‘I am heading to the Edge of Wilderness’, says my driver as I arrive at the tiny airport of Sumba. In my head, after some research and website stalking, I am sure I am heading to a piece of heaven, but alas, the Edge of Wilderness will do for now. As I cover my face…
Battle commences during Pasola – a February harvest ritual borne of cultural pride – where horsemen astride Sumbawa ponies clash on rugged flatland and the ground flows red. Yet the spilled blood is said to fertilise the soil, ensuring a good harvest: the true victory for these warriors. Words by Laura Brown for World Traveller…
A little over fifty years ago Sumba was the land of humble warriors, where the blood that was shed during yearly Pasolas and the sacrifices made to honour ancestors seeped into the ground to incite a better harvest. On this indigenous island in the middle of the Indian Ocean, on the southern stretch of Indonesia,…
