Based on the above research done on the culture of Bali,
I feel that many religious practices, performances and monuments have been exploited for tourism. they have lost their religious purposes.
Also, the Balinese people have opened up to tourism and are starting to conform their way of living to the outside world. Even the Bali Aga people, which have isolated themselves from the outside world, have also sensed the shift in tourism and opened their village to the public. Even though now they are still preserving their traditional practices tightly, certain changes could already be seen. Some houses had been converted to shop houses catering to tourists.
Although most locals may feel that their performances are being perfected while traditions are still held, however, I feel that in time to come, the locals may lose their religious beliefs and perform rituals only for monetary purposes.
Therefore, I feel that more has to be done on the government’s part to ensure sustainable tourism. If the government wants to develop Bali as a tourist destination in the long years to come, it better come up with good rules and regulation, protect Balinese people from international economic influence, educate the people more about their culture and promote Bali as a truly cultural destination.
Thursday, 8 December 2011
Bali = "Disneyfied" destination
Disneyization of a certain destination is the term used to describe the destination having obvious Disney traits in their development. The 4 dimensions of Disneyization include theming, hybrid consumption, merchandising and performative labour.
Themeing
Themeing serves to differentiate and give value to objects to which it is applied, giving them additional meaning on top of what they actually are. Theming is one of the most evident characteristic in relation to island’s transformation.
The attraction all around the island are subconsciously grouped into different categories, such as the water sports, shopping and temples.
For example, all the temples in Bali are of cultural importance to the island and its people. However, certain temples receive more attention as they enjoy additional perceived value by through theming.
Hybrid Consumption
It is a general trend whereby forms of consumption associated different with different institutional spheres become interlocked with each other and become increasingly difficult to distinguish.
An example, resorts developed in Bali to cater to tourists tend to offer spa packages and dining facilities, including cultural dances to increase the length of stay of their guests. Essentially, the longer they are attracted to stay, the higher the chances that they consume products with their experiences sold more.
Shopping malls which are increasingly becoming more and more common are also another form of hybrid consumption. It is a place where people shops for clothes, dine at restaurants, be entertained (cinemas), and relax (spas).
Merchandising
It is the promotion and sale of goods in the form of bearing copyright images or logos and is made under license.
Bali has its unique and intriguing arts and crafts, often sold in souvenir and arts and craft shops. Also unique is the batik. Everyone knows that this certain cloth comes from Bali from its distinctive colours and prints.
Performative Labour
It is the growing tendency for frontline service work to be viewed as a performance, especially one in which the deliberate display of a certain mood is seen as part of the labour involved in service work.
Bali is growing into a tourism destination. With increasing interaction between the locals and tourists, there’s bound to have some changes in the livelihood of these locals.
With the increasing number of shopping malls and attractions popping up to cater to tourists, locals are being hired. Even the villages, Tenganan and Trunyan, have opened up to tourists and public after many decades of isolation from the outside world. More of the locals are learning and thinking that tourism is their way of survival, thus leaning towards forming most of Bali’s performative labour.
Therefore, based on the analysis above, I conclude that Bali has indeed been “disneyfied”.
Themeing
Themeing serves to differentiate and give value to objects to which it is applied, giving them additional meaning on top of what they actually are. Theming is one of the most evident characteristic in relation to island’s transformation.
The attraction all around the island are subconsciously grouped into different categories, such as the water sports, shopping and temples.
For example, all the temples in Bali are of cultural importance to the island and its people. However, certain temples receive more attention as they enjoy additional perceived value by through theming.
Hybrid Consumption
It is a general trend whereby forms of consumption associated different with different institutional spheres become interlocked with each other and become increasingly difficult to distinguish.
An example, resorts developed in Bali to cater to tourists tend to offer spa packages and dining facilities, including cultural dances to increase the length of stay of their guests. Essentially, the longer they are attracted to stay, the higher the chances that they consume products with their experiences sold more.
Shopping malls which are increasingly becoming more and more common are also another form of hybrid consumption. It is a place where people shops for clothes, dine at restaurants, be entertained (cinemas), and relax (spas).
Merchandising
It is the promotion and sale of goods in the form of bearing copyright images or logos and is made under license.
