11/15: Bus Kashi

It's always worth remembering that the Afghans are a much, much different people, culturally speaking. This shows it. This is the sport of Bus Kashi being played. Basically, you take a young calf, behead it, and then 7 horsemen on each side fight over the carcass. When they break away from the other team and drop the carcass in a hole marked by a flag, that's a score.

The pictured game was being played on Nov. 9th, before the recent turn of events.

I look forward to the civilization of this game: with official referees, electronic scoring, instant replay and Sportscenter highlights.

Actually, I believe it's a goat. But yeah. What a game!

You gotta wonder how it came about... one day, 14 guys were sitting around with their pet goat, really really bored...

To me, it sounds like the sort of game you'd play as a kid. You know, a bunch of young boys walking through the woods when they find some dead animal (squirrel / goat head) and make the decision -- which when you're a 10-year old boy, seems rational and sensible -- to not let this animal corpse go to waste, but instead to turn it into some sort of game.

sapienza

Name that movie...

<b>"If you let me go, you may keep my friend's head for polo."</b>

Sorry, it's what came to mind...

later,

mh

that would be

SPIES LIKE US

what a great movie

well, not great... but definitely good fun

P.J. O'Rourke describes this game in "Holidays in Hell". The more interesting part of the game is that while there are two teams, but individual players get cash prizes for scoring, which leads to the team itself fighting over the bull as they are trying to score.

O'Rourke describes it as the perfect metaphor for middle-eastern politics.

The book is worth a read, as it describes the original power-plays within Afganistan after the Russians withdrew. Power-plays we are starting to see be reenacted again now ...

Well, we North Americans make our sporting equiptment out of dead kritters too. Just a bit more stitching..not as....how shall we say....moist.

ha ha maybe we should look at the roots of our games. anyone for polo?

"The Giants of New York took on the Packers of Green Bay, and in the end, the Giants triumphed by kicking an oblong ball made of pigskin through a big H." ~Akeem, "Coming To America"

Thus is the true public image of America to the world.

~Mike

P.J. O'Rourke describes this game in "Holidays in Hell".

I was trying to remember where I read that this game was originally played using, instead of a goat, a live, bound human prisoner. If it wasn't O'Rourke, it might have been T. E. Lawrence.

Anyway, the 'game' looks a bit more sinister when that bit gets into the mix.