Sumba is well-known for its horses. Although small, they are strong and fast. Pashola is a jousting event, held in West Sumba, where the Sumbanese ride horses and attempt to knock others off their’s.

 

This particular photo, taken in the late 1970s, depicts a group of men in ceremonial dress astride their horses. Notice their head scarves and the hinggi kombu blankets folded across their shoulders. Hnggi kombu blankets are always made in pairs - and the 2nd textile would be wrapped around their waist and loins.