Bali has its unique and intriguing arts and crafts, often sold in souvenir and arts and craft shops. Also unique is the batik. Everyone knows that this certain cloth comes from Bali from its distinctive colours and prints.
Performative Labour
It is the growing tendency for frontline service work to be viewed as a performance, especially one in which the deliberate display of a certain mood is seen as part of the labour involved in service work.
Bali is growing into a tourism destination. With increasing interaction between the locals and tourists, there’s bound to have some changes in the livelihood of these locals.
With the increasing number of shopping malls and attractions popping up to cater to tourists, locals are being hired. Even the villages, Tenganan and Trunyan, have opened up to tourists and public after many decades of isolation from the outside world. More of the locals are learning and thinking that tourism is their way of survival, thus leaning towards forming most of Bali’s performative labour.
Therefore, based on the analysis above, I conclude that Bali has indeed been “disneyfied”.
Focus of calendar of events
The Balinese focus of events is more on the important cultural or traditional practices and celebrations of the Balinese people. These celebrations are traditions that form part of their way of life, carried out by the locals.
Date | Event Name | Description |
5 March 2011 | Nyepi | It is the Balinese New Year. Total silence is observed during the entire day. There is no activity, traffic or fire at all. Great purification and sacrificial rites are held the day before so as to exorcise evil spirits from every corner of the island. |
6 July 2011 | Galungan | Most important holiday symbolising the victory of Virtue upon Evil. The holiday is specialized by the fitting of 'penjor', a tall bamboo pole decorated with woven young coconut leaves, fruit, cakes and flowers, on the right side of every house entrance. People are attired in their finest clothes and jewels this day. |
16 July 2011 | Kuningan | This holiday brings the holiday period to a closing time. A special ritual ceremony is held for the Ancestral spirits. |
23 April & 19 Nov 2011 | Sarawati | This day is devoted to God’s manifestation as Dewi Saraswati, the beautiful Goddess of knowledge, art and Literature. On this day, books of knowledge, manuscripts are blessed and special offerings are made for them. |
27 April & 23 Nov 2011 | Pagerwesi | The name means “iron fence”, on which day ceremonies and prayers are held for strong mental and spiritual defence in welcoming the Galungan holiday |
Their secondary focus is on the performances, exhibitions, sports, museums, conferences and meetings, seminars. These events are more on man-made tourists attractions and events.
References:
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
Tourism impacts on the culture of Bali
With the need to improve the economic welfare of the people, the government decided to develop cultural tourism, yet there were no concerns at the time with any type of cultural impact assessment.
As a result, there has been a commercialization of Balinese culture to meet the tourist demands. Sacred temples are overcrowded by foreigners; dances normally performed only every 60 years are now requested and organized by hotels on a weekly basis; many masks, costumes and jewellery used for religious rituals are in great demand in antique shops, and thus handicraft workshops are promoted to produce copies.
However, most locals feel that their culture is staying alive and well despite the influences from tourists. Tourism is a major source of support for dancers, musicians and artists on the island.
The belief that a divine audience is present at performances intended for the Balinese acts as a guarantee for the preservation of traditional values, whereas performances designed for visitors have a commercial purpose and lack religious meaning. In this respect, the presence of tourists, far from diminishing the importance or quality of performances intended for divine and Balinese audiences, helps to improve their presentation, through the monetary rewards brought in by commercial shows. Thus traditional performances provide a sense of authenticity to the tourist shows. Tourists’ presence did not induce the Balinese to substitute new roles for the existing ones, but on the contrary, drove them to add original roles to their traditional repertoire.
Culture needs change, not seclusion, to survive. Balinese culture accepts influences from other cultures, modifying and transforming them, making a new art but always based on the old Balinese forms.
Beggars are now very common. Beach vendors are pervasive and a nuisance. Some of the best sawahs have been replaced by art shops hoping to profit from tourism. Prostitutes are in evidence, especially in Kuta.
Cultural changes in Bali Aga
When tourism started developing rapidly in Bali, several means of access to the villages has negatively affected the vulnerable Bali Aga people. Living as farmers or fishermen, the standard of living among the Bali Aga people are relatively low, compared to most Balinese living in modern civilisation. The value of money, introduced by visitors, has changed their way of life almost completely.
