Woman Performing Rain-Stopping Ritual Becomes Unlikely Star of MotoGP

The stakes were high. Indonesia had not hosted a MotoGP motorbike race in 25 years. In the sweltering tropical country, rain is a constant threat to such outdoor events, and if there is a way to hold it back, then why not give it a shot?

Enter Rara Istiani Wulandari, a pawang hujan, or rain shaman, whose job it was to delay or divert the rain—or make it rain, if that’s the requirement—so the 2022 MotoGP Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia held Sunday at the Mandalika International Street Circuit could proceed without a hitch.

Hiring rain shamans at big outdoor events is pretty standard practice in Indonesia, where fees can range from $100 to the reported $7,000 or so paid to Rara, a 38-year-old pawang hujan from Bali, by MotoGP’s local organizers. She has a pretty impressive resumé and reportedly proved her abilities at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, and at a football match in the 2018 AFC U-19 Cup.

She was supposed to work behind the scenes, from a tent just outside the buzzing circuit away from spectators’ eyes. But by the end of the final race, it wasn’t just the winners who had the world talking, but Rara too.

As it poured down on the big day, the rain shaman had to be summoned to the racetrack. The vision of a drenched Rara dramatically beseeching the skies to let up has had Indonesians either cheering or jeering, in awe or embarrassed by the display of indigenous culture on the world stage.

Some of Rara’s compatriots praised her on social media, calling her “a badass” and saying they were “proud” of her for being the country’s “contemporary national hero.” Others lamented that she had “become a laughing stock.” One tweeted disparagingly: “Sport show is all about entertainment, and who needs all those silly dancers when we have pawang hujan.”

A top official said it was a showcase of Indonesian culture. “This is part of the attraction of local wisdom, a culture that has its own charm. But of course, Allah destined the race to be delayed by one hour and it happened,” Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno said on Monday.

Rara’s stint with MotoGP had gone according to plan in the weeks prior to the Grand Prix. She claimed to have successfully held back the rain to keep the Mandalika Circuit in the Central Lombok region dry from March 6 to 8, when it was being paved for the race. 

“The foreign organizers were happy with my work as the rain handler. I was even nicknamed ‘Mrs Pawang’ or ‘Mrs Prayer’,” Rara told local news outlet Suara. 

It had rained on the Mandalika Circuit on Friday and Saturday during the preliminary races for the Grand Prix. “But only in the mornings, so that the afternoons were overcast and the riders were comfortable,” said Rara, explaining that some rain to douse the heat was part of the specifications from race organizers.

The goal, she said, was to strike a balance between wet and dry, so the bikes don’t slip on the asphalt but the riders don’t fry in the sun. But at around 3 p.m. on Sunday, the time the main race was supposed to start, a formidable downpour was pelting the Mandalika Circuit. It was a job for Rara.

Donning a construction helmet, Rara walked barefoot on the racetrack clutching incense sticks and a brass singing bowl in her left hand, and a mallet in her right. A live telecast showed her pacing the circuit with outstretched arms, chanting to the heavens. She made turns running the mallet around the bowl’s rim and then striking it, its reverberations inaudible through the din of the impatient crowd and the patter of rain.

The ritual went on for more than an hour until, finally, the rain stopped. The track was still wet and it was risky, but the race got underway at past 4 p.m. Portugal’s Miguel Oliveira finished first.

“It worked,” MotoGP’s official account tweeted, punctuated by praying hands emoji, in reply to a video it posted of Rara performing her ritual, which it captioned: “The master…”

Others were not as gracious. Broadcaster BT Sport’s MotoGP Twitter account tweeted, “Go home Shaman, we’re not paying you for this” with a laughter emoji alongside a video of Rara praying on the racetrack. It later tweeted sarcastically, “When we needed her most (praying hands emoji). Thank you, Shaman (goat emoji)”—a reference to G.O.A.T., the “greatest of all time.” 

Fabio Quartararo, the second placer, poked fun at the ritual. A video showed him mimicking Rara by running a plastic spoon around the rim of a paper bowl and striking it, laughing when it fell out of his hand. MotoGP then tweeted side-by-side photos of Rara and Quartararo, with the caption: “Thank you for stopping the rain!”

This irked some people. Twitter user @bebekmelon666 replied to MotoGP’s tweet: “Respect the local culture, it’s not hard is it?” along with a screencap of BT Sport’s “Go home Shaman” tweet.

It was an inarguably unique turn of events worthy of discussion, and some Indonesians pointed out the “duality” of the incident—an indigenous tradition in a modern, global sporting event.

Many tweeted their “respect” for Rara for showcasing the “local wisdom.” Still others criticised Rara for performing rituals that didn’t fit into Islam, Indonesia’s predominant religion. Twitter user @indiratendi was incredulous that Indonesian people “still believe” in pawang hujan.

Rara brushed off the criticism. “I don't have a problem with that because, as I have said from the start, I am doing this for Indonesia,” she told reporters after the race.

In any case, it appears the MotoGP gig is proving to be a good career move. In a tweet, the Isle of Man TT Races, another motorbike race, inquired of Rara: “Can we book the dates Sun 29 May – Fri 10 June?”

Follow JC Gotinga on Twitter.