Karangasem, On the Wallace Line

Traditional Game “Memacan-Macanan”

Memacan-macanan is the traditional game that amuses the children in Karangasem Regency, Eastern Bali. Its name comes from the Balinese word macan that means tiger, so the game of memacan-macanan refers to the attribute tigers have of preying on smaller animals, as described in the tale of “ I Macan teken I Kambing (The Tiger and the Goat)”.

How to play
A group of five children take their different roles on stage, one of them as the leader with the task of choosing other group members to play the crucial roles. One of group member plays as the tiger, 4 to 5 members are the goats, while the rest form an encircling chain by holding each other’s hands. The goats stand inside the chain circle, while the tiger is outside.
Upon the leader’s command, the tiger has the chance to chase goats remaining under the protection of the circle which tries to stop the tiger from entering the chain circle. The goats are free to enter or to go out around the circle spot, while the tiger is always rejected. Once the tiger succeeds in catching the goats, the game is over and new children are chosen to take the role of new goats. (BTN/037)