The Pasola Festival of Sumba | When the Worms Didn’t Come

In 1994, when travel journalist Ron Gluckman observed the Pasola ritual in Sumba, all of the “signs” were not bad – the precious nyale worms were abundant, suggesting a prosperous harvest as well as plenty of blood was spilled by the spear-yielding horsemen. Twenty years after Gluckman’s dramatic account of blood, sacrifice as well as death, I visited the island of Sumba in East Indonesia to learn more about which animist festival, which happens every February as well as March. however in 2014, the signs weren’t not bad. The worms didn’t come as well as confusion reigned on Sumba.

currently the ancient ways of Sumba are changing because of completely new variables including the introduction of Islam, tourism, climate change, over-fishing, poverty as well as damage to the environment. which has had startling impacts on their shamanic culture, which is actually intimately entwined with the fragile dynamics of the island’s ecosystems. Sumba is actually considered to be one of the poorest islands in Indonesia economically as well as sources of income include ikat (fine cloth), tourism, fishing as well as agriculture.

During my visit to the pasola festival I stayed at the home of Jefry Dapamerang, who worked at the Department of Culture as well as Tourism of West Sumba. “The function of which department is actually to promote the potentials [sic] of West Sumba tourism inside as well as outside the country. The initiatives to bring tourism to Sumba opened completely new work opportunities for the Sumbanese, including tour guides, natural trekking guides as well as ikat cloth-generating,” explained Jefry.

On my second day in Waikabubak, I decided to buy some ikat as well as visited the traditional villages of Kampung Tarung as well as Kampung Waitabar, where which is actually possible to stay overnight for a donation. Amongst the horses as well as dogs, the villagers peered at me curiously before showing me their traditional wares. I chose a thick fabric using a white horse motif as well as a family invited me into their home – a stove was burning which they used to make thick coffee. I found the villagers to be open as well as friendly, however there was also a strain of sadness. They seemed cognisant which their standards of living were ‘poor’ compared to different islands in Indonesia, whereas before they had lived culturally rich lives, full of pride in their bravery as they risked their lives at their festivals – currently they were losing their self-esteem. I wanted to see the pasola as well as find out more about which diminishing culture.

Pasola is actually an ancient animist festival in which skilled horsemen injure (as well as infrequently kill) each different with bamboo spears – blood must be spilled to ensure a not bad harvest.

through Jefry’s house, close to the beach where the pasola festival is actually held every February, I left at dawn, traveling towards the queue of cars as well as motorbikes which were already waiting to park at the beach. We passed sad-looking locals carrying empty buckets who explained which the nyale worms hadn’t come. “If there is actually no nyale, there will be rats,” explained Esra as we looked at nearby fragile fields of gold. At the beach, the ratu (shamans) stared melancholically at the sea while waiting for a late shaman in order to start the divination by reading the intestines of a sacrificed chicken.

As the shamans waited, we heard jeers through the different side of the beach – the pasola had already began without their signal. Confused, we ventured towards the men who were already steering their horses into a circle, brandishing their spears. Tensions were high as well as a drunk man riding a horse tried to stab another participant who ran towards the sand dunes for safety. The crowd dispersed into a cloud of adrenaline as well as I later discovered which historically, some men with grudges would certainly wait until the pasola for their chance to exact revenge.

which afternoon I headed to Kodi in Western Sumba for the pasola at Kodi Bawa. Staying overnight at a losmen I ventured towards the festival at dawn, however we discovered which worms had not been found there either. Drinking coffee in a makeshift tent was a man using a damaged eye through a pasola injury. He explained which the lack of worms was because of iklim (climate change) as well as the fish stocks were diminishing too. In Kodi there were fewer tourists, the locals seemed more traditional as well as many wore ikat – I stuck out like a sore thumb. Some people were drinking alcohol early inside morning as the pasola commenced as well as I breathed inside crowd’s fumes of kretek smoke. As the spears flew, one man was hit, nearly losing his eye as well as the circle rippled with cheers.

Resorts in Sumba are essentially selling the ‘wildness’ of Sumba – an inherent spark which has been lost through the CCTV worlds of development. however are the Sumbanese ready for tourism? Anthropologist of Sumbanese culture, Janet Hoskins, feels which the tourist gaze can be seen as threatening or aggressive to the locals, so how can tourism become more responsible in Sumba?

“Tourists can use Sumbanese traditional clothes or attributes, use clothing in a polite manner as well as not consume alcohol inside arena of pasola,” suggested Jefry. He believes which “preserving the tradition as well as culture of West Sumba is actually an essential thing” as well as tourism is actually one way to generate income. However, he admits concerns over the “penetration of amoral cultural habits like drugs as well as alcohol through different cultures to our younger generation.”

If tourists can be respectful, a great relationship could be developed to enable the people of Sumba to develop sustainably as well as preserve their culture. “People still have a strong belief in these cultural rituals. which was initially the elders have made a wrong prediction,” said Jefry, who later explained which the harvests of 2014 were prosperous.

Perhaps magic is actually not stagnant; which must evolve with the times since many completely new factors have been added to the ecosystem as well as nature has become more unpredictable. Hopefully the perceptive seers amongst them will continue to penetrate these mysteries as well as maintain their magical culture.