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First and Third World in Tenganan

The Hidden Life of East Bali

The Highlanders

The Bali Aga, or mountain Balinese, trace their origins to the first settlers of Bali . There are about a hundred Bali Ago communities, mostly in the mountains of north and east Bali - although some, like Bugbug, are on the coast. They have retained customs and rites predating the influence of the Javanese kingdom of Majapahit in the 14th century. They don't burn their dead, and their hierarchical system is based on seniority and not on caste. They are viewed by lowland Balinese with a certain condescension but also with respect: they are the original Balinese and dwell in the mountains, the abode of the gods.

First and Third World in Tenganan

Of the Bali Aga communities in east Bali , Tenganan, a five minute drive or one-hour walk from Candidasa, is the one which has kept the strongest hold on its traditions - and has been the most successful in marketing them.

As soon as we step out of our car in the parking lot outside the village, a tiny gray-haired lady greets us with a stern look. She makes sure that we park our car where we are supposed to, and hands out our parking ticket. In this remnant of a feudal, military culture aimed at protecting land and people from the outside, nothing is left to the hazard, and everyone has their place.

The map of Tenganan would make a New Yorker, feel at home. Three parallel main streets run the south to the north, connected by narrow east-west alleys. The minuscule village is carefully walled impressive gates open to dense vegetation in each cardinal point. Every morning, the drum beats up 21 times to awaken the inhabitants and send them to their daily work. Every night at 9:30 , after the village council meeting, the four lowest ranking members of the council, who are also the youngest, walk around village to announce the curfew.

walk around villag

many marriage prohibitions

Used for ceremonies