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[My Photo scholarship 2011 entry] Pacu Jawi / Cow race

Indonesia | Tuesday, November 8, 2011 | 5 photos

After the rice harvest in the province of West Sumatra, Indonesia an exciting cultural event named “Pacu Jawi” or cow race is held. It’s a gathering with great food and a bazaar, but it gets really interesting when the racing begins.

The jockeys pair up their swift and strong cattle for an all out sprint race down a narrow strip of flooded field prior to planting. The jockeys drive their cattle with their bare feet
resting on a lightweight wooden plow harness and hold on for a wild ride by grasping the cow’s tails. Some jockeys ask for that extra bit of speed by clenching their teeth around the tail.

With a roar of the crowd, the cows and jockey explode from
the start with a shower of muddy water and focused determination to sprint to the finish for the honor of being
quickest. They must run the straight course without deviation.
A good race performance can lead to generating a higher price for those farmers that plan to sell breeding stock.

Capturing and sharing images of unusual events complement my twin passions of Photography and Travel to exotic locations to witness in a visceral way how people live, work, and play. I have had a wanderlust since a childhood and hiked remote mountainsides. This scholarship is one way for me to reach my dream for being a travel photographer. Although my home country is Indonesia, I live in the USA where I’ve had the opportunity to travel & hunt for interesting locations to capture by photograph.