by the road a row
of white cocks in bamboo baskets
waiting for a fight
In Bali cockfighting is illegal, except for religious ceremonial purposes that require an animal sacrifice. But the traditional gambling sport is still so popular that it continues to be carried on discretely. Raising fowl is not illegal, so the cocks are not kept hidden. In fact, the roadsides are lined with rows of guungan siap, cock baskets shaped like bee hives, woven from bamboo strips in a hexagonal pattern. The owners take good care of their birds, providing water and special feed, and regularly moving the cages from sun to shade and back. The reason for placing the cages near a road is to get the cocks used to noise, movement and people, so that when they are put in the fighting arena they will not run away. Several villages specialize in making cock baskets, both the large cages and the smaller baskets for carrying the cock under the arm to a fight.
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