 ThePacu Jalurcode: msa promoted to code: ms took place inIndragiri River,c. 1900s (photo extracted from the digital collection ofThe Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies) | |
| Nicknames |
|
|---|---|
| First played | c. 1600s (17th centuryCE) |
| Characteristics | |
| Team members | Teams |
| Mixed-sex | Yes |
| Presence | |
| Country or region | Indragiri River,Sumatra (Indonesia) |
Pacu Jalurcode: msa promoted to code: ms (old spelling:Patjoe Djaloer; from Minangkabau Pacu Jalua 'boat race',[1][2][3]pronounced[ˈpat͡ʃud͡ʒaˈluə̯];pə-CHOO-jə-LOOR) also known asPachu Jalugh is a traditional and culturalwatercraft-basedPacu (lit. 'Minangkabaurace')[4][5][6][7] originated fromupper course of theIndragiri River (a river formed by the union of theOmbilin River andSinamar River) in Eastern-West Sumatran region of Tanah Datar[8] and its surrounding areas (includingSijunjung,Kuantan Singingi andIndragiri Hulu – originally part of the native Eastern Minangkabau[1][2][3] realm).[a] One of the most significantPacu Jalur series of events held annually under the Pacu Jalur Festival atTeluk Kuantan district on Sumatra.[10]
Since 2014, the traditions, knowledge, cultural customs, biocentrism awareness, and the practices ofPacu Jalur officially recognized and regarded by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of Republic Indonesia as integral part of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage ofIndonesia.[11] As the effort to preserve these cultural heritage, the government of Indonesia support the Pacu Jalur Festival which held annually in Kuantan Singingi and promote its importance for the wider public both nationwide and international, the winner team ofPacu Jalur usually will also have a chance to be elected as the national athlete of Indonesia to represent Indonesia in the international boat racing events.
In 2022, thePacu Jalur art (illustrated by aBandung-basedSundanese artist, Wastana Haikal), selected as theGoogle Doodle of-the-day, a special logo alteration onGoogle's homepage intended to commemorate theIndonesian Independence Day celebrated on August 17 annually.[12]
Thepacu jalur is anEastern Minangkabau-origin term;[9][1][2][3] thepacu literally means "race",[b] meanwhile the wordjalur refers to "(elongated) boat".[1][2][13] In simple sense, thePacu Jalur could be roughly translated as "boat race" or "canoe race".[1][2]
Depends on Minangkabau dialectal differences,[9] thePacu Jalur might spelt differently, such asPacu Jalua (in Standard Minangkabau),Pacu Jalugh orPachu Jalugh (in another Eastern Minangkabau), or evenPatjoe Djaloer(in Petjo). According to colonial manuscripts written inDutch, these cultural traditions were better known by its nicknames, such asKanorace op de Inderagiri (lit. 'Canoe race of Indragiri') orKanorace op de Batang Koeantan (lit. 'Batang Kuantan canoe race').
One of the earliest written references forPacu Jalur specifically mentioned in the 17th century native Sumatran manuscript ofTambo Minangkabau (lit. 'Minangkabau chronicle').[14]
According to the oral tradition of the local community, thePacu Jalur were initially used as a means of transport along the river of Indragiri (upstream region) all the way down to the Cerenti sub-district at the mouth of Batang Kuantan. As ground transportation was not yet developed during that time, the route was actually used as an important means of transport for villagers, mainly used as a means of transporting crops, such as local fruits and sugar cane, and serves to transport about 40-60 people. Later, these elongated dug-out boats are purposely decorated by the local cultural elements that might include the heads of snakes, crocodiles, tigers and sometimes added with Minangkabau umbrellas (payuang). As the time goes by, its function shifted from being a mere transport means for people to a splendid royal barge. The water-route that usually used as the transport or exchange goods-route gradually transformed as the sociocultural identity for Minangkabaus of Rantau Kuantan to hold the festivals. Moreover, according to the written historical records, the route also served as the royals' route to welcome the honorable guests of kings (and later sultans) who wanted to visit the Rantau Kuantan area.[5][14]
During theDutch East Indies administration, which began in the Kuantan area around 1905, the Pacu Jalur was held annually on August 31 to commemorateQueen Wilhelmina’s birthday. The event often lasted several days until a winner was determined. Each of the winner from first to fourth place was given aTonggol, decorated ceremonial flag larger than aMarawa that has rank number written on it and used as a trophy.[14] The event was postponed duringWorld War II andIndonesian National Revolution.[5]Pacu Jalur was held again in 1950s as political and economic situation was stable enough for people to commemorate the Independence Day of Indonesia.[5]
Later on, to preserve this cultural tradition, the government of Indonesia includes the Pacu Jalur Festival in annual national tourist calendar event of Indonesia, which usually held around late August.[15][16]
