In Bali did you know............

Did you know that in Bali..

They have very good posture and can sit still without leaning or propping heads with hands for hours on end while sitting on a hard flat surface.

People mostly sit on mats, platforms or squat on the ground.

Most Balinese prefer not to carry stuff around with them. Women put cash in bras or waistbands and some men have waist purses or use pockets. Even adults with babies are not seen with baby bags, though they probably are usually near their housing compound, so they can walk a mile to take care of a diaper changes.

 Babies are the exception. They are attached to someone’s hip in a sling as they are not to touch the ground for their first three months.

If women need to carry something, it goes on their head on top of a large bracelet or rolled towel. Carrying bricks and concrete blocks are not an uncommon sight, though most women carry household things and food, including 50 lb rice bags. Women laborers, even load up four 2-inch cement blocks on their heads themselves, in flip-flops.

I think all of the above are related. I’m going to start balancing (light) objects on my head, as my mother had me do in charm school as a child. In fact as I sit here typing I have a towel and a tall wastepaper basket on my head. My back is very straight, a posture that I prefer, but is impossible to will yourself to do, as you forget after 4 seconds and slump. Try it!

Babies are considered reincarnated ancestors, who now are mini-deities as ancestors are respected through daily worship. As a result babies are not allowed to touch the ground till they are strengthened in the temple at three months. They are much loved and cared for by all family members, who all live together in compounds, near their rice field or behind their store. Children are not entertained by books or toys, they seem to study the community of adults and children around them.

Babies stare intently at foreigners for long periods of time. Who said children are not conscious of race differences?

Most Balinese women have very long, black, thick hair, worn in a ponytail or a bun. Men wear their hair short.

Balinese teeth are very white and strong. Very few smiling faces have bad looking teeth and I haven’t seen a sign for a dentist yet.

Balinese men particularly (and Papua Islanders) have teeth that look like Chiclets Gum. Turns out there are a tooth filing coming of age rituals for men and women so that you lose your animal-like incisors.

Very few Indonesians generally wear eyeglasses. Though 85% of Indonesians can read and write, the average Indonesian generally does not read books. There are very few libraries. I think these facts are related. When I asked Wayan, who reads a lot, she said most people do not have the time or money to read. Also, living in a family compound, where there is very little private space, makes it hard to read. Wayan started reading books in English as a way to improve her English and now is a fan.

Balinese consult traditional healers when misfortune or illness strikes. Black magic is often suspected as the cause. White magic and black magic are very much a part of the culture. Why should all the demons and gods have all the drama and fun!

Reliefs at an 800-year old village temple, called Yeh Pulu, show scenes of preparation for a temple celebration. It is recognizable, as it is done basically the same way today. Both women and men are shown. (see Yeh Pulu relief story). The position of men and women today are basically the same as then.

The four caste system is basically ignored here, except for the cremation ceremony and the prefix you get called before the traditional Wayan, Made, Nyoman and Ketuk, which means 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, or 4^th , whether you are a boy or a girl. This would have made things easier for me as I more easily remember the birth order of my daughters than their names, which I mix up way too often!  As a former principal pointed out, [after having the same problem with my daughters names, despite a photogenic memory], I named them basically the same name, except for the last syllables: E-liz  and A-lys. He’s right!

Most families only have two children today so everyone is either Wayan or Made.

There are no last names, but middle names that parents get to choose to reflect something about the child, a circumstance or their parent. Adults and teens change these as they see fit. Names are very fluid and there are no family names.

To be called Made Gemuk, which means the “fat second child” is not an insult to a Balinese nor is calling a person fat to their face, so. Everyone is different and very few are fat! A Balinese friend broke with the tradition of calling your child 1^st, 2^nd etc and named his daughter after his favorite motorcycle. It is a beautiful name, “Dukati”.