and Westmorland style, with only rule variations, and wrestlers often wear kilts. Cornish wrestling, from Cornwall, is a jacket wrestling style that avoids groundwork and is linked to Breton Gouren wrestling.

It became widely popular across Britain from the late Middle Ages and spread globally in the 1700s and 1800s. Devon wrestling was like the Cornish style but involved heavy clogs and allowed kicking; in matches between Cornish and Devon wrestlers, Devonshire wrestlers sometimes wore only one shoe. Unlike Cornish wrestling, Devon wrestling is now generally considered extinct. Norfolk wrestling is another jacket wrestling style that also bans groundwork.

Asia

Bökh is a form of jacket wrestling from the Khalkha region of Mongolia. A match ends if any part of the body besides the foot touches the ground. Related traditions include Buryat wrestling, Bukh noololdoon from western Mongolia, and Southern Mongolian wrestling, where the jacket is made of cow leather and worn with long pants, chaps, and boots.

This southern style shares more techniques with Shuai Jiao than with Bökh. Shuai Jiao is a Chinese jacket wrestling style from Beijing, Tianjin, and northern Hebei. It was used by imperial guards during the Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, and its techniques were standardized by the Kangxi Emperor in the 1670s.

Wrestlers wear a jacket called Da Lian and chaps over their pants, which can be grabbed for lifts. In Beijing, arm-locks were permitted, while in Tianjin, strikes and blocks with the upper arms were allowed. Modern Shuai Jiao has incorporated elements from Shanxi Naoyang Jiao and Olympic wrestling.

Africa

Lucha canaria originated from the guanches culture in the Canary Islands and was further developed by Spanish colonists. Lutte Traditionnelle encompasses related West African styles known as Laamb in Senegal, Boreh in The Gambia, Evala in Togo, and Lutte Traditionnelle in Niger and Burkina Faso; international competitions take place during the Jeux de la Francophonie and the Championnat d'Afrique de lutte traditionnelle. Tigel is traditional wrestling of Ethiopia, Grech is practised in Tunisia, and Gidigbo is a form of traditional wrestling augmented by martial mysticism among the Yoruba people of Nigeria.

Oceania

Coreeda is a modern sport that blends traditional Aboriginal dance, especially kangaroo mimicry, with wrestling. Matches take place inside a yellow circle 4.5 metres wide, bordered by black and red to resemble the Aboriginal flag. Wrestlers wear knee-length pants, a wide sash belt, and a jersey that opponents can grab to help with throws. The game draws on similar wrestling styles from pre-colonial Australia and is typically featured during NAIDOC events in Sydney’s western suburbs.

Several older Aboriginal styles are now extinct, including turdererin from southern Victoria, partambelin from southern New South Wales, goombooboodoo from western New South Wales, ami from southern Queensland, and donaman or arungga from northern Queensland. On Kiwai Island in Papua New Guinea’s Fly River Delta, a friendly style called epoo korio had one wrestler defending a small sand mound while the other tried to destroy it. Boumwane is the national wrestling style of Kiribati, where a simple toppling wins the match; it is performed during National Day celebrations, and a similar sport exists in Nauru. Tokelau’s indigenous style, fagatua, was used to settle disputes between villages.

In Hawaii, the Kanaka Maoli style hokoko was first recorded by HMS Resolution’s crew in 1779 as part of the pa’ani’kahiko, or ancient games, held during the Makahiki New Year Festival. Along with mokomoko boxing, hokoko is a core part of the bone-breaking martial art lua. New Zealand’s Maori style rongomamau was an unarmed art used for warrior training, conflict resolution, and even against armed opponents in battle.

Its movements are based on those of Maori nature gods, and it is still taught by Te Whare Ahuru Rongomamau; Umutakarangi Timoti Pahi is the last living teacher. Moana is the indigenous style of Tahiti and French Polynesia’s Ma’ohi people, featured in the Heiva i Tahiti festival alongside teka spear throwing, motora’a boxing, and amoraa ofae heavy stone lifting. A similar sport is played in the Cook Islands during Te Maeva Nua celebrations. Tonga’s pi’i tauva, first seen by Europeans in 1777 and recorded in a lithograph by artist John Webber, combined boxing and wrestling and was performed by both men and women as entertainment for visitors.

Did You Know?

• Marajoara Wrestling is a Brazilian grappling style practiced in northern Brazil.
• Collegiate Wrestling, also known as folkstyle wrestling, is a US style that incorporates techniques from many different wrestling styles.
• Tinku is a Bolivian fight style.