Coreeda
Encyclopedia
Coreeda is a style of Folk Wrestling
practiced in Australia and is based on Aboriginal combat sports that existed in the pre-colonial period before the 19th century.
, new Coreeda clubs have recently been formed in Bourke
(Western NSW), Melbourne
and on the Gold Coast
with other new ones planned for Adelaide
, Broome
and Canberra
. Combining the movements of the traditional kangaroo dance as a warm up ritual, with a style of wrestling that utilizes a yellow 4.5m diameter circle that has black and red borders (similar to the Aboriginal
flag), Coreeda is often compared to sports as diverse as Capoeira
and Sumo
.
Developed since 1998 the sport has slowly grown and the Coreeda Association of Australia is now a member of the UNESCO
acknowledged World Martial Arts Union, as such is considered an important part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Australia. Although Coreeda still struggles for recognition within its own country, the plan for the Coreeda Association of Australia is to one day create a "First Nations Coreeda Championship", with teams selected to represent indigenous nations rather than modern Australian regions and to ultimately to build a professional league for the sport called ProCor.
, Turkish Yagli Gures, Celtic Wrestling, Russian Sambo
and have even represented Australia at international Sumo tournaments. Most recently Shane Parker, who began his coreeda training in childhood, competed at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games for the Australian Greco-Roman Wrestling
team and it is an important part of the philosophy of the sport that Coreeda wrestlers regularly test themselves in other styles of wrestling, believing that this promotes world peace.
account of how Coreeda first came into being was told in the Ngiyampaa Nation of Western NSW and is about a lizard man named Beereun, who was told by a giant snake to watch the Red Kangaroo bucks so he could learn how to fight without weapons. He then brought these fighting techniques back to his clan and initiated a wrestling tournament as an important peace-keeping ceremony, which instigated an era of great prosperity for the Ngiyampaa people. Based on the dating of rock art at sites like Mt Grenfell near Cobar in Western NSW, it is estimated this first Coreeda tournament began over 10,000 years ago, making Coreeda one of the oldest documented styles of Folk Wrestling in the world.
Folk wrestling
A folk wrestling style is a traditional wrestling discipline which may or may not be codified as a modern sport. Most human cultures have developed their own sort of grappling style unique from other styles practiced...
practiced in Australia and is based on Aboriginal combat sports that existed in the pre-colonial period before the 19th century.
History
Although centered mainly in the Western Suburbs of SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, new Coreeda clubs have recently been formed in Bourke
Bourke, New South Wales
-Transportation:Bourke can be reached by the Mitchell Highway, with additional sealed roads from town to the north , east and south . The town is also served by Bourke Airport and has Countrylink bus service to other regional centres, like Dubbo...
(Western NSW), Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and on the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
with other new ones planned for Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, Broome
Broome, Western Australia
Broome is a pearling and tourist town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, north of Perth. The year round population is approximately 14,436, growing to more than 45,000 per month during the tourist season...
and Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
. Combining the movements of the traditional kangaroo dance as a warm up ritual, with a style of wrestling that utilizes a yellow 4.5m diameter circle that has black and red borders (similar to the Aboriginal
Australian Aborigines
Australian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...
flag), Coreeda is often compared to sports as diverse as Capoeira
Capoeira
Capoeira is a Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, sports, and music. It was created in Brazil mainly by descendants of African slaves with Brazilian native influences, probably beginning in the 16th century...
and Sumo
Sumo
is a competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally...
.
Developed since 1998 the sport has slowly grown and the Coreeda Association of Australia is now a member of the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
acknowledged World Martial Arts Union, as such is considered an important part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Australia. Although Coreeda still struggles for recognition within its own country, the plan for the Coreeda Association of Australia is to one day create a "First Nations Coreeda Championship", with teams selected to represent indigenous nations rather than modern Australian regions and to ultimately to build a professional league for the sport called ProCor.
Other wrestling styles
Coreeda wrestlers often participate in other styles of Folk Wrestling practiced in Australia at ethnic community festivals, such as Korean SsireumSsireum
Historically, there have been other terms for "wrestling" in Korean used alongside ssireum, such as gakjeo , gakhui , gakryeok , gakgii , chiuhui , sangbak , jaenggyo ....
, Turkish Yagli Gures, Celtic Wrestling, Russian Sambo
Sambo (martial art)
Sambo is a Russian martial art and combat sport. The word "SAMBO" is an acronym for SAMooborona Bez Oruzhiya, which literally translates as "self-defense without weapons". Sambo is relatively modern since its development began in the early 1920s by the Soviet Red Army to improve their hand to hand...
and have even represented Australia at international Sumo tournaments. Most recently Shane Parker, who began his coreeda training in childhood, competed at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games for the Australian Greco-Roman Wrestling
Greco-Roman wrestling
Greco-Roman wrestling is a style of wrestling that is practised worldwide. It was contested at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been included in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1908. Two wrestlers are scored for their performance in three two-minute periods, which can...
team and it is an important part of the philosophy of the sport that Coreeda wrestlers regularly test themselves in other styles of wrestling, believing that this promotes world peace.
Aboriginal wrestling
Aboriginal wrestling sports were popular before European settlement and served a three fold purpose, as a form of martial art training for young warriors in preparation for tribal warfare, as a ritualistic method to control hostilities during inter-tribal gatherings and most importantly as a pure way to have fun.Legend and history
The legendary DreamingDreaming (spirituality)
The Dreaming is a common term within the animist creation narrative of indigenous Australians for a personal, or group, creation and for what may be understood as the "timeless time" of formative creation and perpetual creating....
account of how Coreeda first came into being was told in the Ngiyampaa Nation of Western NSW and is about a lizard man named Beereun, who was told by a giant snake to watch the Red Kangaroo bucks so he could learn how to fight without weapons. He then brought these fighting techniques back to his clan and initiated a wrestling tournament as an important peace-keeping ceremony, which instigated an era of great prosperity for the Ngiyampaa people. Based on the dating of rock art at sites like Mt Grenfell near Cobar in Western NSW, it is estimated this first Coreeda tournament began over 10,000 years ago, making Coreeda one of the oldest documented styles of Folk Wrestling in the world.