References:
http://www1.american.edu/ted/balitour.htm
http://www.kuveni.de/cultural%20tourism%20bali.pdf
http://www.kuveni.de/cultural%20tourism%20bali.pdf
the Authencity of the culture from the p.o.v of the tourist
From my point of view as a tourist,
I’ll probably think that Bali is a really fun way to have a holiday at. I never knew about the indigenous people and from what I researched earlier, their culture is very rich and unique.
The only difference before tourism and after tourism is that the two villages have opened up to tourists and opened their village doors to the public. Even though there are influences of tourism, in the sense that more villagers are leaning towards jobs that rely on tourism such as opening souvenir/ handicraft shops, conducting tours, cooking food for tourists, their values and traditions are still tightly held and practiced.
Bali being so accessible to us means that we don’t have to go very far to see and experience the totally different culture found in the native Bali villages. Their values, way of thinking and way of life is vastly different from our cultures.
It will definitely be interesting and intriguing to experience their culture.
I’ll probably think that Bali is a really fun way to have a holiday at. I never knew about the indigenous people and from what I researched earlier, their culture is very rich and unique.
The only difference before tourism and after tourism is that the two villages have opened up to tourists and opened their village doors to the public. Even though there are influences of tourism, in the sense that more villagers are leaning towards jobs that rely on tourism such as opening souvenir/ handicraft shops, conducting tours, cooking food for tourists, their values and traditions are still tightly held and practiced.
Bali being so accessible to us means that we don’t have to go very far to see and experience the totally different culture found in the native Bali villages. Their values, way of thinking and way of life is vastly different from our cultures.
It will definitely be interesting and intriguing to experience their culture.
Monday, 5 December 2011
Indigenous group in Bali: The Bali Aga
Background
The original Balinese or Bali Aga, are a unique ethnic group that still live and practise a way of life that pre-dates modern civilisation. The Bali Aga are thought to be the original inhabitants of Bali who fled imperialistic invaders, eventually finding refuge in the solitude of Bali's remote mountains. Only two villages remain - which until recently, were firmly shut away from the rest of the world, hidden in the hills of East Bali.
The villages of Tenganan and Trunyan are shut off by a solid wall surrounding the entire village. The wall is only broken by the means of four gates, each facing north, south, east and west.
Tenganan
More than any other village in Bali, Tenganan performs rituals on a daily basis, to guarantee the spiritual purity and balance of the entire community.
Tenganan is best known for its traditional cloth, called Kamben Gringsing, which translates as “flaming cloth” and “against sickness”. This peculiar cloth is characterised by its distinctive colours. A group of four such cloths can take up to eight years to be completed.
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| Kamben Grinsing |
Midway through each year, a buffalo is ceremoniously slaughtered, while beautiful textile heirlooms are displayed in the open. An ancient wooden Ferris wheels is specially constructed. And, perhaps most ominously, strips of thorny pandan leaves are piled up, ready for the combat to begin.
All the action is in preparation for the village’s fifth-month celebrations. For hundreds of years, Tenganan has maintained its cultural authenticity through daily, weekly and monthly ritual and ceremony according to strict customary law.
They practice an ancient rite known as mekare kare, the ritual blood sacrifice. This ritual requires all males to get involved in an annual ritual combat, using thorny pandan leaves to draw blood. This ritual is seen by the villagers as a form of maintaining harmony in the village.
While the males fight, young girls reinforce their cultural ties by observing the combatants while wearing Gringsing, family heirlooms handed down by generations.
Clearly defined social structures forbid outsides marrying into the Tenganan community. Until 1925, upon relaxation of this law, a village man could marry a single woman from one of the mainstream Balinese high castes without losing his right to live in the village. A villager breaking any of Tenganan’s laws is considered to be breaking divine law. He would be banishment for life to the outer village.
Balinese culture has also got a population control mechanism in their child naming practices, and this is not only confined to the Bali Aga, but encompasses every Balinese. Every first born is named Wayan, second born Made, third Nyoman, and the fourth Ketut. Anymore children will see a repeat of the names following the order.
Trunyan
The mountain village of Trunyan is located at the foot of Mount Abang, at a remote and isolated location on the eastern shore of Lake Batur.
