‘Taking a knee’

What does it mean to kneel? What beliefs or emotions does kneeling communicate to others?

The action ‘taking a knee’ has become increasingly common and is now seen around the world as a protest against the unfair treatment of Black people by the police. This stance has been adopted by the Black Lives Matter movement as a form of non-violent protest, and was seen in Australia during the protests last weekend to mark the more than 430 indigenous deaths in custody since 1991.

‘Taking a knee’ as a protest began during the American football pre-season in 2016 when the San Francisco 49ers’ black quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, sat instead of standing during the national anthem. By the fourth game, this gesture had morphed into kneeling instead of sitting as a way of being respectful to the American military and veterans who drop to one knee to both take ‘a breather’ to assess a situation or to honour fallen soldiers. Although initially attracting criticism (largely from the conservative right), with the death of George Floyd, the action has now been embraced as both a silent protest and a mark of dignity and respect.

The phrase ‘taking a knee’ has now entered the modern lexicon and its etymology and early controversy can be found on a blog called ‘Mashed Radish’ (https://mashedradish.com/2017/09/25/taking-a-knee-simple-phrase-powerful-and-changing-meaning/).  Its first appearance seems to be an American sporting reference from 1960 when teammates in a football team were asked to ‘take a knee for a moment of silence’ in memory of a coach who had recently died.

The adoption of ‘kneeling’ as a sign of deference and respect has a long history and can be seen in many different situations. In the animal world, kneeling is a way of making the body smaller, to become less threatening or to seek protection, and has a self-preservation function. In the sociocultural world, kneeling may be self-initiated or imposed by others, and might be an act of humility, obedience, submission, importuning, supplication, devotion, reverence, adoration or even preparedness for attack.

Historically, kneeling has been both discouraged or encouraged, depending on the circumstances, and these differences can be seen in art.

In the ancient world, prostrating or kneeling – known as proskynesis – before a king was considered an exclusively Eastern custom indicating the servile nature of the Persians and was considered wholly unacceptable. Alexander the Great attempted to introduce it in the Greek world following his conquest of Persian cities, but it failed to catch on.

Men were rarely depicted kneeling, and when they were, it was often in a state of abject terror, disgrace, or loss of masculinity. Christina Clark in her article, ‘To Kneel or Not to Kneel: Gendered Nonverbal Behaviour in Greek Ritual’ (2009), points out that: ‘Women, children, slaves and foreigners supplicate in abundance in Greek culture … [but as] kneeling is a sign of submission … [it is] inappropriate in most cases for free men’.

This was reinforced In Ancient Greece where kneeling in prayer was a gendered phenomenon. When praying, a Greek would normally stand upright with both hands raised above the head and palms facing outward and forward towards the sky. However, sometimes Greek women knelt to pray. Prayers to deities considered saviours or listeners (for example Zeus, Demeter, Artemis, Herakles and Asklepios) were often conducted by females, kneeling as an act of submission, supplication and to engender a feeling of emotional closeness between the worshipper and the gods. This is particularly seen in the Classical period and disappears in the Hellenistic period where the relationship between humans and gods becomes more hierarchical, like that between a ruler and subject.

The Ancient Romans adopted the Greek ideas of proskynesis (that is, no ‘bowing or scraping’) until the reign of Diocletian in the 3^rd century CE when the attitude to the ruler shifted from polite verbal salutation to more extreme forms of obeisance. While this applied to all his subjects, Diocletian was also responsible for the persecution of Christians who had previously lived relatively freely in Rome. Diocletian issued what became known as the Great Persecution, a series of laws that began to purge Christians from public offices, destroy Christian churches and literature, and punish those who refused to offer sacrifice to traditional Roman deities.

