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MILENE LARSSON: Sumba is known as the cowboy island of the
South Seas.
With its unspoiled beaches and rolling hills dotted with
horses, it would probably have been Indonesian Ibeza by now,
had it not been for its headhunting warrior clans and
ancient blood sacrifice traditions.
The highlight of the blood sacrifice calendar is the
Pasola, a clan battle where men on horseback throw spears
at each other in order to fertilize the
soil with human blood.
Imagine a tribal version of the Olympic games, with holy
sea worm processions, animal sacrifice, and bare-knuckle
boxing on a dark beach.
-[SHOUTING AND ULULATING]
-[SPEAKING KAMBERA]
MILENE LARSSON: We wanted to see the Pasola for ourselves,
so we traveled to Bali for 18 hours and then took a
propeller plane to Sumba.
Thank you.
There are Pasola battles in four villages in February and
March every year.
We arrived a few days before the largest Pasola, which is
in Wanukaka where we were staying with descendants of
the royal Mamodo family from the island's Praibakul clan.
Hi.
I'm Milene.
RIAN: How are you?
MILENE LARSSON: OK, what's the traditional greeting here?
MILENE LARSSON: OK.
So we're finally in Wanukaka, and we're staying with a guy
called Rudy and his family.
Who, they have this house, and we have this little
sweat box over here.
I don't know how I'm going to survive this.
It's so hot.
There are like skulls and things everywhere here.
Animal jaws and skulls are signs of wealth, as it shows
the family can afford to eat meat.
Whoa.
To gain the village's trust, we first had to walk up a
small mountain to meet with an important priest of the
island's animist Marapu religion called ratu Dangu
Duka, who's famous because half of his face has
mysteriously turned black.
We're finally on top of the mountain, and this looks
absolutely amazing.
It could be 1,000 years ago.
You have old houses, you have megaliths.
When the ratu showed up, he seemed unfazed by our presence
until I stepped on a stone that was
supposedly a spirit's house.
I just put my foot on a stone which is apparently holy.
I didn't know.
The holy man got angry, so I hope this will go well.
What can happen if I step on a spirit's house?
RATU DANGU DUKA: [SPEAKING KAMBERA]
MILENE LARSSON: It's common courtesy to chew a
psychoactive drug called betel nut before engaging in
conversation with the ratu.
Wow.
That was like chewing coffee beans with chlorine.
Maybe I could get used to it.
It's like coffee or wine or something, it takes a little
getting used to.
RATU DANGU DUKA: [SPEAKING KAMBERA]
MILENE LARSSON: Why is blood so important
to the Pasola ritual?
RATU DANGU DUKA: [SPEAKING KAMBERA]
MILENE LARSSON: I hear that now you have
to use blunt spears.
When did the government start butting in to the Pasola?
RATU DANGU DUKA: [SPEAKING KAMBERA]
MILENE LARSSON: Human sacrifice isn't punishable
during the Pajura or the Pasola because the Indonesian
law system steps aside and gives way to a local clan law
called adat.
RATU DANGU DUKA: [SPEAKING KAMBERA]
MILENE LARSSON: It's a Balinese cigar.
It's good.
The ratu seemed more interested in chewing his
betel nuts than chatting with us, so we met with a Danish
doctor for the Sumba Foundation who has become a
local hero after having helped eased the
island's malaria epidemic.
MILENE LARSSON: A few days later, we heard that seven
people were decapitated in a land brawl not far from where
we were staying.
[PIG SQUEALING]
MILENE LARSSON: Herman Dagu and Stefan Ustedi are two of
Wanukaka's fiercest Pasola warriors.
Are you Praibakul, and you're fighting the Waihura?
HERMAN DAGU: Yeah.
MILENE LARSSON: Who usually wins?
HERMAN DAGU: [SPEAKING KAMBERA]
MILENE LARSSON: Rather than a competition, the Pasola
battles and the Pajura boxing are chances for the clans to
settle old scores.
STEFAN USTEDI: [SPEAKING KAMBERA]
MILENE LARSSON: So these are the spears you use?
STEFAN USTEDI: [SPEAKING KAMBERA]
MILENE LARSSON: Can I try to chuck your spear?
STEFAN USTEDI: OK.
MILENE LARSSON: Only one hand?
Woo!
Is that good?
No?
I hear you're the fiercest fighter in the village.
How come?
HERMAN DAGU: [SPEAKING KAMBERA]
MILENE LARSSON: I see you have lots of
Britney Spears posters.
Do you like Britney Spears?
MILENE LARSSON: Herman's horse even looked like Britney.
HERMAN DAGU: [SPEAKING KAMBERA]
MILENE LARSSON: Woo!
That was good.
Ow!
What?
I twisted my ankle.
After the ratu's prediction that I would hurt my leg after
stepping on that spirit's house, I strangely started
falling over a lot, twisting my ankle, grazing my knees,
and even burning my calf on the gas pipe of a motorbike.
STEFAN USTEDI: Yeah.
MILENE LARSSON: Yeah, it's going to be fine?
STEFAN USTEDI: Yeah.
MILENE LARSSON: Thank you.
STEFAN USTEDI: Yeah.
MILENE LARSSON: Have you ever gotten hurt during the Pasola?
HERMAN DAGU: [SPEAKING KAMBERA]
STEFAN USTEDI: [SPEAKING KAMBERA]
MILENE LARSSON: An old Pasola veteran also wanted to share
some wisdom with us.
-[SPEAKING KAMBERA]
HERMAN DAGU: [SPEAKING KAMBERA]
STEFAN USTEDI: [SPEAKING KAMBERA]
[CROWD CHEERING]
[SOBBING]
STEFAN USTEDI: [SPEAKING KAMBERA]
-[SPEAKING KAMBERA]
MILENE LARSSON: These days, human sacrifice only happens
during the Pasola, because even blunt spears can
sometimes kill.
And it's believed that if a fighter dies, he sacrifices
himself for the harvest.