In 2025, a video of the national Pacu Jalur on the Kuantan wentviral on the internet. The video, often titledBoat Kid Aura Farming, featured the kid dancer at the head of the boat (Tukang Tari, orAnak Coki) wearingTeluk Belanga, edited to the tune of "Young Black & Rich" by American rapper Melly Mike. It was reposted and recreated multiple times. French football clubParis Saint-Germain posted its own rendition onTikTok on 1 July and garnered more than 7 millions in 10 days. The trend was followed byAC Milan football club,Travis Kelce, andAlex Albon, amongst others. The boy featured on the video, Rayyan Arkan Dhika from Tuah Koghi Dubalang Ghajo team, was 11 years old at the time of filming. He was later named a cultural ambassador ofRiau, where he came from for his roles in promoting the tradition to the international recognition.[17][18][19][20]
"Jalur" is a type of boat made from a single whole tree trunk — it’s not split, cut into pieces, or joined together. Its characteristics are sturdiness, strength, sleekness, and artistic form, so when racing, there’s no worry about it breaking; it moves swiftly and looks pleasing to the eye. A jalur consists of the following parts :luan (prow),talingo (front ear),panggar (seat),pornik (hull),ruang timbo (bailing area),talingo balakang (rear ear),kamudi (steering place / helmsman’s spot),lambai-lambai /salambayuang (handholds for thetukang onjor),pandaro (jalur core/seed),ular-ular (rowers’ seat),salambayuang (the carved tip of the jalur),pengayak (rower),panimbo (bailer scoop)Thesalambayuang and the sides of the jalur's body are usually carved and brightly painted. The motifs vary, such as vines, geometric shapes, waves, birds, and others, even airplanes. EachJalur boat has a name, for example: Naga Sakti, Gajah Tunggal, Rawang Udang, Kompe Berangin, Bomber, Pelita, Orde Baru, and so on.The making of a jalur goes through quite a long process, which is as follows:
Before the main event of "Pacu Jalur 'is started, it usually held entertainment performances like singing and dancing performances to entertain all participants and surrounding communities. Nowadays, prior to the festival, smaller paddling events were held in four districts, followed by a traditional mini route held at Tepian Narosa Teluk Kuantan.[21] The racetrack follows the flow of Batang Kuantan River, with a track length of about 1 km marked by six piles. The wooden boat taking part in the competition usually have a length of 25 to 40 meters and the width of the middle section of approximately 1.3 ms / d 1.5 m. The crew for each boat varies from 50 to 60 people. Each of the crew has his own task, there is the commander who shouts out instructions, the helmsman, another one leads the boat by dancing from left to right, while another provides the "music" to provide rhythm and ensure regularity to paddlers. All these are in order that the boat moves fast forward in the right direction, provide balance, and paddlers follow the same rhythm.
| Pacu Jalur 2025 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Cerenti Series (June 13–15)[22] | Hulu Kuantan Series (June 20–22)[23] | Pangean Series (July 4–7)[24] | Central Kuantan Series (July 18–20)[25] | Baserah Series (August 7–10)[26] | Teluk Kuantan Final Series (August 20–24)[27] |
| 1 | Sari Jadi Gementar Alam | Cakaran Garuda Muda | Tuah Keramat Bukit Embun | Lompatan Keramat Panjang | Tuah Keramat Bukit Embun | Bintang Emas Cahaya Intan |
| 2 | Panglimo Itam Bintang Nagoghi | Batu Lompatan Harimau Kompe | Panglimo Hitam Bintang Naghohi | Batu Lompatan Harimau Kompe | Alam Cahayo Tuah Nagoghi | Tuah Datuk Keramat Imbang di Alam |
| 3 | Toduang Itom Dubalang Sati | Sang Ratu Helmina | Alam Cahayo Tuah Nagoghi | Sari Jadi Gementar Alam | Langkah Siluman Buayo Danau | Panglimo Rimbo Piako |
| 4 | Olang Buas | Halilintar Gelombang Cahaya Putih | Tuah Putri Kuntum Bunga Andini | Sang Ratu Helmina | Tuah Keramat Sialang Soko | Buayo Danau |
| 5 | Putri Bungsu Sialang Puako | Toduang Biso Rimbo Piako | Singa Ngarai | Toduang Biso Rimbo Piako | Sari Jadi Gementar Alam | Singa Ngarai |
| 6 | Lancang Kuning Rantau Kuantan | Palimo Olang Putie | Toduang Biso Rimbo Piako | Putri Anggun Sibiran Tulang | Putri Kumayang Linduang Daun | Nago Sati Paboun |
| 7 | Batu Hijau Tuah Negeri | Endang Rumus | Singa Kuantan | Lancang Kuning Rantau Kuantan | Cempaka Kuantan | Untung Bertuah |
| 8 | Siluman Ulagh Bidai Lubuk Patin | Rajo Tunggal Rimbo Binuang | Pangeran Fortuna | Buayo Danou | Sultan Muda | Ghajo Siluman Sungai Tonam |
| 9 | Laskar Mudo Parisai Nagori | Putri Anggun Sibiran Tulang | Rajo Tunggal | Pendekar Kayangan Tuah Nagori | Keramat Jubah Merah | Limbago Sati Rantau Kuantan |
| 10 | Rajo Bujang | Nago Sati | Raja Laut | Pendekar Hulu Bukit Tabandang | Pematang Putui Rajo Bukik Bunian | Samurai Jopang Bukik Tantunggang |
Secara etimologi, istilah pacu jalur berasal dari bahasa Minangkabau Timur yang berarti lomba perahu atau balapan perahu. (lit. 'Etymologically, the Pacu Jalur terminology derived from Eastern Minangkabau, literally means "the watercraft race".')
Secara etimologi, istilah pacu jalur berasal dari bahasa Minangkabau Timur yang berarti lomba perahu atau balapan perahu. (lit. 'Etymologically, the Pacu Jalur terminology derived from Eastern Minangkabau, literally means "the watercraft race".')
Pacu jalur berasal dari bahasa Minangkabau Timur yang berarti balapan perahu. (lit. 'Pacu Jalur trace its origin in Eastern Minangkabau terminology, literally means "the boat race".')
Tradisi unik ini dikenal dengan istilah Pacu Jalur, yaitu perlombaan perahu tradisional yang berasal dari budaya masyarakat Melayu. Pacu Jalur banyak dijumpai di bagian tengah dan Riau Sumatera... (lit. 'This unique tradition is known asPacu Jalurcode: msa promoted to code: ms, it is a traditional watercraft race originated from the culture of Melayu society. ThePacu Jalurcode: msa promoted to code: ms commonly found in Central to Western Sumatra...')