The Trunyanese society has two ‘caste’, the banjar jero and the banjar jaba. Those belonging to the banjar jero are the descendants of rulers, while the descendants of the banjar jaba are the descendants of the people.
There is also a requirement for their young men to travel through lowland Bali for a time to live as beggars. This little practice, drives from the strong Bhuddist tradition of the area a thousand years ago.
Prestige conscious plays an important part in the Trunyanese society. Hosting of a major ceremony is the time when a family can raise prestige. The most common form of major ceremony is their wedding ceremonies, which “should be impressive or not held at all”. As the economy of Trunyan is mainly based on agriculture, it is difficult for the Trunyanese to accumulate wealth. Thus, there are married couples with children in Trunyan who continue to postpone their wedding ceremony because of the expenses. Besides, an official wedding ceremony in Trunyan is only allowed to take place after the male candidate has taken part in the Berutuk ceremony. I’ll cover more on the Berutuk ceremony in the later part.
The Trunyanese do not cremate their dead. Instead, after a ritual cleansing with rain weather, the body of the deceased is placed in a bamboo cage under the taru menyan tree (nice smelling tree). The typical scent this tree emits neutralises the smell of rotting bodies. Once the body is left with its skeletal remains, the skull is placed on a stair-shaped altar, located 500 metres away which is only accessible by boat.
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| altar |
Also, women are not allowed to attend the Pengiriman ceremonies, which is the bringing of the body to the taru menyan tree or the cemetery. There is a belief that if the women are allowed to attend these ceremonies, the village would be struck by disaster.
Trunyan has been worshipping an ancient, local god referred to as Bhatara Da Tonta. During special initiation rites, flowers are offered and the statue is ritually cleansed with rainwater and special oil.
The performing arts are associated with religious ceremonies. An example is the Berutuk dance where it represents the strong link between religious rites and supernatural powers. The Berutuk dance is a performance, ceremony and rite. The performers are a group of unmarried men who must undergo a period of ritual purification and isolation prior to performing. Only after the performance ends can the young men be eligible for official marriage. The performances happen at irregular intervals, depending on the needs of the villages and require the village not to be tainted, by plague or crop failure.
Cultures and Traditions of Bali
Now, we know that about 92.29% of the population living on the island are Balinese Hinduism, with the rest of the population being Muslims, Buddhists and Christians making up the minority. In other words, the influence of Hinduism being the main religion is evident in its music, drama, art, costumes and festivals which take place daily.
For example, the Ramayana dance is an Hindu dance performance that is very famous all over Southeast Asia, loved especially the most by the Balinese.
There are a few ways of which the Balinese culture can be seen from:
1) Temples
Bali’s temples transform into scenes of great activity and are ornately decorated during festivals with traditional dance performances, cockfighting and gambling. You’ll find that each of Bali’s temples is facing towards the mountains, the sea or sunrise.
One of the temples, known as the "Mother Temple of Bali" for over a thousand years, the Besakih Temple is the biggest and holiest of all the Balinese temples. It is said to be the only temple where a Hindu of any caste can worship.
2) Dances
Bali's preforming arts are an integral part of Balinese culture.
Music and dance play a significant part in rituals and religious ceremonies. Known as " the island of the Gods", hardly a day goes by without a ceremony or festival taking place. Traditional dances with full gamelan orchestras are performed for tourists daily in addition to the day to day religious ceremonies.
An example of a famous dance is the Barong dance, which represents the eternal fight between good and evil.
3) Museums
Bali has such a rich history, leading to a rise in demand to house historical artefacts in a proper place. Therefore, Bali has numerous museums located all over the place, which are open to the public to gain greater insight to the past.
4) Festivals & Events
Festivals and events are important features in the social landscape of Bali, and also permanent fixtures in the lives of the Balinese.
The Balinese believe in annual cycles and every six months of a Balinese's life is a celebration of holidays and life-cycle ceremonies. Since his conception in his mother's womb, every Balinese passes through certain stages, and this carries on up until marriage. These are the events celebrated to mark the passage of a Balinese as he progresses in his life. But the ritual of utmost importance to the Balinese is the ritual of the funeral rites and cremation.
One such example is the Annual Arts Festival. It is a celebration of exhibitions and performances of various kinds of artworks and cultural achievements, including the absorbing Kite Festival.
References:
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