Rumble in the jungle

We almost forgot a really interesting part of the visit to the family home in Tunjuk.  The cock fight, or tajen.  Here you can see the village men introducing their roosters for a bout:

Cock fighting is actually part of some religious ceremonies for the Balinese Hindus.  They get two big roosters, put specially made knives -- called taji --  on the ends of their feet, and then let them go until one kills the other.  The spilling of blood -- a ritual called tabuh rah -- is believed to expel evil spirits.

In 1981, the Indonesian government banned gambling on cock fights, although the religious ceremonies continue.  Which is not to say gambling doesn't happen.  Wink, wink.  The girls were a little disturbed by this.  Ed was kinda fascinated.  Here is a video of a fight, which looks a lot like Muhammad Ali taking back his title from George Foreman in 1974 -- the Rumble in the Jungle.  Be assured, the roosters do not have taji knives on their feet and no roosters were harmed in the filming of this scene: