By Musée des Cultures Taurines
Musée des Cultures Taurines
Between heaven and earth, the Camargue is an arid, rough land, where the contrasting colors and lights enhance the beauty of its landscapes. Bordered by the two arms of the Rhone at the level of its estuary, it extends over 360,000 acres (145,300 hectares) and is protected as a Regional Natural Park. Black bulls and white horses are Carmargue's two emblems.
Scène de Camargue (20ème siècle) by Edouard DoigneauMusée des Cultures Taurines
The Camargue bull
In 1999, the native breed of Camargue or Raço di biòu, was recognized as a specific and protected breed. It is used in the Camargue bull race and for various bullfighting performances.
The biòu (bull), with its black or dark brown coat and lyre-shaped horns, embodies the untamable wild animal and is the subject of a true worship called la fe di biòu.
This cattle breeding, which underwent a major revival in the second half of the 19th century, plays an essential role in the local social and cultural life of the region. In 2011, the manades (free herds) had nearly 20,000 head of "Raço di biòu", and the meat received a controlled designation of origin label (AOC) for Camargue bulls.
1896, the arrival of the Spanish bull in the Camargue
This breed is responsible for the bravery of bulls, which is required for bullfighting. The breeding process is different from that of the Camargue bull, because it must deliver animals that are as combative as possible—the animal must be brought into the arena, free of any experience with humans and combat.
Scène de Camargue (20ème siècle) by Edouard DoigneauMusée des Cultures Taurines
The Camargue horse, inseparable from the bull breeding
Living in perfect harmony with the cattle, the Camargue horse, formerly used to thresh wheat, is inseparable from the bull husbandry.
Cheval camarguais (20ème siècle) by René DoubleMusée des Cultures Taurines
Very maneuverable and robust, it is the essential partner of the gardian (cowboy) for guiding the cattle in the vast and marshy pastures. It is a good saddle horse that has, over time, become an effective assistant to explore the Rhone Delta.
A Camargue identity shaped by personalities
Writers Joseph d'Arbaud and Jeanne de Flandreysy, painters Léo Lelée, Paul Herman-Paul, Ivan Pranishnikoff, Joë Hamman, supported by Folco de Baroncelli-Javon, a poet and herdsman (manadier), invented a Camargue fully imbued with the ideas of the poet Frédéric Mistral and his literary and cultural movement called the Félibrige.
The cross of Camargue, the emblem of a territory
Commissioned in 1924 by the Marquis de Baroncelli, the cross was made by Hermann-Paul and forged by Joseph Barbanson. It symbolizes the three fundamental virtues of Christianity, dear to the gardians: faith (the cross), charity (the heart), and hope (the anchor).
Course à Beauvoisin (1922) by Léon Giran-MaxMusée des Cultures Taurines
Free race, rosette race, or Camargue race
This tradition goes back to the 15th century in Provence. A sport and a cultural practice, intended to highlight the combativeness and intelligence of the Camargue bull, it is performed in the bullrings of the Provence and Languedoc regions (Camargue and Petite Camargue).
Organized in the early 20th century in makeshift arenas, the free race gradually evolved into a real show. It was initially a popular game, in which bulls, whose horns were decorated with a rosette, were confronted by men who had mastered the art of the raset, a claw-shaped metal hook.
Scène de raset (20ème siècle) by Ramirez y Martin Barcelona and Joaquim Terruella MatillaMusée des Cultures Taurines
A sport of agility where the bull is the star
In the Camargue race, the raseteurs, assisted by their tourneurs (assistants), will try to get as close as possible to the animal, to snatch, with the help of an iron hook, the attributes fixed on its forehead and its horns: the rosette, the tassels, and the two strings.
Scène de raset (20ème siècle) by Hermann-PaulMusée des Cultures Taurines
Every year, three major events have become a must for Camargue bull race enthusiasts: the Cocarde d'Or in Arles, the Palme d'Or in Beaucaire, and the final of the Trophée des As, which alternates between Nîmes and Arles.
Réalisation : Musée des Cultures Taurines
Chef de projet : Camille Dubois
Conservation : Lisa Laborie-Barrière
Coordination : Isabelle Morfin, Gilles Raoux, Jean-Marie Mercier
