Hijrah, A Cowboy of Dompu
The savannas of Sumbawa Island, West Nusa Tenggara, are a paradise for herding cows, buffaloes, horses and goats. Pengadas (cowboy, cowherd) plays an important role in ensuring good grazing.
Hijrah, 44, is one of several people who have been a pengadas for more than two decades. "Ooo ajaah, ooo ajaah," Hijrah called out over the savanna at a cattle ranch in Doro Ncanga, Dompu regency, West Nusa Tenggara. A moment later, four cows trotted up, following the sound of his call. As the cattle approached, Hijrah offered them leaves, feeding them like a father who feeds his children with affection.
Hijrah, who has one child, imitated the moo of a cow to call his livestock in Doro Ncanga, where the annual Kompas Tambora Challenge-Lintas Sumbawa 320K has ended since it was established in 2015.
We met Hijrah wwile covering the ultramarathon on May 1-4, 2019. The way Hijrah called the cattle shows the close connection between the herder and his animals. Hijrah has been a cowherd for more than two decades.
He currently tends to about 180 cows belonging to five senior officials of the Dompo and Bima regency administrations. He works under a profit-sharing agreement and receives one of three calves born to herd cattle. Cows generally give birth to one calf each year. "From the profit-sharing over the last twenty years, I have gained a herd of forty cattle, just like the owners," Hijrah smiled, proudly.
The calves he receives through the profit-sharing agreement are the main source of his income. He usually sells the cattle to raise funds to support his children\'s education, to renovate his house, or to hold a thanksgiving party. The current price of a yearling is about Rp 6 million (US$422.50), while a female yearling sells for about Rp 4 million. A breeding cow is worth Rp 10 million, while a bull can sell for up to Rp 15 million.
However, herding livestock in Dompu is not an easy job. The weather is the greatest challenge. The rainy season in Dompu lasts only four months and the remaining months are a blisteringly hot dry season during which the grass dry out, the trees lose their leaves, and the springs shrink. Calves can often die from starvation during this cruel season.
To avoid feed shortages, Hijrah keeps track of local residents who harvest rice, corn and peanuts. He buys the waste from the food crops as livestock feed and transports them by truck to the ranch.
Apart from the weather, worms and scabies are another challenge. If the cattle develop a pest infestation, he usually contacts a veterinarian in Dompu or orders the medicines and syringes to be delivered. "If [the vet] cannot come, I ask him to send the medicine. I can inject a sick cow myself because I have often seen how it is done, and have also been told how to do it," said Hijrah.
Rickety motorcycle
As a cowherd, it is his job to control the herds on the savanna. Grasslands cover 1,966 hectares of Doro Ncanga. The cattle usually start grazing at 6:00 a.m. and are herded home around 3:00 p.m.
Years ago, when no motorcycles were available, the cowherds traveled the vast savanna on horseback. However, horses are more expensive than motorcycles today. Besides, Hijrah is better at riding a motorcycle than riding a horse for herding.
He uses an old motorcycle that consists of only a chassis, a saddle, an engine and wheels. Even so, Hijrah feels comfortable on his motorcycle, which is easier to control, especially when passing through muddy terrain after rain. In addition, a motorcycle is more agile and swift at maneuvering bumps and down narrow, zigzagging trails.
Hijrah said the cattle are branded on their left and right flanks and their ears for identification.
Each cowherd has a different brand for identifying their cattle to avoid mix-ups. Even so, cowherds usually possess a "supernatural power" for identifying their own livestock simply by looking at them, even from a distance, an extraordinary sensory ability developed over years of experience.
"Oh, those are my cows," said Hijrah, pointing to a herd grazing about 100 meters from where he stood.
Even though he has a kind of "radar" for keeping track of his cattle, Hijrah had a bitter experience when he lost one of his cows that fell into a river and was eaten by predators. If the cow had survived, it should have been able to find its way back to the herd. "Cattle will become restless if they are not among the herd," said Hijrah.
Cowherds have a kind of unspoken agreement: If they find a cow from another herd, they will return the animal to its herd. That is how a brand works, and cowherds are generally familiar with the brands of other cowherds.
"According to the agreement, we must be honest and should tell the other cowherd, for example, ‘Hey, your cow followed my herd. Please come get it,” he said. This honor code is why cattle owners trust cowherds like Hijrah to care for their livestock.
Instinct
Hijrah truly understands the behavior of the animals. For example, cattle and buffaloes always take the same route home, even if a new one is established. The cattle also remember the color of clothing and even the sound of their cowherd’s motorcycles. This is why cowherds almost never change their clothes while they are out among the herd: They have just one "uniform". If the cowherds changed their clothes all the time, the cattle will find it difficult to recognize their caretakers. "Even if it becomes worn out or torn, I still wear this brown ‘uniform’," he said.
Sometimes, Hijrah must act like a matador, especially when wrangling cows for sale or for breaking (taming) them at the owner’s request. His usual method of wrangling is to pull the cow’s tail until it becomes too weak to run away.
After that, Hijrah wrestles the cow to the ground, sits on its neck, and then ties it up. He then places a wooden yoke on its neck to calm it down. Once the cow has become docile, he removes the yoke. With his years of experience, he has become an expert cowherd, just as good as American cowboys.
Hijrah
Born: Kempo district, Dompu regency, 1977
Wife: Siti Hajar, 42
Child: Nada Jahratunnisa, grade 6, SD Negri 13 Kempo elementary school
Education: SD Negri 2 Kempo elementary school (class of 1990)