What Indonesia - Bali is all about ?

His assistance was undoubtedly one reason she spoked of him as a godsend. Only a person raised in Bali could master the complex Balinese language, with its multiple levels of discourse and diversity. Kaler's translations of Balinese into English were of the 'Dutch English' he knew and not American English. Bateson and Mead's translation from Dutch English into the American idiom would present an opportunity for further distortion2, particularly in aspects of psychology. It is easy to understand how words of emotion such as fear (takut), and worry (takut), and shame (lek) could be misinterpreted in the translation process. Mead pointed out that translation is a classic stumbling block for ethnology.It was observed that many of the children of Bayung Gede manifested infections of various types, including rhinitis, purulent infections, bronchitis, skin disease (i.e., scabies and pyoderma), and many appeared clinically ill from ascariasis (round worm infestation). Kaler commented that sickness was even. more prevalent in Bayung Gede at the time of the study. In. Bali, symptomatic ascariasis afflicts primarily infants and children up to the ages of about 6-10 years; in 1989, about 80 per cent of this age group was affected by the disease It is manifested by a characteristic apathetic facies, malnutrition, often a protruding abdomen, and behavioral changes of irritability and lethargy. Bateson and Mead were apparently unaware of the general chronic ill health of the children. Possibly this factor accounted for their the children were slow in response and movement It is apparent from their photos and films that most of the infants and young children were ill.5 However, neither physical illness nor slowness is apparent in the adults in their films.

Vagrants passed through and other, villagers came for cock-fights. People from other villages also immigrated to Bayung Gede; one man, 60 years of age, informed the authors that he had come to the Village as a small child and lived there ever since. Furthermore, villagers had regular and frequent social contact at the busy general market-place at Kintamani, only 4 kilometres away. Five kilometres away is a very large temple at Batur, which is second in importance only to the mother temple of Besakih; priests representing distant villages sometimes came to attend ceremonies at Batur and at Bayung Gede.

Several features of the buildings, temples, roads, and cemeteries and their arrangements attest to both Balinese Hindu and aboriginal influences. These also provide a contrast with the two well-studied aboriginal villages in Bali, Tenganan and Truyan.Trunyan, which is visible from Kintamani, is a relatively isolated village close to Bayung Gede. It is in a valley on the shore of Lake Batur at the foot of Mt. Batur, which rises up sharply, Fuji-like, and acts as a backdrop to Kintamani. 'Me inhabitants of Trunvan look upon Mt. Batur, the highest mountain in the vicinity~ as their sacred mountain, rather than Mt. Agung, the sacred one of the Balinese Hindus

and Mead gave the following reasons why they felt Bayung Gede was little influenced by Hindu tradition: (1) the villagers lacked Hindu names for gods; (2) they did not practise cremation; (3) they did not place importance on the relationship of colour to the direction of offerings; (4) they did not have castes; (5) they had no taboo against eating beef, and (6) they had no relationship With a Brahmana priestly household. Only two of these assertions are correct.

It is not true that the villagers of Bayung.Gede do not use Hindu names for the gods. Uke all Balinese Hindus, they make offerings to and hold ceremonies for three Hindu gods: Betara Sri, the goddess of rice; Betara Wisnu, the god who takes care of the world; and Betara Surya, the sun god. The villagers also pray to the Hindu God, Sang Hyang Widi Wasa. However the villagers do not use Trimurti (the gods Wisnu, Brahma, and Siwa) as is usual fbr Balinese Hindus.

It is true that the villagers of Bayung Gede do not use colored cloth banners, to designate direction, as; in Hindu tradition For example red is the symbol of the god, Brahma, who iv from the direction of the mountain - (kaja). Black is the symbol of Wisnu from the direction of the sea (kelod}.

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