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

Tenganan is a walled communal village that has preserved its animistic cultural practices for hundreds of years. The 300 or so members of Tenganan communally own land that spreads far beyond the surrounding hills. They are reputed to be among the riches tribes on Bali.

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. 

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.

altar

Furthermore, only the bodies of married couples are placed in the bamboo cages. If the deceased is unmarried, the body is normally buried at the cemetery.


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.