Warrior Sciences University ; African Warrior History # 5 Nubian warriors; Medjay & Kings Braves

Nubian warriors; The Medjay and Kenyt – Nesu (Kings Braves)

The Medjay warriors began in origin, as an ethnic group that resided in Eastern areas of Sudan, and were relatives of the Nubians. They began as warrior- herders, cultivating livestock while also happening to be very adept fighters and trackers. Their culture was one of being in harmony with nature and this spirit and essence went into their warrior sciences. Many aspects of their fighting methods replicated the movements of the best combatants of the animal kingdom, as well as concepts coming from celestial bodies in their orbits. Among some of their methods besides being famed archers, was their kicking ability from their “foot fighting style” which some would compare to something the way a Taekwondo stylist kicks. Fast and with deadly precision and agility, they also were known to have a fondness of daggers, not just throwing knives used expertly, but also bladed bracelets worn from on wrists and ankles / feet, but bladed rings worn as well. Blades hidden within the sandal were used as a part of their specialized and dynamic kicking methods, cutting as they landed bone breaking kicks.

They did not separate the physical aspects of warriorism from the mental and spiritual parts, being holistic as typified in ancient African cultures. The chosen Medjay animal warrior spirit was the lion, with its key aspects or “mindset” of being the hunter, protector and the predator or dominant force, never being prey or a victim. They tapped into this and other animal spirits through the use of sacred songs and dancing and other rites. Over the course of time, their reputation as warriors began to grow and spread, and it became what they were foremost know for, and with good reason. Neighboring kingdoms such as the Kushites had a respectful fear of them due to their abilities as well as their military prowess of being able to take territory if they had the inclination to. This led to them becoming famed mercenaries in the ancient world and being hired by the Kushites, Egyptians and Romans to name a few. This led to them going from being a specific ethnic group, to becoming an organization over the course of time. They became the foremost mercenaries of Egypt, but observing how adept the Medjay were, the Ancient Egyptians saw them as invaluable, leading them to grow into an elite special police force and paramilitary group. The more their fighting and law enforcing skills grew, the more specialized their roles became and more respect they earned, creating their legend. Over time, the Medjay then grew from being an ethnic group, to their name denoting a warrior group, as others who were not ethnically Medjay joined their ranks

in later times in their history.

The Medjay were known to be swift, agile and powerful fighters as well as great archers and trackers. As fearsome as their reputation was, when they joined with the Ancient Egyptian Empire as their police and paramilitary force, Egyptian technology and resources advanced them even further. They used the skills of the fighting system of Pan Kau Rau Shen (the system that later became Greek Pankration). It holds similarities to what modern mixed martial arts looks like, but for them, if was not a sport, it was a battlefield system. In unique fashion were highly adept at kicking skills and foot fighting. Knowing the spiritual sciences of energy within the body, the Medjay tapped into this and used this energy (Ka in Egyptian, Ki in Japanese or Chi in Chinese) in Pan Kau Rau Shen, doing incredible feats in combat. They were known to be excellent archers as well and skilled in close quarter combat with the shield and axe as well as sword and spear fighting. They also had high skill with throwing knives and could wield them with deadly accuracy.

In police work, they had a Chief and those under him were deputies. Each region had a captain, and in the more remote areas, the Egyptian army would do the policing. For police work, besides general fighting abilities and skills, they were known to be armed with a staff, and used trained dogs and even trained monkeys. Some of their duties besides protecting people and property were making rounds with tax collectors to make sure people paid, delivering important or sensitive messages for governmental officers, and patrolling to prevent crimes, specially robbing of tombs and such. In Egypt many tombs were filled with riches and wealth, so they had to be monitored and protected.

The Kenyt Nesu or “Kings Braves” were the special forces units of the ancient Egyptian army, made up of Medjay warriors. Equal to the Army Rangers, they took on special missions or tasks in the same fashion as modern Special Forces units do. Specifically, they were used to overcome difficulty positions or take hard targets. Thutmose 3rd for example, once sent these units through breeches in the walls of Kadesh. The unit was made up of Medjay whom had distinguished themselves in battle. They all were hardened infantry veterans, and they became a part of this “elite of the most elite” by merit only. Egyptian light infantry mainly consisted of mobile archer units called Megau which meant “shooters”. Egyptian archers and charioteers carried the same type of bow, which was of Hyskos design, as they did retain some of their combat technology after expelling them from Egypt. It was a 1.3 meter long bow that was known to have very high impact power when shot from a full draw. Archers and spearmen both wore textile armor and bronze helmets. The elite infantry and charioteers wore armor of thin bronze plates that were sewn together on leather jerkin, in overlapping patterns.

Besides policing and special roles within the military, the Medjay had the honor and prestige of serving as the Pharaohs royal bodyguard. A special skill set / system of warrior science used by the royal guard was called Ku-Ta or Hikuta which means “defender of the Pharaoh”. It was a lightning fast system with emphasis on pressure point strikes. That system, in much later times is said to have filtered into the Philippines and became known as Kuntao. The Medjay served in a central role in the battles against the Hyksos under King Kamose, which was a large turning point in ancient Egyptian history. When bandits and other criminals of the ancient world would encounter a Medjay, they usually would know justice was about to be served on them, and hence attack immediately or flee….to their own demise and failure regardless of what choice they made.