TAJEN BALINESE COCK FIGHTING
Tajen is Balinese word for cock fighting gambling, yet in the
sense of true gambling of Bali Tajen has developed from
a small number of men gathering at the village temple
during the ritual provocating their cocks to fight each
other until one or either were dead or one gives up
armed with sharp two sided knife tied at the leg of
the cock involved in fighting. Both cocks will injure
each other, even kills one or both. This sharp knife
called " taji " which word forms "tajian",
and tajian is assimilated into " tajen " The bebebotoh
is the name of tajen gambler who use the money for betting
at the cock fighting field called " kalangan tajen
" It is not known when Balinese started to know this type of gambling.
We know that in Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan and Lombok
also exist the tradition of cock fighting, but the cock
is not armed with taji like in Bali. Here the winner
is the cock that made it's sparing smacked down until
it gave up or run away with the sigh of tortures. During
the kingdom of Bali it was permitted by the smaller
kingdoms as the source of retribution or a kind of tax.
This is probably the beginning of popularity of tajen,
which then among priests also relate it as a requirement
of religious ritual called " tabuh rah". The
meaning of tabuh rah is water or essence of blood.
During a ceremony called " macaru " some tabuhs
are needed such as alcohol of coconut ( tuak ), alcohol
of rice ( brem ), and including essence of blood. It
is not clear what is the philosophy of all this just
like the complicated
banten offering. Writer
think that the element of blood essence is the influence
of Buddhist left hand path such as Tantrayana school
who was ever existing in Bali, and it's influence on
the completion of Banten in Bali has been very strong.
If we see the Pedanda ( Hindu priest ) when conducting
various offerings, it is very clear from his hand gestures
called " Mudra ". The mudra is belong to the
tradition of Tantrayana who belives that hand gestures
can arise magic power as well as the belief of chakra in the body of human beings. It is just no reason basis that
can be understood by human being. This must all the
practiced by priests and other religious figures, that how far they understand this activity is a big question.Since
the government of Indonesia declared with regulations
that tajen is one of gambling and is forbidden, the
bebotohs looking for a reason that tajen is a tabuh
rah, for requirement of ritual, and always organize
the tajen during the temple ritual, or during family
ritual. The birth of tajen inspired a person to write
superstitious forecasts. We do not able to find out
weather the writing was made by a brahmana or a common
people. Seen from the language it would have been written
around 18th century. This manuscript is called "
Pengayam-ayaman" or simply means the consultant
for bebotohs to foresee what cock will be the winner
on certain day of the tajen, what color of the cock
will be the victorious, and at what direction the cock should
be provocated for the first time on the battle field.
The manuscript claims to be able to give clues to the
cock that will win the battle.
During the 18th century common people did not have the
skill to write such a manuscript except the priests,
even it was the fact that common people were prevented
to gain the knowledge of writing by some restrictions
imposed by the tradition such as before starting to
read and write one must got a ritual called "
meprayascitta" which is not easy for common people.
Common people can not put the written material at any place or
step down or put under the bed or at any time under lower places. If any one offences
this tradition it is said that he will be cursed by the
invisible spirit. So this is a perfect way to make
people illiterate until today. Further effort by the
priest even more conspicuous by making an opinion that
on the day of Saraswati is the day of knowledge where
manuscripts got special offering. Indeed the illiterate
also make offering to the temple aside from the offering
focused to the manuscripts or books, as the symbol of knowledge.
A myth of Dewi Saraswati, the daughter of God Brahma
is now appointed as the god of knowledge and directing
common people to get knowledge by making offering to
the Goddess of Saraswati instead of learning seriously
on knowledge. So, whatever the writing about tajen and
the symbolic knowledge, nature has succeeded in keeping people illiterate until today.
The bustling of tajen continued until 1980s without
opposition from any person or even government, most
of the bebotohs had sacrificed their properties, wife,
and children, as they have chosen to be a miserable
people, yet the view of large part of Balinese especially
house wives are totally refuse the existence of tajen.
The fact that house wives have been the most directly
affected by the tejen, as a bebotoh neglects his obligation,
even damaging his family. As naturally part of gambling,
tajen like having a magic charms of easy money, it also
triggers the presence of various type of gambling around
it such as gambling using card, balls, and others.
Gambling using card, ball, and others usually crowded
around the tajen field. A tajen has an organization
such as " sayan tajen " like a committee,
tools such as kulkul to start and stop the cock fighting,
or giving session, coconut shell water fountain to measure
the session time, and indeed a god who protects the
whole entity of tajen. See at a glance the life of bebotohs
during tajen it is hard to understand such as they are in an extasic or euporia.
