Dogs lead way toward community boar hunts
Dogs lead way toward community boar hunts
PADANGPANJANG, West Sumatra (JP): Joining a band of men and dogs in the traditional boar hunt here exercises both the body and the mind.
Not only do you see the rich culture of the Minangkabau, an ethnic group in West Sumatra, but are also able to immerse in the natural beauty of this small town at the foot the famous Mount Merapi.
Gettong, a veteran hunting dog, limped along on his three remaining legs. A trophy of his deadly wrestle with a boar four years ago.
Growling ferociously, he tugged at his leash. This set dozens of other dogs off, they began to growl and tug too. They were all impatient to start the hunt.
Mak Uning, the owner of the dog whose name means "mutilated", struggled to keep Gettong from shooting ahead into the woods beside the Sawahlunto-Sijunjung village.
Gettong's colleagues, all skilled hunters, were positioned in a semi-circle around a woods boars usually hide in before raiding rice paddy at night.
Soon, it was the dogs who were leading their owners. The men chased after the dogs running through rice fields and bushes, climbing over hedges and small hills, splashing into puddles of mud. The dog owners were soon drenched in sweat.
The dogs bounded into the usually quiet woods, their barking filling the silence; indicating their positions to their pursuing masters.
Shouts echoed through the green hills: "Woaaaaaaeeeeiii. Ado di sikoo. Banyoaaaak ko! (Hey, boars here. Lots of them)"
Shouting is the only effective means of communication during a hunt.
"Woaaaaaaeeeeiii...lupak kulai-ku ado nan jumpo? Hilaaang, hilaaang! (Anybody seen my dog? He's missing)"
"Di ateh Daaa... di ateeeeh Daaa! (Up there, brother)"
The dogs followed the barked commands of their leaders, especially Gettong. The owners, however, usually wait until they are sure boars are around before letting go of the leash.
Gettong and the first group of dogs were already in the woods, chasing and fighting the boars. Its a serious battle. The dogs must either kill or be maimed by the boars' horns.
Once a boar is felled, it is a goner. The hundreds of growling dogs attack it greedily, tearing it apart. The noise is deafening. The scene is horrifying as the dogs lick blood off their fangs.
After feasting on the flesh of the boar, the dogs return to the owners, ready to pursue other boars in other spots in the woods. Folklore says that the more blood a dog tastes, the more skillful a hunter it will become.
The dogs don't always get a kill. Sometimes they lose track of the boars. Some dogs, like Gettong, fail infrequently, but others aren't as skillful and fail to sniff out a boar. The owners pat their heads, and encourage them to try again.
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Gettong is one of the most respected hunters. Not only has he drunk the most blood, he also boasts several marks of bravery. In addition to the loss of his hind leg, he has a cut on his forehead, a scar across his belly and another scar on his neck.
With such "medals of valor", no wonder Gettong is treated well by his owner. He is bathed regularly, and has had various vaccinations -- something not all dogs enjoy.
He even gets special food and is allowed to roam in the yard. Not every dog enjoys so much freedom in this predominantly Moslem community, where dogs are seen as haram (forbidden).
Two other dogs which have almost reached Gettong's standing are Koboi and Tumbok. They are fed only boiled white rice. Their owner, Munif, believes that depriving them of meat is the secret to good hunting skills.
Jacky, another of Munif's dogs, eats boiled rice with sambal lado (traditional Minangkabau dish featuring meat with lots of chili).
Watching how tenderly these men take care of their dogs, one cannot help but compare it to Javanese men's attachment to caged birds. These men willingly go hungry as long as their dogs are well fed.
There's no specific physical features to signify a good hunt dog from the rest.
"Some dogs like to hunt, others just don't," Munif explained. "Even the hunters don't like to hunt when the time comes for them to mate."
Fading
Even one of the oldest dog owners, Abdul Munif Zainal, feels that there is a great possibility that boar hunting may soon cease to exist.
"Boars are becoming rarer," the former civil servant said. He was first taken hunting 40 years ago at the age of 17 by his father.
Even if someday all boars are gone, he believes he will still hunt. It's in his blood as a Minangkabau man in this town. He cannot imagine a Sunday without a hunt.
"If my village runs out of boars, I'll join hunters in other villages," Abdul asserted.
Villages raise yellow flags beside a picture of boar to signify a hunt in progress. Anyone is welcome to join the hunters.
Recently, there were attempts to organize the hunt to make it more attractive to tourists. The Boar-hunt Association has for several years organized major hunting events, inviting hundreds of dog owners from different regencies to join.
In the last large hunt, held soon after planting, hundreds of hunters came and dozens of boars were killed.
This traditional pastime allows people to mingle. Farmers, small traders, and local government officials, young and old, mix and run together behind their dogs.
"Hunting may not always result in a boar getting killed, but it sure gives us the opportunity to get more new friends," Kiyo, a 75-year old hunter, told The Jakarta Post. "We know we really have friends and togetherness while hunting."
-- Wisnu Pramudya