The Christian Church adopted its own theology of kneeling and this was described recently by Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI) in 2002 in an excerpt from a chapter in ‘The Body and the Liturgy’ 2000. According to Cardinal Ratzinger, the word proskynesis occurs 59 times in the New Testament, with most examples related to the Apocalypse. The repeated acknowledgement of proskynesis in the Bible, encouraged its inclusion by the Church as a form of reverence. He identifies three versions that exist in the Catholic Church – prostration (lying with the face to the ground), falling to one’s knees before another (genuflection), and kneeling in prayer. The two works by Dürer (below) depict the differences between kneeling in prayer as the Virgin is doing when the Archangel Gabriel appears; and the kneeling in adoration as seen in the Crucifixion.

Genuflection is a sign of reverence to the Blessed Sacrament allowing the worshipper to engage his whole person in acknowledging the presence of, and to honour, Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. It is customary to genuflect whenever one comes into, or leaves, the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. Since in many Anglican, Roman Catholic and Western Orthodox Churches the Blessed Sacrament is normally present behind the altar, genuflection is usual when arriving or passing in front of the altar at the communion rail.

The question of the admissibility of proskynesis in relation to Christian icons has been contentious as it appears to contradict the second commandment of the Law of Moses relating to the worship of carved images. However, since the 8^th century CE, the reverence paid to icons has been accepted by the Church.

Genuflection in Christianity initially involved dropping to both knees although this was replaced by ‘going down on one knee’ in the Middle Ages.  In Western culture, the practice is to genuflect on the right knee in Christian churches and chapels (or on both knees if the Sacrament is exposed); or on the left knee to a human dignitary – whether ecclesiastical or civil. The practice of kneeling before others is, of course, a feature of being knighted and proposing marriage.

Kneeling is also part of ceremony or ritual in Asia. In China, the act of deep respect, shown by prostration with kneeling and deep bowing, is known as the kowtow. Confucian philosophy believed there was a natural harmony between the body and mind, so that if the body is placed in a low position, this translates into feelings of respect.

The kowtow is thought to have originated in the Warring States period and was a custom by the time of the Qin Dynasty. In Imperial Chinese protocol, there were different grades of kowtow depending on the situation. For example, in the most solemn ceremonies like the coronation of a new Emperor, a ‘full kowtow’ is described by the Sinologist, Immanuel Hsu, as involving ‘three kneelings and nine knockings of the head on the ground’.

Prostration is a general practice in Buddhism and is often performed before Buddhist statues and images, or in front of tombs. In Buddhism this is known as either ‘worship with the crown’ or ‘casting the five limbs to the earth’ – referring to the kneeling and touching of the head on the ground.

In Chinese families, filial piety required children to kowtow to elderly ancestors on special occasions and this is still seen at funerals – although a standing bow is more common today. However, the kowtow remains as part of the formal induction ceremony in Chinese martial arts schools.

Japan has a variation of the kneeling tradition which is used at the beginning and end of martial arts classes. Known as seiza, this posture of bent knees with thighs tucked under calves, is a may to show respect, develop discipline and train the mind and body. Seiza was refined during the feudal periods of armed warfare (12^th to 17^th centuries) and was linked to the practice of self-defence – especially the use of the samurai sword. Warriors were taught how to draw a weapon instantly from the seiza position to parry an attack. This art of sword defence from the kneeling position is known as iaido (demonstrated by Maria Kuczynska abstract sculpture above).

Two final more recent images of kneeling youths suggest the strength and resolve that can exist in this posture. The first is by George Minne and is of a nude adolescent with his head bent down and arms wrapped tightly around his body creating a sense of physical and psychological self-enclosure. The second is by Glyn Philpot and is of Oedipus confronting the Sphinx. In this painting, we see Oedipus kneeling in a determined and confident manner – sure of his ability to master the scourge that has overtaken his world. Both images are interesting ways of considering how ‘taking a knee’ might be considered today.

While kneeling has often been an individual experience, today it is part of a mass movement of quiet but forceful solidarity directed toward change. With the resumption of AFL football tonight, there is yet another indication of how this action is taking hold.