Pacu Itiak West Sumatra

Itiak race (race or duck race) is one of the unique habits possessed by the Minangkabau community. The itiak race itself comes from Payakumbuh, Limay town district, West Sumatra Province. This habit is unique because if people usually use cattle or buffalo as animals that often used for racing, as is the case with the habits of the Fifty-city people who use ducks as spurred animals. The media used as a race media is rice fields and in its

development the community makes a special arena for racing ducks. In this race, the provisions and regulations regarding the pacemaker are given. One of the general rules is that the age of the duck must be around 4 to 6 months. and the wings must not be chosen and the direction of the wings must be upward. Looking at the size of the public’s enthusiasm in the runway, the runway will be managed professionally and will be formed by the union of race sports (PORTI).

History and requirements of the Race in Itiak in Payakumbuh

The Itiak Run Tradition in Payakumbuh began to exist since 1028. At that time the farmers in Aur Kuning, Payakumbuh, Kanagarian and Sicincin drove away the ducks that ate their paddy plants. The driven ducks will fly to the lower paddy fields below. These flying ducks have become an entertainment for the farmers, and a flying duck competition was held.

When you run Itiak, the duck is held by the owner of the duck and the duck is then thrown into the air so the duck will fly into the air and fly towards the finish line. A week before the duck is contested, these ducks are locked up and only fed with rice and eggs. These ducks are always taught to fly.

Ducks participating in the race are trained ducks and can fly as far as 2 kilometers. There are three levels of distance that are contested, namely the distance of 800 meters, 1600 meters and 2000 meters. The winner is determined based on the duck that flies straight and the fastest reaches the finish line. The ducks that are contested are between four and six months old. This duck has the same color in the beak and legs, short neck, straight wings that point up, odd number of teeth and small scaly toe. The price of a race duck is between one hundred thousand and one million rupiah.