Warrior Physical Culture Beyond Traditional Wrestling: Childhood Grappling as Cultural Memory in Tunisia along the Silk Road

Traditional wrestling has long been regarded as one of the defining components of warrior physical culture throughout Eurasia. Previous publications describe Grech as a historical wrestling tradition of Tunisia; however, contemporary recognition of such a tradition appears to have largely disappeared among local martial arts practitioners. Interviews conducted with a Tunisian INSF Advisory Board Member indicate that modern Tunisians generally associate wrestling with Olympic Freestyle Wrestling, Judo, and Mixed Martial Arts rather than with an indigenous traditional wrestling system.At the same time, reports concerning Olympic silver medalist Mariem Khlifi reveal that Tunisian children commonly engage in playful wrestling during childhood. Rather than interpreting these two observations as contradictory, this study proposes that organized traditional wrestling and informal physical culture represent different levels of cultural continuity. While institutional traditions may disappear, bodily practices and social habits can continue through everyday life.By combining historical literature, contemporary field interviews, and observations of living culture, this paper introduces the concept of Warrior Physical Culture Memory, suggesting that children's grappling games may preserve elements of an older physical culture even after formal traditional wrestling has faded from collective awareness. INSF Traditional Wrestling Research ProjectPublished by the International Northern Ssireum FederationINSF Academic SeriesVolume 6 Project FrameworkThis paper was prepared as part of the INSF Traditional Wrestling Research Project, an international research initiative coordinated by the International Northern Ssireum Federation (INSF). The project promotes the documentation, preservation, and comparative study of indigenous wrestling traditions and warrior cultures from participating countries. National advisors and collaborating researchers contribute country-specific research within the framework of this international academic initiative.