Balinese: are we for real OR are we superficial?

[Kadek]

Hello Forum Members,

It has been a while since I posted anything in the Forum. But I still do read some topics sometimes – I guess I am a lurker. :oops:
Hmmm, where are the old Angels disappeared to?

Anyway, my mind have been thinking about this particular issue I am about to share with you. A couple of weeks ago, I got the opportunity to be part of Ecotourism Australia International Conference – here in my town. Many delegates from around the world came and many community delegates were also sponsored to come here.

I was very happy that a community delegate from Bali/Indonesia was here and she was here to represent a small/new village ecotourism network setup by an environmental NGO in Bali. I was looking forward to hear her talk. For one, I think the village network set up is an excellent idea – a community based tourism activities, where both the locals and the tourists interact in local settings and local villagers promoting a variety of local/community based social, cultural and agricultural activities. The issue of whether these activities can be considered strictly speaking “ecotourism” type activities is not an issue that I am concerned about at the moment.

However, from her presentation, one point/issue stuck in my mind for these past few weeks and I am quite disturbed about it. It concerns about whether “Balinese people are for real OR are we superficial?” :?:

This was not a question the presenter addressed specifically about but I got the impression that her talk hinted towards suggesting that Balinese people are now getting superficial and a little condescending about how and what we are. And that these attitudes or perceptions we apparently have about ourselves are derived from or are the results of being swept away by the intoxicating effects of the paradise image of Bali, the endless compliments about Balinese, our culture, etc, etc.

You see, the presenter started her talk by presenting how the tourism image of Bali was created and then followed by showing how we go about flaunting our image and do cultural activities in a way that we have lost touch with the spiritual meaning of these activities.

To be fair, I guess my ego and my proudness of being Balinese was a little dejected at the time, but I also wonder whether these attitudes or selfbelieve as she presented them are closer to realities then what I would like to still believe. Maybe things have changed so dramatically since I haven’t lived in Bali for more than 8 years and perhaps her not being Balinese herself gave her a better perspective and as an observer – she can more clearly see these changes.

Well indeed the “paradise image of Bali” was created to promote Bali as tourism destination to the world – this is going back to the 1920s and 1930s. I suppose, the image of Bali and the Balinese has undergone some kind of evolution from an island famous for its bare breasted women, to the island of the Gods and perhaps now sadly to villas paradise? Bali is certainly not paradise – but for some who enjoy and appreciate and believe it – it does indeed feel like paradise!

I must say that she was pretty much presenting a generalisation about Bali and I still don’t quite get the connection between how Balinese people perceive ourselves relate to or resulted in the creation of the village ecotourism project. But I guess, she was trying to show the social/cultural impacts of tourism in Bali (maybe negative impacts of tourism) and how these have spurred an initiative to show Bali from the villagers’ perspective?

I always believe that despite the tourism, despite what other people (visitors, tourists, tourism promoters) said about Bali and Balinese – Balinese have always been proud people, having a unique culture, tradition and heritage that we are proud of and not ashamed to continue into this modern Bali. Maybe in some instances there was a time where there was a decline in community appreciation of our heritage but when I go home, and through my reading, the news and from families, I got the impression that there seems to be renewed efforts, desires and commitment to understanding, valuing, doing and continuing what our ancestors have done before us – and this is not because of tourists or for tourism!

But I also must admit that perhaps the compliments said about us have somewhat blinded us to the danger of complacencies (socially, culturally, environmentally). But I wonder whether all we see in Balinese people and how Bali is at the moment are superficial and are only on display and that Balinese are now tourism objects and not master of our own future?? :?:

So I guess, I would like to know the views, perspectives and observations of the people here about this issue as to whether:

a.the Balinese people have been blinded by all the compliments and are now acting out these attributes said about us just for the tourists?

b.Or whether the attributes are/perhaps were how the people genuinely are and that now these attributes are increasingly becoming superficial because of the influences of tourism and maybe modernism.

c.Or whether the attributes are/perhaps were how the people genuinely are and what visitors/tourists see now are still in the majority of cases genuine attributes of Bali and Balinese.

d.Or whether the created image of paradise have gotten into the Balinese people’s heads and that we are becoming arrogant, pompous and complacent in going about promoting ourselves for the tourists and thus becoming tourism objects.

Are the images of Bali and the Balinese stem from Bali and the Balinese realities OR are Balinese adopting images that have been purposely created and maybe imposed on due to tourism? :?:


Please understand that I am not posing these questions because I think Balinese are all perfect angels living in paradise and wanting justification and/or validation regarding this. A visitor to Bali will undoubtedly encounter the good, the bad and the ugly of human behaviours. But I think these can be found anywhere and after all we are all human beings.

So, if you have views or thoughts about the above issue – I would like to hear about them. And I apologise if I have been a little unclear in my attempt to express my thoughts.

Hmm I don’t know if this topic has been talked about before???

Best Regards
Kadek

[Roy]

Kadek, it’s great to “hear” from you again. As you said, it’s been a while...too long in fact. You should write more often as your insight is priceless!

I enjoyed reading your well written post and I expect a number of others will enjoy it as well.

In your post you mention that the delegate representing Bali was not a Balinese, so for me that begs the question, how could the presenter conclude the Balinese, “go about flaunting our image and do cultural activities in a way that we have lost touch with the spiritual meaning of these activities.” In other words, what would a non Balinese know about the spiritual meaning of these activities?

I tend to view Bali as much through my wife and her family’s eyes as my own. Through those eyes I see no attempts, or even thoughts, that through their actions, be they at pura or the sawah, are with tourism or promotion of Bali in mind.

