In the 1970’s and 1980’s Uncle Karno first showed an interest in learning more about his culture. He approached Ramindjeri Elders and asked them if they would teach him about the old ways of his people. They accepted his request and Karno’s cultural journey began. In the video below Karno explains how the elders went about teaching him, which was quite different to how mainstream western education is taught.
Karno begins the video with the story about how he learnt the Ramindjeri Warrior’s Dance. When he was being taught the Warrior Dance moves, the elder teaching him deliberately did not tell Karno he was learning dance moves. He was taught those moves through the very mundane task of paddling a canoe. Each time he met with the elder teaching him, Karno was told to jump in a canoe and row this elder up and down the river.
At the time Karno had no idea what was happening, Karno thought he was being used as this elder’s personal ferry service, which upset him a little. His friends would ask him every time he returned home from his lessons what the elder had taught him, frustrated, Karno would tell them he learnt nothing, he just paddled the old man up and down the river in the elders canoe.
Quite a while later, the Elder finally taught Uncle Karno the complete ceremonial dance, it was then Karno discovered that the most important move of that dance was the same move Karno was taught to use when he was paddling the elders canoe,.
The way Karno was taught preserved the secrecy of the moves he was being taught so he could not tell his friends (who were not initiates at the time), tested his emotional intelligence, and taught him that education is a journey that is perpetually unfolding and not a final destination (like a college degree). The way his Elder taught him is also similar to how eastern and western mystery schools teach their initiates, and it’s also similar to how Martial Arts Masters teach their students, I am sure many people remember the movie “The Karate Kid” and the “wax on, wax off” scene. from that movie which is also similar to this story.
Learning by analogy was one of the biggest take away’s Karno learnt from this story, if paddling a canoe is the same move that is also used in a ceremonial dance, then many of those same Warrior Dance moves he was taught by the elders could also be used to build a new style of Martial Arts. As stated before, education is an ongoing journey in his culture, a simple thing (or move) can have a more profound meaning once more is known.. (AB)Original Lore is also the same and has different levels of meaning that becomes more profound as that person gets initiated into higher levels of their culture.
So it was with this thinking Karno saw a new way to apply old warrior way and bring it back to the modern day and apply it to daily life.
The Ramindjeri where known amongst other tribes in southern Australia as the peacemakers, Mum:mo:wee’s where held by the Ramindjeri where other tribes in the region would come together in peace and reaffirm or create new treaties with each other which the Ramindjeri would help them uphold.
Not only where the Ramindjeri known as peacemakers, they were also known as the enforcers of the peace. If any tribe created strife with another tribe, or went to war with another tribe, the Ramindjeri would intercede and stop that conflict by force if necessary.
Once Karno had invented his Ramindjeri form of Martial Arts, he then setup Australia’s first Aboriginal owned and founded Security Business, the main goal of this business was not just to supply security services, but to bring back the old way of enforcing the peace between the tribes,.
Many of the contracts Karno undertook where for aboriginal events, this gave Karno the perfect opportunity to bring back old warrior way at these events (gatherings) and practise and enforce the Peace as they used to in the old days.
The way the Ramindjeri used to enforce the peace, and the weapons they used to do this was no longer legal to use in any setting, let alone that of a security patrol, so Karno not only applied some of the Warrior moves to his form of Martial Arts, he invented a form of Martial Arts that was extremely efficient.
Karno’s Security business quickly garnered the reputation of being the most peaceful, and most effective security businesses in the country, the govt’s and businesses that employed Karno’s Security Company quite often told Karno and his staff that the difference in the way they handled their events was night and day in comparison to other companies. Whenever Karno and his staff would handle a situation it was done so peacefully and quietly that others at the event would quite often not even notice a security issue was happening.
The reputation Karno’s Aboriginal Security Service had reached as far as the Sydney 2000 Olympics Committee where Karno’s firm was awarded a no bid contract in 1999 for the Olympics Wrestling events to be held at the Sydney Convention Centre.
In the video below, the Martial Arts master who taught Karno and also worked for Karno at Karno’s security company, George Koppias, talks about Karno and the effect he had on him, his students, and the Martial Arts world.