FOR A WILD RIDE IN NUSA TENGGARA, LOOK NO FURTHER THAN WEST SUMBA’S PASOLA.
Two groups of horsemen on agile ponies face each other on a battlefield. They patiently wait. Suddenly, a leader heels his mount for the charge. The opposing teams surge as the single warrior leading them attempts to isolate one of the opposition for the “kill”. At full gallop, the leader evades a shower of lances. Reaching his target, he flings is spear. His deadly aim lands squarely and strongly on the body of his opponent. Fortunately, the blunt spear bounces off with a thud. Women, children and a handful of foreigners shriek wildly for the triumphant warrior.
Having discharged his lance, the leader drops his reigns. With both hands he fends off his opponent’s spears, using his legs masterfully to guide his horse back to the sidelines. Charging and whirling, the other horsemen begin hurling taunts and spears at each other. The atmosphere is charged with tension as the melee gathers momentum.
We’re in the village of Wanukaka, and West Sumba’s time-honored Pasola is in full swing. No mere exhibition for tourists, this pageant of scores of masterful horsemen wielding spears in a frenetic pitched battle is authentic and unforgettably brilliant. For the Sumbanese, the Pasola is an integral part of maintaining peaceful and fruitful ancestral traditions. For the visitor, it is a unique display that surpasses all expectations.
Sumba lies south of West Flores and Komodo, about a one-hour flight east of Bali. Known for its sandalwood forests and small but sturdy horses, Sumba has the richest tribal culture in Nusa Tenggara, with its thatched clan houses, colossal carved tombs, outstanding ikat cloth and bloody sacrificial funerals. West Sumba is Indonesia’s Wild West and is known as the Island of the Sandalwood Horse.
West Sumba is so extraordinarily attached to its animistic beliefs that Sumba is the only island in the archipelago where animistic religion is officially recognized by the Indonesian government. Animism is central to the many hilltop villages of West Sumba. Flanking Waikabubak are traditional hilltop villages with huge thatched high peaked houses shaped like large straw hats as high as 15 meters. Each house faces a central square containing giant megalithic stone tombs – the people in these villages actually live with their dead.
For many traditional Sumbanese, the Biggest event in life is death, which is celebrated with the slaughter of pigs and buffalos, and the ritual burial of the body in sitting position draped in the finest ikat cloth. The greater the status of the deceased, the bigger the stone slab. Huge gravestone on scenic plateaus mark the final resting place of some of the Pasola’s past heroes.
“To die in the Pasola,” said a village elder, “is the best honor.” The Pasola also serves as both a people’s court and a beacon of fortune, allowing people to avenge intervillage grievances and draw blood to ensure a successful rice harvest.
The word Pasola comes from the local word “sola”, meaning spear. The event is central to West Sumbanese custom, and is held about seven to eight days after the full moon in February and March at the villages of lamboya and Kodi, Gaura and Wanukara. The event is triggered by the mass appearance of the nyale is an indicator to a Rato, or high priest, as to whether the impending rice crops will be plentiful or meager.
Several nights before the nyale are expected, Ratos position themselves on the beaches along the coastal shore. The number and behavior of the nyale will determine the success of the imminent rice crops – provided the Pasola is performed well.
For weeks prior to the coming of the nyale, the beaches are avoided; and in the frenzied days before the Pasola, locals are forced to refrain from fishing. Stories abound of families slain by monsters and entire village wiped out after violating the sanctity of the Pasola.
The Pasola is preceded by pajura, or evening boxing contests. Some villages host competitions where contestants exchange verbal abuse for hours. Often the abuse is genuine and heated. Intervillage conflict is an ongoing trend in West Sumba where entire thatched hut villages are frequently burned to the ground allegedly by neighboring villages.
The Pasola is initially an briefly instigated on the beach. Then the opposing teams of about 150 per side move to firm ground. This is the sacred Pasola field, where battles have taken place for centuries.
This is a wild an martial event during which serious accidents and occasional death still occur. The Indonesian government insisted many years ago that only blunt spears be used to reduce the once high number of fatalities. In olden times, the ritual turned the fields red.
The Pasola continues through most of the day without rest and sometimes carries on into the next day. One miraculous feature of the event remains as mysterious as coming of the nyale. As any guide will tell you – and as any visitor will observe – the day of the Pasola is invariably fine weather, even if it has been raining the previous several days. Guides readily explain that this phenomenon is a “gift of grace” from the ancestor for the Pasola. Its message : let the games begin…..
