Betawi Traditional Games

Kuda Bisik: The Whispering Game of Guessing Opponents' Names

Kuda Bisik (whispered horse) is a game known as one of the games from the Betawi people in the past. This game is very easy to play because it doesn't require tools to play it. Kuda Bisik game consists of at least two teams. These two teams contain 3 or more people. In this game, there is also a person who serve as a judge. His job is to be the one the players whispered to.

Two teams stand opposite each other while the judge stands or sits between the two teams. Both teams make a rock-paper-scissor to determine which team starts the game first. One of the members of the winning team must approach the judge and whisper the name of one of the members of their opposing team.

Then it is the turn of the opposing team to approach the judge and do the same, namely to whisper the name of one of the members of their opponent. If one of the members approaching the judge is a person whose name is mentioned by the opponent to the judge’s ear, then the team must get a penalty because the opposing team managed to guess who the person will approach the next judge.

The losing team will be punished by carrying the opponent (in a way of “gendong kuda”). If someone can't do it, it can be compromised to do it in other ways. The term " gendong kuda” (carrying a horse) means, the person carrying the horse is in front, that is, by lifting the legs of the person being carried behind, to be precise on the back of the person.

If the losing team is unable to carry the horse, then it will be punished in other ways according to the compromised result. After the punishment is over, the game continues in the same way. The essence of this game is to guess which member of the opposing team will advance towards the judge (the horse whispered).


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