Adrain Vickers wrote a good book titled BALI, A PARADISE CREATED, first published in 1989. Much of what the delegate presented during your conference seems in line with issues discussed in this book. There is no question that to one degree or another, and as you point out, Bali has been promoted and various images of her created and marketed to attract tourists to Bali. However, that creation of Bali in those aspects was not carried out by the Balinese, but rather the early touring companies that began to promote Bali as a tourist destination in the 1920’s. Obviously, this continues to this day.

The issue concerning the extent to which these superfluous creations have worked their way into the Balinese psyche, in my view, can only be answered by each and every Balinese on their own, as they examine their own spirituality. In my little niche of Bali, I do not see this happening at all.

To the extent that this delegate’s inferences or partial conclusions have left you troubled, says to me that your own participation in ceremonies and at pura here in Bali are not influenced by thoughts of presenting a post card image of Bali, but rather stem 100% from what you were taught by your parents as a young girl, and your faith.

In a very real sense, the Balinese cannot help but to be a tourist image no matter what they are doing. A farmer working a sawah may well be photographed by a tourist, but that farmer is hardly thinking about promoting tourism.

I have been to many ceremonies in our village where I am the only non Balinese in attendance. Moreover, if there was a camera present during those ceremonies, it was only my camera. None of those ceremonies were ever conducted with tourism in mind, nor was any thought ever given to this aspect. If I had asked at any of those ceremonies, “were you disappointed that no tamu came to see the ceremony” the response would be a laugh.

As I see it Kadek, the questions you raise can only be answered by yourself and for yourself, and only as they relate to yourself. Outsiders who attempt to define the level of spirituality in any aspect of Balinese culture are engaging in arrogant behavior. For a non Balinese to even suggest that somehow the spirituality of the Balinese people is being diminished or diluted by matters relating to tourism is pure arrogance and a fireworks display of ignorance.

These discussions should be left to the Balinese in consort with their balians, holy men, and priests who have been chosen by the Gods to be the guide in such essential matters.

A great post Kadek...and an issue that hasn’t been discussed here in a very long time.

[Ipanema]

Welcome back Kadek,

I would have to go with c.

Excellent post. I read it just after you posted it. I have been thinking about it for a while now and how I would respond. In the end I think that I cannot respond as I am not Balinese and as you said neither was the person giving the speech.

You mentioned that you thought by her not being Balinese it gave her a better perspective and that as an observer she can more clearly see these changes. I have to disagree with that because I believe the opposite. I do not think you can get a clear perspective if you are not Balinese and Hindu. Correct me if I am wrong but I believe that Balinese and Hindu go hand in hand.

I don't believe a large portion of the Balinese people would even know (through their daily life) what is being 'advertised' to other countries. I have been going to Bali since 1981 and fundamently the people are the same as when I met them in 1981.

You wrote

"I always believe that despite the tourism, despite what other people (visitors, tourists, tourism promoters) said about Bali and Balinese – Balinese have always been proud people, having a unique culture, tradition and heritage that we are proud of and not ashamed to continue into this modern Bali. Maybe in some instances there was a time where there was a decline in community appreciation of our heritage but when I go home, and through my reading, the news and from families, I got the impression that there seems to be renewed efforts, desires and commitment to understanding, valuing, doing and continuing what our ancestors have done before us – and this is not because of tourists or for tourism! "

I totally agree.

I think the proudest of all the attributes the Balinese have is the fact the people are contining into 'modern bali'. No doubt it has had some effect but nowhere near what I thought it would be. Compare Australians of 1981 to Australians today and there is a vast difference. The differences are in all areas but the biggest I have noticed is in lifestyle.

[bukit]

Me and my family went home to bali early this year for nyepi. The day we arrived a ceromony for melis was on at the beach. We did not get to partake in the ceromony as we were late, but got to see our whole village come up from the beach. The look on everybodies faces sheer joy, it was over whelming to see balinese culture so strong not put on for any one just there extreme love of being balinese. The ogah ogah's just before nyepi just incredble as well. Months of work in every one, 21 ogah ogah's in total

[Kadek]

Yes indeed, these questions I posed here are best answered by Balinese for Balinese. And yes, her presentation got its inspiration from the book by Adrien Vickers, which I myself have read also whilst at Uni.

For me individually, I know where I stand with regards to these views and also where my families stand. But I guess I just wanted to share these views presented in the context of this conference. And it would be interesting to hear some of people’s experiences in interacting with Balinese either through holidays or through living there as expatriates. But unfortunately, there are not many Balinese people in this forum – or maybe more accurately, there are not many who will read this posting and would want to give their replies to these questions.

The spirituality of all the ceremonies as I see it is still there and it is the way it is on the ground – all the ceremonies are done because of people’s devotion to the tradition and religion. Sure there are sometimes chaos and frustration – but it is all done in good faith, devotion and appreciated at the end.

Best Regards
Kadek

[Roy]

The spirituality of all the ceremonies as I see it is still there and it is the way it is on the ground – all the ceremonies are done because of people’s devotion to the tradition and religion.

Om Santi, Santi, Santi, Om :!:

[made marko]

and may I say welcome back also Kadek, as a fellow recent returne'.

I do not have much of an opinion on modern Balinese realities. I tend to question realities in general, finding it rather easy to ponder the concept of maya.
I would hope that, as I have been told since childhood that Bali, and the Balinese people as well, are on the earth for the benifit of all peoples of the wolrd...

This being true, How heavy a burden are the devout expected to bear?

How many offerings are required retain proper balance after all?
-it seems more and more shall be needed.