Zipota
Encyclopedia
Zipota or zipote is a martial art taught primarily in Texas
in the United States
and is closely related to the French
martial art of savate
. Both place an emphasis on kick
s, though zipota has more throws and jump kick
s, knee/shin and elbow strikes, joint manipulation and it includes aspects of stick fighting
and knife fighting. Practitioners of the zipota are known as zipoteros (one who does zipote) or zipotones in Spanish
. In zipota, the usual stick weapon
is called the makila
. The knife
is called the saca tripa. It also uses pelotas as a throwing weapon. Stones thrown with the basket fly at high speed and can be lethal within 50 feet (as depicted, possibly inaccurately, in the film Thunder in the Sun
).
, but little evidence of this claim is available. Some people suggest it is a Old World
Basque martial art that was further developed over generations by Basque immigrants in Texas. Its practitioners may have borrowed, used and coined a number of Basque terms such as zipotedun (one who has zipote), zipotelari (a zipotero), lamiak and sugaar
(names for kicks), makila
(a Basque walking stick used in some Basque dances and sports), and others.
, meaning shoe. The word zapata in Basque is a loanword
from Spanish. The Spanish word itself, and the French word savate, are loans from Arabic
sabbat, via Italian
ciabatta or old Occitan sabata.
None of the classical (Azkue
, Lhande
) or larger modern (Elhuyar) Basque dictionaries nor the Historical Dictionary of Basque have an entry of the word zipote or zipota meaning "shoe" or a martial art.
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and is closely related to the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
martial art of savate
Savate
Savate , also known as boxe française, French boxing, French kickboxing or French footfighting, is a French martial art which uses the hands and feet as weapons combining elements of western boxing with graceful kicking techniques. Only foot kicks are allowed unlike some systems such as Muay...
. Both place an emphasis on kick
Kick
In combat sports and hand-to-hand combat, a kick is a physical strike using the foot, leg, or knee . This type of attack is used frequently, especially in stand-up fighting...
s, though zipota has more throws and jump kick
Kick
In combat sports and hand-to-hand combat, a kick is a physical strike using the foot, leg, or knee . This type of attack is used frequently, especially in stand-up fighting...
s, knee/shin and elbow strikes, joint manipulation and it includes aspects of stick fighting
Stick fighting
Stick fighting is a generic term for martial arts which use simple long slender, blunt, hand-held, generally wooden 'sticks' for fighting such as a staff, cane, walking stick, baton or similar....
and knife fighting. Practitioners of the zipota are known as zipoteros (one who does zipote) or zipotones in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. In zipota, the usual stick weapon
Club (weapon)
A club is among the simplest of all weapons. A club is essentially a short staff, or stick, usually made of wood, and wielded as a weapon since prehistoric times....
is called the makila
Makila
The makila is a traditional Basque walking stick, and is notable as both a practical tool and a cultural symbol of authority and strength.-Etymology:...
. The knife
Knife
A knife is a cutting tool with an exposed cutting edge or blade, hand-held or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools...
is called the saca tripa. It also uses pelotas as a throwing weapon. Stones thrown with the basket fly at high speed and can be lethal within 50 feet (as depicted, possibly inaccurately, in the film Thunder in the Sun
Thunder in the Sun
Thunder in the Sun is a 1959 western film made by Carrollton Inc and Seven Arts Productions and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Russell Rouse and produced by Clarence Greene from a screenplay by Russell Rouse and...
).
History
Although it is claimed to be a Basque variant of Savate, it is unclear whether the sport truly originates in the Basque Country. References are made to zipota being employed by the Basque mythological figure basajaunBasajaun
In Basque mythology, Basajaun is a huge, hairy creature dwelling in the woods who protects flocks of livestock and teaches skills such as agriculture and ironworking to humans.-References:...
, but little evidence of this claim is available. Some people suggest it is a Old World
Old World
The Old World consists of those parts of the world known to classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages. It is used in the context of, and contrast with, the "New World" ....
Basque martial art that was further developed over generations by Basque immigrants in Texas. Its practitioners may have borrowed, used and coined a number of Basque terms such as zipotedun (one who has zipote), zipotelari (a zipotero), lamiak and sugaar
Sugaar
In Basque mythology, Sugaar is the male half of a pre-Christian Basque deity associated with storms and thunder. He is normally imagined as a dragon or serpent. Unlike his female consort, Mari, there are very few remaining legends about Sugaar...
(names for kicks), makila
Makila
The makila is a traditional Basque walking stick, and is notable as both a practical tool and a cultural symbol of authority and strength.-Etymology:...
(a Basque walking stick used in some Basque dances and sports), and others.
Etymology
The name zipote is described by practitioners as being from the BasqueBasque language
Basque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
, meaning shoe. The word zapata in Basque is a loanword
Loanword
A loanword is a word borrowed from a donor language and incorporated into a recipient language. By contrast, a calque or loan translation is a related concept where the meaning or idiom is borrowed rather than the lexical item itself. The word loanword is itself a calque of the German Lehnwort,...
from Spanish. The Spanish word itself, and the French word savate, are loans from Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
sabbat, via Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
ciabatta or old Occitan sabata.
None of the classical (Azkue
Resurrección María de Azkue
Resurrección María de Azkue was an influential Basque priest, musician, poet, writer, sailor and academic. He made several made several major contributions to the study of the Basque language and was the first head of the Euskaltzaindia, the Academy of the Basque Language...
, Lhande
Pierre Lhande
Pierre Lhande Heguy was born in Bayonne, France on the 9 July 1877 and died 17 April 1957 in Tardets, Soule. For unknown reasons he was given his grandfather's surname, Lhande, as opposed to his father's surname Basagaitz.-Biography:...
) or larger modern (Elhuyar) Basque dictionaries nor the Historical Dictionary of Basque have an entry of the word zipote or zipota meaning "shoe" or a martial art.
External links
- Obituary from the Laredo Morning TimesLaredo Morning TimesThe Laredo Morning Times is a daily newspaper publication based in Laredo, Texas, USA. It is owned by the Hearst Corporation.The Laredo Morning Times was founded on June 14, 1881 as "the Laredo Weekly," a four-page newspaper published by James Saunders Penn. Two years later, the paper became a...
on zipota expert Isidro "Chilo" Chapa - Basque culture web site and discussion
- Discussion of zipota and savate (in SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
) - Zipota as an influence on savate