Mark Hunt carrying on ancient Polynesian tradition
Polynesians have an extraordinary reputation as warriors, and as Sean Mallon reports, they were traditionally wrestlers and bareknuckle boxers as well.
UFC heavyweight Mark Hunt was born in New Zealand, currently lives in Australia, and is of Samoan heritage.
Polynesians have an extraordinary reputation as warriors, and as Sean Mallon reports, they were traditionally wrestlers and bareknuckle boxers as well. In 1964, Tongan Prime minister, Prince Tui Pelehake gave researchers permission to study the remains of buried isanders, and in time, an anthropologist discovered that there were large number of remains with broken hands. While the findings were of Tongans, and not Samoans, everyone can respect the traditional practices.
During her analysis of the remains, Dr Hallie Buckley was puzzled when she discovered that the finger bones of many of the people burried were broken. This was very peculiar, as no archaeologists had previously noticed or remarked on this particular aspect of the Tongan remains. She asked Dr. Janet Davidson if ancient Tongans went in for hand-to-hand fighting. Janet could confirm that they did.
Historically, boxing and wrestling were demonstration sports in Tonga, and were witnessed by members of (English explorer/Imperialist) James Cook’s third expedition to the Pacific (1776–80). An artist on the voyage depicted fighting on the island of Ha’apai featuring two pairs of men in combat: one pair with wooden weapons and one with their fists wrapped with a length of cordage. Accounts of the boxing during the voyage note that up to 3000 spectators could be present. One of the fighters’ favorite and most dexterous blows was to turn round on their heel just as they have struck their antagonist and give him another very smart one with the other hand backwards. Women boxed with as much dexterity as the men. Boys and even little girls would box very bitterly for short periods of time. All boxers who lost a bout appeared to sit down with indifference as if they had never fought at all. A few of Cook’s sailors who took on the Tongans (in both disciplines) were in the words of one observer worsted.
After leaving, James Cook wrote, unoccupied Tongans entertained themselves with boxing and wrestling, women sometimes as well as men, and boys and girls… The Tongans staged boxing and wrestling matches, inviting sailors into the ring and promptly defeated them except when they let the sailors win for diplomatic reasons.”
Hunt famously broke his hand fighting “Bigfoot” Silva in one of the greatest fights in the history of mixed martial arts.
Even in the break, Hunt was carrying on an extraordinary tradition.
