Risk essence of W. Sumatran bullfight legend
Risk essence of W. Sumatran bullfight legend
By Wisnu Pramudya
KOTO BARU, West Sumatra (JP): Cubit, a veteran fighting bull owned by a resident in the Tanah Datar regency, stamped his hoofs near the bullfighting arena in this mountainous town.
Over the last two years, the less-than-impressive looking beast has never been defeated. For the many lovers of this traditional sport, the indefatigable Cubit is a promise of exciting fights and the possibility of lucrative winnings.
On this Tuesday afternoon, Cubit was supposed to prove again the fighting skills for which he is famous. The arena was filled by hundreds of spectators, local and foreigners, impatiently awaiting for Cubit to start.
Three other bulls, all Cubit's challengers, stood separately in the muddy arena.
One of the challengers is a big, black brute, standing the away from the rest and snorting impatiently. His long, black gleaming horns sharpened to a deadly point.
The two other challengers get impatient, pacing around the arena, while equally impatient spectators start whispering their bets to one another. In this predominantly Moslem society, gambling and betting are frowned upon, but people continue to bet at the bullfights.
Cubit, whose name means "to pinch", looked amazingly calm amidst the tensed atmosphere. He spent his time wallowing in a puddle.
A set of loud speakers in the corners of the arena started to belt out saluang (bamboo) music to accompany a local singer. As usual, the lyrics are traditional, wise sayings, some of them even contain some religious advice.
As soon as the fight is ready to commence, the swarm of spectators are warned to disperse and stand a safe distance away from the ring. Two bulls are led into the arena, which is about one and a half times the width of a football field.
One owner sips water, which a soothsayer has said a mantra over, and spits it on his bull's head.
He then prayed silently and caressed its head.
Two referees, clad in black, cut the harnesses of the beasts. They are ready to fight.
Seconds later, the heads of the bulls thud together. One referee bellowed, "Kabau lah balago!" (The bulls have started to fight!), signaling the start of game time.
Unfortunately, this particular bout didn't last long, it was finished within three minutes with the challenger, Hitam, running out of the ring.
It was now Cubit's turn. He circled his challenger and, just like a pro boxer, bided his time before he smashing his horns into the other beast's head.
Mud splattered around, and the steam of the beasts' hot breath came out of their nostrils. Shouts issued from the audience, while blood trickled out of the wounds in the bulls' head and neck. The fight began to get really ugly when the sharpened horns jabbed into the eyes of the beasts.
The fight lasted for almost half an hour, plenty of time for Indonesians to decide which bull to bet on. The spectators were being Cubit, but groaned in disappointed minutes later when he ran away.
Legend and history
Bullfighting is a ancient tradition of the highlanders of the ethnic Minangkabau. Mochtar Naim, a sociologist who graduated from the University of Singapore and is an expert on the Minangkabau culture, said there was no clear origin of the tradition.
The only explanation comes from a legend.
"The legend of the bullfight originated from the dichotomy of the culture of Minangkabau and Javanese culture," Mochtar told The Jakarta Post recently.
The legend says that the powerful Patih Gadjah Mada of the Madjapahit sultanate in Java vowed to unite the archipelago into one great kingdom and sent a great number of troops to conquer Minangkabau.
When the troops reached the border, a messenger was sent to meet the rulers of Minangkabau people in Pagaruyung. He bore an ultimatum that the people surrender.
The Minangkabau leaders, aware their army was less powerful, suggested that no war should be fought. "Symbols of the two peoples would suffice," the leaders of Minangkabau said, deciding on the bulls.
So it was decided: if the Javanese bull won, then Madjapahit could rule the Minangkabau. The Minangkabau leaders, however, had no intention of taking over Java and the Madjapahit kingdom even if their bull won. Their only term was that every man in the Javanese kingdom "dress like a women" if their bull won, according to Mochtar.
And so a bullfight was prepared. The Madjapahit men prepared the strongest, greatest brute they could find, while the Minangkabau people took out a calf which had not been nursed for days.
The Minangkabau attached a sharp knife to the calf's head and let it go. The animal went straight for the bigger bull's belly, trying to nurse. In a very short time, the Javanese bull had been gutted.
The word Minangkabau (the winning buffalo), people say, came from the legendary bullfight. And, as legend has it, around this time Javanese men started to wear blangkon (a hat with a small knot on the back which makes it look like a woman's hair bun).
The Javanese men also wear surjan, a high-necked blouse which covers up their Adam's apples, and jarit (wrapped around sarong or batik cloth that women also wear).
The keris, the traditional weapon of Javanese men, is placed near the men's behind rather than in front or on their sides. In addition, Javanese men also walk rather bent, "just like the way a shy woman walks," Mochtar said.
"Remember, this is only a legend...it is probably only the Minangkabau sarcasm against the Javanese," he said.
"For the people of Minangkabau, Java symbolized greatness and power, and so they decided that the weak and the small had to outwit this powerful people," he said.
The legend is so popular that even now many Minangkabau people feel intellectually superior than the Javanese, who they see as a powerful ethnic group.
Tourist attraction
The bullfight itself is now an important attraction for both domestic and foreign tourists. In the regency of Kotobaru, situated between the towns of Bukittinggi and Padangpanjang, the bullfight is held every Tuesday and never lacks visitors who only pay 500 (US$ 0.22).
The arena itself is located at the foot of a hill facing beautiful Mount Merapi. Those who come only to watch can sit comfortably on a balcony, protected from rain by a roof made of leaves from sugar palms.
Most locals, however, come to bet. They choose to stand as close as possible to the ring, encouraging the bulls they have bet on.
According to Mochtar, the betting signifies "a dichotomy between cultures and Islamic laws" which clearly prohibit gambling.
For centuries, since the introduction of Islam to the Minangkabau highland, there has always been conflict between the culture and the religious laws, he explained. Only a century ago, after the Paderi war between the kaum adat, or people of tradition, with the kaum agama or people of religion, that a treaty was established.
Culture and religion were incorporated, he explained. Hence came the sayings, Adat bersendi syara,, syara bersendi kitabullah or tradition is founded upon the religious laws, while the laws originated from the Book of God (the Koran).
The treaty bound the Minangkabau people to stay away from traditions which are against the religious laws. "But, that's only in theory," Mochtar said. "In reality, there are many traditions which are against the religious laws and thrive anyway."
The bullfights are the best example, Mochtar pointed out. Islam prohibits cruelty to animals and gambling, but the fights have both in abundance, he said.