There is arising opinion among bebotohs when a couple
of cocks being provoked to fight that one will be the
winner. This cock gets large part of support from audience
bebotohs, and in Balinese this cock is called "
kebut " Normally the position of kebut meaning
that most of the bebotohs will put their money to bet
on it. Those who bet the other cock which is only got
fewer betters, will be benefited by the willingness
of a large part of bebotohs on the field to double or even
triple the amount of the money be put on his winner
favorite. When the "pekembar" the two men provoke
two cocks to fight with knife already tied at each leg,
then the bebotohs standing around the field starting
to shout " biing - biing or buik-buik or cok-cok,
or gasal-gasal " and others.
Biing means that the shouter invite other bebotohs
to bet against him that he put the betting for biing
colored cock ( red cock ) and if any person put his
betting on the fighter of the red cock he wish to bet
the money on agreement of the amount. Some bebotohs
with great belief that his winner favorite will get
triple of the amount of rival betting which is indicated
by the shouting of " tluin - tluin ". Cok
and gasal. Tluin means one bet with 3 and rival with
only 1, while cok means even, and gasal means one with
bigger amount and rival smaller amount with negotiated amount.
Balinese gives cocks names
and also hen or chicken based on the color of it's feathers.
Within this mixed colors there are names such as biing ( red ), buik (
blue - black - white ), klau ( mostly blue and black ), berumbun ( mixed
color of grey, black and white ), putih ( white ), ijo ( dark green some
time with black ), and others. Beside it's good tradition to give names
for their cock that is probably at the beginning was started with the need
of easier way in tajen or rituals because both tajen and ritual have the same
importance of the name of the chicken or cock. Certain ritual can only
sacrifice biing or berumbun, while others need both or even every colors.
Until now no one can find weather tajen or ritual that has been initiated the name for the cocks.
It is probably clear about double or triple betting
above, here is tried to take an example. In a tajen
the bebotohs agreed to put into battle ( Bali : mayuang
) their cocks, say between rooster A and B. When both cocks
enter the battle field the bebotohs have the information
already of the physical superiority of each cock, added
with the information of superstitious belief of the
manuscript they will choose one of his favorite winner,
weather it will fall to A or B. Not all bebotohs use
this opinion to choose favorite winner. Some of them
only follow their feeling, some only follow others,
some use previous session fightings as the indicator of next winner.
When a large part of the bebotohs choosed A as the favorite
winner, then the rival better will imbalance, it might
come to a position that A got 70%, and B only 30%. In
this case those bebotohs who choosed A will take a risk
to put 200% of the amount of rival money to bet on A,
so who bets on B only prepare their money 30%. It is
strange that a cock which is " kebut " or
a large part of the bebotohs put betting on it have
more success compared to the minor one. This is probably
having to do with the physical condition of the cock
compared to it's rival. In this case indeed an experienced
bebotohs will know this. Today the existence of tajen
is truly on the edge of steep drop as the government
has been strongly put the measures that this type of
gambling has made most of the people of Bali fall into
misery. But the fact there are still some learnt people
giving strong advocation of this gambling on their stupidity
into the future of the society.Since
the government of Indonesia declared with regulations
that tajen is one of gambling and is forbidden, the
bebotohs looking for a reason that tajen is a tabuh
rah, for requirement of ritual, and always organize
the tajen during the temple ritual, or during family
ritual. The birth of tajen inspired a person to write
superstitious forecasts. We do not able to find out
weather the writing was made by a brahmana or a common
people. Seen from the language it would have been written
around 18th century. This manuscript is called "
Pengayam-ayaman" or simply means the consultant
for bebotohs to foresee what cock will be the winner
on certain day of the tajen, what color of the cock
will be the victorious, and at what direction the cock should
be provocated for the first time on the battle field.
The manuscript claims to be able to give clues to the
cock that will win the battle.
During the 18th century common people did not have the
skill to write such a manuscript except the priests,
even it was the fact that common people were prevented
to gain the knowledge of writing by some restrictions
imposed by the tradition such as before starting to
read and write one must got a ritual called "
meprayascitta" which is not easy for common people.
Common people can not put the written material at any place or
step down or put under the bed or at any time under lower places. If any one offences
this tradition it is said that he will be cursed by the
invisible spirit. So this is a perfect way to make
people illiterate until today. Further effort by the
priest even more conspicuous by making an opinion that
on the day of Saraswati is the day of knowledge where
manuscripts got special offering. Indeed the illiterate
also make offering to the temple aside from the offering
focused to the manuscripts or books, as the symbol of knowledge.
