Stand off: A Sumbanese clan faces their enemies at the Pasola tournament.
The more blood spilled in this annual ritual, the better the harvest will be
A visit to Sumba Island in East Nusa Tenggara is usually synonymous with the silent beauties of beaches, rice fields and megalithic tombs. Contrasted with this peaceful paradise, the island's annual pasola event can at first appear in a different realm altogether.
The pasola is an intoxicating frenzy of skilled horsemanship, fighting prowess and accurate spear-throwing on a mock battlefield. It is an exciting display of action - exhilarating and frightening at the same time.
The festival is heavily influenced by the local faith of Marapu and is closely connected to the harvest season.
Marapu represents the local people's ancestral spirits, who are believed to be the bridge between mankind and the gods.
In the tournament, two teams of spear-wielding horsemen charge toward each other at lightning speed, balancing their weight perfectly as they hurl their sola (spears) with precision at their opponents.
The battle goes on for five hours under the intense heat of the sun. The warriors keep up their assaults on the opposition, determined to score as many hits as possible and draw some blood, which in turn raises their esteem in the village.
The more blood spilled, the better the harvest, according to the beliefs of this ancient culture. If insufficient blood is spilt, the tournament often finishes with hand-to-hand fighting by the opposing clans.
Pasola is not so much about a war between opposing clans as the need to spill human blood to satisfy the ancient spirits and bring about a prosperous harvest, which is crucial to the livelihood of the people of Sumba, many of whom come from very poor villages.
These days, steel-tipped spears are banned from the festival. However, fatalities can still occur. In a recent pasola event, for example, two horsemen - one of them speared in the eye - were killed.
The pasola is traditionally performed in four different villages in West Sumba in February and March each year and this year they were held in the Lamboya and Kodi areas in February and in Wanokaka and Gaura in March.
The actual date and time of the tournaments are only revealed a few days beforehand and are preceded by the nyale ritual, in which the rato (high priest) watches over the coastline during the full moon and waits until the nyale worms are washed up on the shore.
Once the first batch of the nyale worms are found on the beach, they will be brought to a rato council to be analysed. If the nyale worms are fat and healthy, the ensuing rice harvest will be successful.
The rato play a critical part in this process as they make offerings to the spirits of the ocean and Marapu.
February and March is the transition time between the wet and dry seasons and this is when the new rice seedlings are planted.
In February this year, the Lamboya pasola started with a bit of a setback. The worms did not appear from the sea, mostly due to a drier than usual wet season. The pasola went ahead regardless.
According to folklore, the result of this year's harvest will be left to rest on the blood of the warriors spilled on the pasola field.
If you go
Beyond Bali and Lambock, Nusa Tengara (Southeast Islands) is in eastern Indonesia. The gateways to the eastern islands are Bali and Lambock. The only direct international connection from anywhere outside Indonesia directly to the islands is on SilkAir from Singapore 3 times a week to Lombok's International Airport.
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Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2013/05/22/pasola-a-fascinating-fighting-frenzy/
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