Martial Arts lessons in Alex Haley's "Roots." (The 2016 version) which was plagiarized from Harold Couller's "The African"

So first off, I didn't realize that roots was not only fiction... but plagiarized. I think if I was African American that might have hurt my feelings to find that out. But, the only difference between other epic type stories like Gone with the Wind and Romance of the Three Kingdoms, is the others are written as fiction and then taken as history. It really shouldn't be a problem the Roots is fiction any more. I mean shame on Alex Haley, but who is he even? What did he even write? Well maybe it doesn't matter. Just like who is Shakespeare? Or who is Jesus. Just take the stories and use them that's all.

So I think every generations can re write roots and remake it, why not?

As a Kung Fu guy, I noticed a lot of Martial Arts lessons in the new 2016 roots. I'm not sure if that was in the original or not.

But Kunte Kinte, is almost banished for breaking the rules. In a test to become a man, instead of just using spears, he tackles Master Sila. It was never explained that this was against the rules. The point is, he was a man that didn't really fit in in his tribe either. Left alone by slave traders, he may have been an innovator to bring the Mandinga culture forward in Science and thought. I think that is what was trying to be conveyed, especially with the next chapters.


He fights for the Brits using Mandinga Spear throwing and complains of not being able to use guns. He pushes the limit, wherever he is.

There is a lot of really cool action scenes where he is killing people.

Finally he gets his foot cut off. But still manages to carry on with Bell's help.


He later names Kissi in HIS OWN way. And also brings a song, that travels throughout the saga and changes becoming an American song as well. Now, even though he cannot be much of a warrior, he trains his daughter to be one even though she is a girl. Basically not only is he breaking the white man's rules. He is also breaking the African rules and adapting to his environment. This can be compared to Jeet Kune Do. In fact. Watching this, if I was black, I would totally base a martial arts club off of this series. Put up posters of these fictional characters, use the spears. I'm just saying that this may be fiction, but entertainment wise it is better than Star Wars and has all this real life philosophical and spiritual stuff that is based in one of the most difficult situations to survive in. I mean a lot of series about slavery or the holocaust... they really get you down. Even stuff like the Hunger Games... Roots doesn't do that. All the characters, even the "villains" are really easy to relate to. Because it is based on history the characters really are multi dimensional.

Okay, so Kissi breaks more rules learning to read. To be honest, we sort of glass over her development and move onto the next boy. I wonder if that's because a man wrote this. She is trained.... but does she ever train anyone? She doesn't teach her son a lot.. mainly because he is the product of a rape and she is constantly raped by the Master, Tom Lea.

I guess her main rule breaking comes when she actually threatens to kill Tom Lea before being raped, laying down some rules of her own... and then she tells him, "Now be quick about it." In essence, even as a slave, she manages to put the him in his place. Sort of still above him but within boundaries. I've never seen that in a movie about slavery before.

Chicken George  trains Chickens to fight and here is where I first noticed the Martial Arts aspect. He tells Mango that if they can train the chickens to fly higher, then they will win more fights. But this simply hasn't been done before and Mango is against it. George does it anyway and wins. "I know what I seen!" he says.

Basically this is the most common thing I've seen in Martial Arts. People will say, "You can do that." You can't fight like that. You can't fight just from your back. (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) You can't fight constantly throwing haymakers continuously from all directions fully extended with power. (White Crane) mainly because yoru stance won't allow it.

Perhaps the Horse stance was questioned. It has been in the west in the boxing ring. "You can't move like that" But anyone swinging a weapon, whether it is Chinese or Medieval European starts to get into stances. They will even show you a stance for firearms training. But there is certainly the argument that, "Doing horse stance and only horse stance for two hours at a time for three months is boring, a waste of time, and stupid. (Not to mention painful as hell) but i'm sure it will produce powerful fighters.

You can just fight in close (Wing Chun)

You can't fight so soft (Tai Chi.)

Anyway. Every famous fighting style probably was outside the box and crazy for it's time. It's not so much about doing it right there in the fight, but having trained something that seemed crazy and wasn't done before.

It's interesting that not only does George fight Chickens, but when he acts as second for Tom Lea, his master and father... he actually fights two white men. It's bizarre because the white men are the Cocks in a cock fight and it is the black men (and a rich whote man on the other side who is not even present) who are fighting them.

In the final episode, Chicken George becomes a soldier in the Civil War. Him and Cyrus have a lot of advice that falls on deaf ears and results in their battalion losing.

In the end, he visits his father, argues with him and puts him in his place and takes his gun.

This last episode felt very Huey Newton. Where George w=moves in with his family (who are still slaves) and walks around with a gun in his waist. Honestly, this is somewhat unthinkable today. I mean black men have been shot for less than that in an era where we have a black president. I mean it doesn't happen all the time. Obviously there are Black law enforcement officers and others who bear arms and are part of the NRA and all that. But the way George acts would be pushing the limit today. And he is doing it during slavery. Amazing.

When George gets freedom it was cool to hear Cyrus use Kunte Kinte's name as a sort of code. And George protects a black Church from the Bushwhackers.

And Tom, his son finds him by having a spiritual connection in the forest. Following Kunte Kinte's spirit. This was really meaningful to me, also the parts where Kissi says she will talk to her father. It is interesting tha George doesn't believe in this. Similar stories happen in the Three Kingdoms with Guan Gung coming back to help his sons after death. And my mother also always talked to her father and so did my Uncle Francis after they passed. I don't. Not in words. But I appreciate the story and I do feel that those that have past try to communicate with me through signs etc. I'm not sure how other people watched this. I suspect some people saw it as Superstitious African stuff, even black people.

I just wanted to point out that even on my white side we would relate very much to such a story.

George ends up using his story telling skills to join an Union Camp, showing that the best Kung Fu is  story telling and the ability to make people laugh and convey important information at the same time. Namely, that Tom is a good blacksmith and even though the soldiers don't care about black people or that George was a soldier too, that they need Tom and therefore the whole group.

The story ends with George shooting the Masters son (one of the only truly one sided villains in the story) before he shoots Tom the Black smith. This is totally breaking all rules. He is within the law of self defense yes. But Shooting a white man right after slavery? I sort of doubt it would have worked out that way, but maybe considering that the South had JUST lost, it is possible.

George then passes the Gun, a symbol of the Warrior, onto Tom. Basically this is saying that in addition to stories you have to continue the Warrior tradition and have the ability to fight. The old ways were horses and spears. The modern way is the gun. Again very Huey Newton. But at the same time, just like other Martial Arts traditions, you need some tie to the past.. even if it is just a made up story (They sort of deal with this in a monologue with Laurence Fishburn playing Haley at the end.)

I will read the book soon and I will also Read Harry Couler's book the African (which Haley stole the story from) But now that they are both dead and we are just remaking this stories, I say the fact that they are fiction gives future generations more freedom to play with these stories.