A myth of Dewi Saraswati, the daughter of God Brahma
is now appointed as the god of knowledge and directing
common people to get knowledge by making offering to
the Goddess of Saraswati instead of learning seriously
on knowledge. So, whatever the writing about tajen and
the symbolic knowledge, nature has succeeded in keeping people illiterate until today.
The bustling of tajen continued until 1980s without
opposition from any person or even government, most
of the bebotohs had sacrificed their properties, wife,
and children, as they have chosen to be a miserable
people, yet the view of large part of Balinese especially
house wives are totally refuse the existence of tajen.
The fact that house wives have been the most directly
affected by the tejen, as a bebotoh neglects his obligation,
even damaging his family. As naturally part of gambling,
tajen like having a magic charms of easy money, it also
triggers the presence of various type of gambling around
it such as gambling using card, balls, and others.
Gambling using card, ball, and others usually crowded
around the tajen field. A tajen has an organization
such as " sayan tajen " like a committee,
tools such as kulkul to start and stop the cock fighting,
or giving session, coconut shell water fountain to measure
the session time, and indeed a god who protects the
whole entity of tajen. See at a glance the life of bebotohs
during tajen it is hard to understand such as they are in an extasic or euporia.
There is arising opinion among bebotohs when a couple
of cocks being provoked to fight that one will be the
winner. This cock gets large part of support from audience
bebotohs, and in Balinese this cock is called "
kebut " Normally the position of kebut meaning
that most of the bebotohs will put their money to bet
on it. Those who bet the other cock which is only got
fewer betters, will be benefited by the willingness
of a large part of bebotohs on the field to double or even
triple the amount of the money be put on his winner
favorite. When the "pekembar" the two men provoke
two cocks to fight with knife already tied at each leg,
then the bebotohs standing around the field starting
to shout " biing - biing or buik-buik or cok-cok,
or gasal-gasal " and others.
Biing means that the shouter invite other bebotohs
to bet against him that he put the betting for biing
colored cock ( red cock ) and if any person put his
betting on the fighter of the red cock he wish to bet
the money on agreement of the amount. Some bebotohs
with great belief that his winner favorite will get
triple of the amount of rival betting which is indicated
by the shouting of " tluin - tluin ". Cok
and gasal. Tluin means one bet with 3 and rival with
only 1, while cok means even, and gasal means one with
bigger amount and rival smaller amount with negotiated amount.
Balinese gives cocks names
and also hen or chicken based on the color of it's feathers.
Within this mixed colors there are names such as biing ( red ), buik (
blue - black - white ), klau ( mostly blue and black ), berumbun ( mixed
color of grey, black and white ), putih ( white ), ijo ( dark green some
time with black ), and others. Beside it's good tradition to give names
for their cock that is probably at the beginning was started with the need
of easier way in tajen or rituals because both tajen and ritual have the same
importance of the name of the chicken or cock. Certain ritual can only
sacrifice biing or berumbun, while others need both or even every colors.
Until now no one can find weather tajen or ritual that has been initiated the name for the cocks.
It is probably clear about double or triple betting
above, here is tried to take an example. In a tajen
the bebotohs agreed to put into battle ( Bali : mayuang
) their cocks, say between rooster A and B. When both cocks
enter the battle field the bebotohs have the information
already of the physical superiority of each cock, added
with the information of superstitious belief of the
manuscript they will choose one of his favorite winner,
weather it will fall to A or B. Not all bebotohs use
this opinion to choose favorite winner. Some of them
only follow their feeling, some only follow others,
some use previous session fightings as the indicator of next winner.
When a large part of the bebotohs choosed A as the favorite
winner, then the rival better will imbalance, it might
come to a position that A got 70%, and B only 30%. In
this case those bebotohs who choosed A will take a risk
to put 200% of the amount of rival money to bet on A,
so who bets on B only prepare their money 30%. It is
strange that a cock which is " kebut " or
a large part of the bebotohs put betting on it have
more success compared to the minor one. This is probably
having to do with the physical condition of the cock
compared to it's rival. In this case indeed an experienced
bebotohs will know this. Today the existence of tajen
is truly on the edge of steep drop as the government
has been strongly put the measures that this type of
gambling has made most of the people of Bali fall into
misery. But the fact there are still some learnt people
giving strong advocation of this gambling on their stupidity
into the future of the society.
