Buffalo fighting in Toraja, Indonesia : a new form of gambling arising from a funeral tradition

Feriyanto, Feriyanto (author), Hitipeuw, Imanuel (author), Setiyowati, Ninik (author), Mantong Tendenan, Vani (author), Toding, Novita (author)

The article examines how buffalo fighting (tedong silaga) in Toraja, Indonesia, has transformed from a ritual practice within a funeral ceremony (Rambu Solo’) to become a socially embedded gambling arena. The research used an exploratory qualitative design. Data were collected via in-depth, semi-structured interviews with the elders, minaa or ritual leaders, religious leaders, the owners of fighting buffalos, local youth, and local government. Findings show that ritual commodification, moral rationalisation, and communal conformity have enabled betting practices to gain social legitimacy without significant normative conflict. Buffalo fighting exemplifies culturally embedded gambling where sacred symbolism and a competitive market logic coexist via continuous social negotiation.

• Language: English
• Keywords: transformation, buffalo fighting, Toraja, social legitimacy, culturally embedded gambling, games of chance, rituals, qualitative research, Indonesia
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Geographic coverage: Indonezija
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 09.07.2026
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: Str. 349-368
• Numbering: Letn. 63, št. 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-184776
• UDC: 393:794.9(594)
• ISSN on article: 0040-3598
• DOI: 10.51936/tip.63.2.349
• COBISS.SI-ID: 284790019
• Publication date in RUL: 15.07.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Teorija in praksa : revija za družbena vprašanja
• Shortened title: Teor. praksa
• Publisher: Fakulteta za družbene vede
• ISSN: 0040-3598
• COBISS.SI-ID: 763652

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
• Description: A creative commons license that bans commercial use, but the users don’t have to license their derivative works on the same terms.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Bivolji boji v Toraji v Indoneziji

Abstract

Članek analizira transformacijo borb bivolov (tedong silaga) med ljudstvom Toraja v Indoneziji iz ritualne prakse v okviru pogrebnih obredov Rambu Solo’ v družbeno legitimizirano prizorišče stavljenja. Raziskava uporablja eksploratorni kvalitativni pristop. Podatki so bili zbrani s poglobljenimi polstrukturiranimi intervjuji z vaškimi starešinami, ritualnimi voditelji (to minaa), verskimi voditelji, lastniki borbenih bivolov, lokalno mladino in predstavniki lokalne oblasti. Ugotovitve kažejo, da procesi ritualne komodifikacije, moralne racionalizacije in skupnostne konformnosti omogočajo, da stavne prakse pridobijo družbeno legitimnost brez izrazitega normativnega konflikta. Borbe bivolov ponazarjajo kulturno umeščeno igranje na srečo, pri čemer sveti simbolizem in tekmovalna tržna logika sobivata skozi stalna družbena pogajanja.

• Keywords: transformacija, borbe bivolov, Toraja, družbena legitimnost, kulturno vpeto igranje na srečo, igre na srečo, obredi, kvalitativno raziskovanje, Indonezija