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History
of Bali
The Past Comes to Life in
Bali
In Bali, history is
not the dry, dead stuff of tedious textbooks and typical
tourist guides. Here history is alive, a vital part of the
daily island rhythms of work and play, of ritual and
commerce, of family, identity and community. In Bali, where
one's ancestors are born anew in one's children, living
links with the past continue to shape the present and give
form to the future.
History is brought back to
life each evening when, beneath a sky glazed with the gaudy
colors of tropical sunset, women in sarongs and sashes place
flower and incense offerings in the ancestor temples that
grace the courtyards of every Balinese home. History is
reenacted for spellbound audiences in the dramas of the wayang
kulit shadow play, in the topeng masked dance, in
the Balinese opera Arja, and in traditional Balinese drama
gong theater. And history is remembered and rewoven into
the fabric of contemporary life during temple anniversaries
and holidays such as Galungan, when Balinese from all
across the island return to their temples of origin to
reunite with their families and to pray for the blessings of
their ancestors.
History continues to play an
important role in modern Bali as a means of determining two
crucial aspects of culture: space and status. Knowing who
one's ancestors were, where they came from and when is vital
information, used to establish one's relationships to the
networks of temples that span the island, to know what
ceremonies one must participate in, and to determine where
one "sits" in the hierarchical system of Balinese
social relations. Many Balinese families possess their own
genealogies called babad, colorful compilations of
the deeds of their forebears that account for their
descendants' status in the present. In the case of
high-caste families, these may be detailed documents linking
them back hundreds of years to illustrious ancestors. Other
chronicles may tell tales of their family members' former
occupations, their migrations, or their heroic resistance
against despotic kings who attempted to control them. But
these genealogies are not "histories" in the
conventional Western sense. They are also religious
writings, revealing the words and deeds of ancestors who
have become part of the powerful unseen world and with whom
one must continue to maintain ritual relationships. These
histories are not to be forgotten or fought against, for
they provide a mythic charter to legitimize the present and
lead one into the future. Nor are they static documents,
fixed for all time in a finished form. They are constantly
being rewritten as new information is discovered and as
current concerns dictate. Even today, one of the most
popular columns in Bali's daily newspaper, The Bali Post,
is called Asal-Usul or "Origins." Readers
who wish to know more about their family's history are
invited to send a letter to an expert genealogist who can
fill in the gaps in one's story -- hopefully making it a
more noble narrative.
Because it is such a fluid,
flowing collection of frequently contradicting accounts,
history in Bali sometimes even becomes embroiled in
conflicts, especially over controversial issues like access
to land. In traditional Bali, most land was held communally
by extended families or temple groups. Such land was often
worked by tenant farmers, who were given this access in
exchange for services or a portion of the crop. These
arrangements were rarely written down, depending instead on
tradition and mutual good will for their legitimacy. But in
modern Bali, where prime land has become an increasingly
rare and valuable commodity, these issues of ownership have
become hotly contested. Family genealogies now play a
crucial role in court cases to decide who will be awarded
the precious certificate to a particular plot, and with it
the right to trade for new symbols of status: a Jeep
Cherokee, a Rolex watch, or investment in a hotel or golf
course.
You may not remember all the
exotic names, long ago dates and intriguing events that make
up Bali's colorful history. But when you visit "the
island of the gods" do remember this: that myth and
magic are still alive. And so is the past, not as an ancient
artifact growing dusty from disuse behind the locked gates
of a museum, but as a continuously renewed and reworked
connection to yesteryear.
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