Story of Bali, Indonesia

BATESON and Mead 'assumed that Bali had a cultural base upon which various intrusive elements have been progressively grafted over the centuries, and that a more rewarding approach would be to study this base firs. They stated that they selected Bayung Gede as the village for their primary study because it lacked most of the conspicuous elements of 'intrusive cultures'. They stated that Bayung Gede was ceremonially bare, even when compared with other mountain Villages, and that it had a minimum of the 'over-elaboration of art and ceremonialism which is such a marked characteristic of Balinese culture. They assumed that it represented the cultural base of Bali.

In addition, because they noted that goitre was common in Bayung Gede, they assumed that thyroid deficiency was the cause of the entire population being 'markedly slow in both intellectual response and in speed of bodily movement. They felt that this factor and the 'schematically simplified' cultural emphasis enabled them to understand the base of Balinese culture, which in turn would help them understand the more complex forms of culture which they had encountered in the plains villages (i.e., the non-mountainous areas).

The validity of these assumptions is questionable or nil. This conclusion is based on 'the authors' observations at Bayung Gede, including interviews with inhabitants, two local priests, Made Kaler (Bateson and Mead's assistant and secretary during the two years of the study), and Professor Moerdowo (a scholar of Balinese culture, who is especially knowledgeable about, the aboriginal villages of Bali.The authors also drew on their medical training and expertise.

Made Kaler was interviewed in January and April 1989 at his home in Denpasar. He is one of the few living individuals who were associated with either Bateson or Mead and their study in Bali. He was with them almost continually during the two years of their stay.

Made Kaler spoke with lasting amazement and admiration about Bateson and Mead's energy and their long hours of daily work on observations and data. He said they inspired him to lead a life of hard work. He is credited with having founded the first elementary school which taught the English language in Bali, an institution that subsequently became a university. He retired 20 years ago from his life-long career as an educator. At the age of 78 he was wiry, alert, energetic, and intellectually keen, and he was still actively managing an inn he owns, which is connected with his home.

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