By the HORNS

By the Horns

For the people of Madura, bulls do not only have an economic function but are also a source of prestige, status and village pride. Ludhy Cahyana takes a look at the island's legendary and unique bull races.

 

At the end of October, the sting of the sun in the sky above Madura was not friendly at all. The rows of salt fields gleamed white and reflected the heat. The windmill pumping seawater into said fields rotated lazily. The rainy season was late arriving, and Madura was dry and parched.

 

At the end of last October however, a debate was also raging over the bull races that are collectively known as kerapan sapi, and this row turned out to be even hotter than the scorching dry season. Governor’s Circular No.1/Inst/2012, dated May 1, 2012, regarding the Holding of the Bull Races without Violence - which is supported by the island’s ulama (Islamic preachers) - strictly prohibited kerapan sapi that involved any acts of aggression. “Kerapan will be returned to their original non-violent tradition,” stated the cultural expert and Vice Regent of Pamekasan, Kadarisman Sastrodiwirjo.

Madura’s kerapan sapi date all the way back to the thirteenth century and, according to Kadarisman, the Prince of Katandur, a nobleman from Sapudi Island in Sumenep, was one of the figures who first popularized the event. Apparently, the diligence of the prince was observed by his people, who imitated him by using bulls to plough their own fields. As a result, the previously barren Sapudi Island became fertile and started to produce abundant harvests. Prince Katandur then started to hold races for his working bulls as a gesture of gratitude for the abundant harvest, and also to create some entertainment for his people.

The heavy ploughs were substituted with light bamboo versions to help the bulls run faster, and the kerapan sapi eventually turned into a kind of folk festival. Initially, there was no violence at the races and bulls were only lightly hit with pieces of wood or bamboo. When inter-village races started to be held however (and even inter-region races, such as that during the President’s Cup), an increased amount of violence began to be inflicted upon the bulls.

The tokang tongko (jockeys) began to employ rekkeng (sticks with nails on them) to hit their bulls’ rumps in order to make them run faster. “Wounds on the bulls were washed in spirit, and their tails were pierced with pins. Even the bulls’ eyes were smeared with balsam to make them panic and run as fast as they could,” explained Mat Halil, a longtime kerapan-sapi fan. This harsh treatment of the islanders’ animals spurred Madura’s ulama to become concerned about such torture, even though the people considered such cruelty to be a part of tradition.

As a result, the island’s Association of Racing Bull Owners is currently split. Members in the regencies of Bangkalan, Sumenep and Pamekasan comply with the Governor’s official circular and have now ceased perpetrating acts of violence and cruelty upon their racing bulls, while those in Sampang remain opposed to the initiative and continue with the old ways.

“We will continue to stage the race with violence, because we respect participants who have passed the selection process at the district and regional levels,” the Chairperson of the Racing Bulls Association of Pamekasan, Suparto, has stated.

And so it transpired that on October 21, the President’s Cup bull race was held in two versions: one in Bangkalan without violence and one in Sampang with violence. In 2013 however, the President’s Cup race will be held as one event once again of which no violence may be inflicted upon the bulls.

Kerapan refers to bulls that race with kaleles - which are made of light bamboo. The kaleles function as seats for the bulls jockeys (tokang tongko). In order to keep a pair of bulls together, a pangonong is placed on their necks.

Did You Know?

There are several types of kerapan, for example kerrap kei (a small race), kerrap raja (a grand race), kerrap onjangan (an invitational race) and kerrap jar-ajaran (an exercise race).

Racing bulls are selected for certain characteristics. So called “water chested” bulls, for example, are of smaller sizes and long backed, with hooves that are closer together. They are also straight, strong, long tailed and chubby.

Racing bulls are lavished with attention and are, at certain times, given herbal remedies. Often, all of this pampering costs more than the prizes that are on offer for winning a competition.

There are three main types of racing bulls: those that get “hot quickly” (stimulated easily only by hot powders and drugs), “cold” bulls (which need to be hit many times before a race) and “kowat Kaso” bulls (requires warm-up)

For a competition, an owner needs to prepare the aforementioned tokang tongko (jockey), a tokang tambeng (whose job is to hold, open, and let go of a kind of starting gate), a tokang gettak (to yell at the bull so that it runs faster), tokang gubra (who intimidate the bulls by shouting and cheering them along the race track), a tokang ngeba tali (who holds the reins of the bull from start to finish), a tokang nyandak (who stops the bull when it has reached the finish line), and finally a tokang tonja (whose job it is to walk the bull between races).

BULLS IN THE MADURESE COMMUNITY

“It’s alright for the people of Madura not to have taken a bath yet, but bulls must already be bathed,” explained cultural commentator Kadarisman Sastrodiwirjo. That is how much the Madurese love their bulls. Madurese bulls are thus characterized by their gleaming brown, healthy, well-groomed and, above all, clean hides.

Bulls have important economic value in the community, as they help farmers work the fields and are also sold for their meat. “Because of the islanders excessive love for these animals, their bulls used to be housed in their large kitchens,” Kadarisman stated. This way, they were warmed by the smoke from the wood fires which also doubled up as mosquito repellants for the animals.

Would be champion bulls are trained from a young age. Prize sprinters are bathed in the morning and dried off standing in a position where their front legs are atop a toppled tree trunk. “This practice results in a strong bull that always looks straight forward,” explained Kadarisman. The Madurese believe that bulls that look down are weak.

To help the bulls develop good stamina, they are fed a combination of ginger, pepper and various herbs mixed with around 30 eggs. This concoction is fed to the bulls with the aid of a piece of bamboo. The bulls also receive massages with balsam in order to make their muscles flexible and their bodies lithe, and racing bulls are invariably muscular and sturdy.

One-to-two-year-old racing bulls are valued at IDR 90 million and this price can skyrocket to up to IDR 300 million when they are finally ready to race.

Garuda Magazine 12.12