Two groups of horsemen on agile ponies face each other on a battlefield. They patiently wait. Suddenly, a leader heels his mount for the charge. The opposing teams surge as the single warrior leading them attempts to isolate one of the opposition for the “kill”. At full gallop, the leader evades a shower of lances. Reaching his target, he flings is spear. His deadly aim lands squarely and strongly on the body of his opponent. Fortunately, the blunt spear bounces off with a thud. Women, children and a handful of foreigners shriek wildly for the triumphant warrior.
Having discharged his lance, the leader drops his reigns. With both hands he fends off his opponent’s spears, using his legs masterfully to guide his horse back to the sidelines. Charging and whirling, the other horsemen begin hurling taunts and spears at each other. The atmosphere is charged with tension as the melee gathers momentum.
We’re in the village of Wanukaka, and West Sumba’s time-honored Pasola is in full swing. No mere exhibition for tourists, this pageant of scores of masterful horsemen wielding spears in a frenetic pitched battle is authentic and unforgettably brilliant. For the Sumbanese, the Pasola is an integral part of maintaining peaceful and fruitful ancestral traditions. For the visitor, it is a unique display that surpasses all expectations.
Sumba lies south of West Flores and Komodo, about a one-hour flight east of Bali. Known for its sandalwood forests and small but sturdy horses, Sumba has the richest tribal culture in Nusa Tenggara, with its thatched clan houses, colossal carved tombs, outstanding ikat cloth and bloody sacrificial funerals. West Sumba is Indonesia’s Wild West and is known as the Island of the Sandalwood Horse.
West Sumba is so extraordinarily attached to its animistic beliefs that Sumba is the only island in the archipelago where animistic religion is officially recognized by the Indonesian government. Animism is central to the many hilltop villages of West Sumba. Flanking Waikabubak are traditional hilltop villages with huge thatched high peaked houses shaped like large straw hats as high as 15 meters. Each house faces a central square containing giant megalithic stone tombs – the people in these villages actually live with their dead.
For many traditional Sumbanese, the Biggest event in life is death, which is celebrated with the slaughter of pigs and buffalos, and the ritual burial of the body in sitting position draped in the finest ikat cloth. The greater the status of the deceased, the bigger the stone slab. Huge gravestone on scenic plateaus mark the final resting place of some of the Pasola’s past heroes.
“To die in the Pasola,” said a village elder, “is the best honor.” The Pasola also serves as both a people’s court and a beacon of fortune, allowing people to avenge intervillage grievances and draw blood to ensure a successful rice harvest.
The word Pasola comes from the local word “sola”, meaning spear. The event is central to West Sumbanese custom, and is held about seven to eight days after the full moon in February and March at the villages of lamboya and Kodi, Gaura and Wanukara. The event is triggered by the mass appearance of the nyale is an indicator to a Rato, or high priest, as to whether the impending rice crops will be plentiful or meager.
Several nights before the nyale are expected, Ratos position themselves on the beaches along the coastal shore. The number and behavior of the nyale will determine the success of the imminent rice crops – provided the Pasola is performed well.
For weeks prior to the coming of the nyale, the beaches are avoided; and in the frenzied days before the Pasola, locals are forced to refrain from fishing. Stories abound of families slain by monsters and entire village wiped out after violating the sanctity of the Pasola.
The Pasola is preceded by pajura, or evening boxing contests. Some villages host competitions where contestants exchange verbal abuse for hours. Often the abuse is genuine and heated. Intervillage conflict is an ongoing trend in West Sumba where entire thatched hut villages are frequently burned to the ground allegedly by neighboring villages.
The Pasola is initially an briefly instigated on the beach. Then the opposing teams of about 150 per side move to firm ground. This is the sacred Pasola field, where battles have taken place for centuries.
This is a wild an martial event during which serious accidents and occasional death still occur. The Indonesian government insisted many years ago that only blunt spears be used to reduce the once high number of fatalities. In olden times, the ritual turned the fields red.
The Pasola continues through most of the day without rest and sometimes carries on into the next day. One miraculous feature of the event remains as mysterious as coming of the nyale. As any guide will tell you – and as any visitor will observe – the day of the Pasola is invariably fine weather, even if it has been raining the previous several days. Guides readily explain that this phenomenon is a “gift of grace” from the ancestor for the Pasola. Its message : let the games begin…..
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