StStory of Bali, Indonesia

Cock-fights, traditional in Bali for centuries, continue to be staged today. In many villages, one can see cocks restrained in little bamboo cages. or being gently stroked and cared for by their owners in preparation for fights. These fights, attended by males only, are characterized by shouting and gesticulating by the audience during the betting, followed by intense concentration as they watch the cocks fight to a bloody, climactic death. Bateson and Mead also mentioned the 'climax' of a cock-fight.

The barong or witch dance is one of the most enduring and popular theatrical performances for all levels of Balinese society. From time to t1ine, it takes place in many villages. To cater to tourists it is also performed at several locations near the capital city of Bali through- out the year. Mead (1939) and Bateson and Mead (1942) described this performance in detail. Basically, it depicts conflict between good and evil spirits, the dragon and Rangda respectively; it includes comedy and exaggerated expressions of theatrical emotion. As Mead (1939) stated, it 'usually ends in a series of violent trances' and climax'. The barong impersonators, in 'climactic posture' (Holt and Bateson, 1970), bend back-Ward and press their krises (daggers) into the flesh of their chests, sometimes piercing the skin but usually not drawing blood, and finally fall to the ground rigid or limp, followed by revival through the sprinkling of holy water.

He showed no evidence of memory problems. He greeted the authors cordially and spoke openly and enthusiastically. His comprehension and fluency in English were relatively facile but most of the interviews with him were conducted in his native languages, Balinese and Indonesian.

He regarded Bayung Gede as culturally different from the plains villages but similar in most respects to a number of other villages in the same general mountain area about which he was knowledgeable. He did not say that the people of Bayung Gede were slow in intellectual response but admitted they had a limited ability to communicate about themselves and were unable to explain the reasons for or meaning of aspects of their culture. At that time none of the villagers were formally educated.

Kaler said that the villagers of Bayung Gede had difficulty in understanding Mead because she was 'not fluent' in the language of Bayung Gede, which was Balinese in the 1930s, as it is primarily today.' Villagers of Bayung Gede speak a stratified language, using higher levels well, unlike the inhabitants of some mountain villages who are unable to dot this. Mead never mentioned translators except in a letter written home in which she said Kaler translated anything Balinese (and Dutch and Malay) that he was given ; in her publications she always referred to him as a secretary

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