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“A’Yunini” [The Killer] & The Black Box Project Origin Story by Mark Hatmaker

 


Stay with me, we’ll get to “The Killer.”

FIRST: What is The Black Box Project?

In 2020 I was asked a question along these lines…

“Old Man, if you had to boil meanness down to the marrow bone, trim the fat and leave all the Parisian filigrees behind what would that Black Box of mayhem look like?”

That dovetailed into my deep delving historical research left turn towards the meanness BEHIND the meanness.

The real roughness behind the early boxing, behind the early wrestling the even meaner aspect behind the scuffling that is called rough ‘n’ tumble fighting.

As my combat archology grew, the sportive aspects held less appeal; still love ‘em, but, oh, how I love this more.

I turned to “Living History.”

That is, not just skimming the waters, but living it as much as I could. Everything from learning the Comanche language and a smattering of Kiowa to have access to more resources, earning my Captain’s License in Sailing to better understand the mindset and milieu of the fearsome fighters of the voyageur/keelboat/gulf privateer tradition, learning to Comanche bareback ride to grasp some of the ideas behind Indigenous leg wrestling tactics and much more seemingly tangential [but oh, so valuable] allied skills.

It was time to offer what the research reaped, and we do that thru The Black Box Project, a monthly subscription service that provides video instructional material, training templates and course syllabi, historical support materials etc.

The Black Box material runs the gamut of Striking with Old School Boxing,  Frontier rough ‘n’ tumble as its base.

Grappling with Old School wrestling as its base. And crew, I guarantee that this new direction is new indeed as it tilts from mat-approved competition tactics to the unkind. [Many of these tactics are quite harsh, part of the reason I never really featured them in the commercial releases as the friend-utility is low.]

 Frontier Weaponry, primarily historical tomahawk and trade-knife. We will be using the full head weight protocol and not modern lighter head tactics.

And Old School Physical Culturist material [our Unleaded Program] that has caught my eye and seemingly fallen off radar screens.

Most of this material being kept close to the vest for so long will also mean that some of the freebie video will tease more along the edges. I will transfer this home-court advantage to paying customers and likely leave more than a few key details off the freebies for both safety and home court reasons.

Having communicated with so many of you I can almost guarantee that historical mavens, the street focused, the hardcore cadre will enjoy this new stew.

I can also almost guarantee that those looking for kinder, gentler subs that are kosher for almost all rule-sets, well, we’ve got over 200 back volumes that will cover those bases. The Black Box Project is for the wicked at heart.

Every volume of RAW comes with a Targeted Syllabi, and The Black Box Project is no different.

If the above whets your appetite but you need more info—have a look-see at my blog where you’ll find hundreds [literally] of articles on old school combat history, old school PT, rough ‘n’ tumble fighting, scientific aspects of preparation, motivational wisdom from the old-timers. https://indigenousability.blogspot.com/

QUESTION 2: “Yeah, yeah, Old Man, but about that name, Black Box? Where’d you pull that?”

I now offer you a translation of a T’salagi War Song that has always stayed with me.

A’YUNINI [THE KILLER]

Careful: my knife drills your soul

          Listen, whatever-your-name-is

          One of the wolf people

Listen I’ll grind your saliva into the earth

Listen I’ll cover your bones with black flint

Listen I’ll cover bones with black feathers

Listen I’ll over your bones with rocks

Because you’re going where it’s empty

          Black coffin out on the hill

Listen the black earth will hide you, will

          Find you in a black hut

          Out where it’s dark, in that country

Listen I’m bringing a box for your bones

          A black box

          A grave with black pebbles

Listen your soul’s spilling out

Listen it’s blue

[Our most recent Black Box volume is Reverse-Grip Knife Fighting from the draw—for details, see the links below.]

Resources for Livin’ the Warrior Life

The Black Box Store

https://www.extremeselfprotection.com/

The Indigenous Ability Blog

https://indigenousability.blogspot.com/

The Rough ‘n’ Tumble Raconteur Podcast

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2fTpfVp2wi232k4y5EakVv...

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