Jean Couteau
Cult of the Mountain and Ancestors
Text Jean Couteau with Wayan Westa, Photos by Georges Breguet It all started very simply, the shrills of insect, followed by the frightened shriek of crows and other birds. Then all over the slopes, it was the rumbling down of screaming monkeys. By then, the trembling of the ground had become first a tremor,
The Unfortunate Charm of the Legong Dancer
Like everything, wise Balinese men will tell you, even their island too is subjected to the law of the Rwabhinneda, the complementary opposites. Light and Darkness; male and female; good and bad; serious and funny, and so forth. I spend much of my writing time talking about the positive, or funny sides of Balinese culture,
The Balinese Gigolo
When he pulled up next to me, riding his big BMW bike, I immediately knew he was a beach boy, a “Kuta cowboy”, as we say here. His long hair was red from too much sun and salt. He was broad-shouldered, darkly handsome and looked straight into your eyes in an almost provocative way, very
Warni: Another Sad Story
People sometimes say that quarrelling is the salt and pepper of a couple’s life. Hardly a day goes by in Warni’s life when she does not quarrel with her Sasak man from Lombok (Sasak people are the main ethnic group from the island). They never set any special time for their daily fight: it might
Why Are All Balinese Artists?
It is a truism to say that all Balinese are artists. Even though many are just villagers, it is a fact that almost all can carve, paint and play music. There are explanations to it. Most go back to the psychology days of anthropology, before World War Two. Such anthropology is criticised nowadays, but for
Banten Jotan: An Offering for Good and Evil
The Balinese religion is dominated by “deeds” rather than thought, by orthopraxy rather than orthodoxy. In rituals thus performed, peculiar attention is paid to the offering of food to what are called the witnesses (saksi) of the world: the gods (dewasaksi); the humans (manusasaksi) and the demons (butasaksi). Most tourists have seen, conjured up by
The Story of Gatot, The Javanese Barber in Bali
Gatot was really fed up with his job as’ a Kernet (conductor) of a run down Oplet (collective taxi) between the terminals (stations) of Banyuwangi and Pesanggaran, in East Java. Although he could sometimes, on good days, make as much as 40,000 rupiah (about 25.50 US$), he had also noticed that there were ever more
Garuda: The Myth & The Symbol
Garuda, Indonesia’s symbol. Steeped in both legend, mythology and modern symbolism the Garuda bird (be it the God bird of myth or Javan Eagle of modern interpretation) holds an esteemed position in the eyes and hearts of Indonesian citizens. Here, our culture writer Jean Couteau brings us closer to the story of Garuda of ancient
Bodily Care in Bali: Toothbrushing, Delousing & Bathing
Balinese are nowadays basically like you and me. So when they kiss, it is on the mouth. Yet, if you pay attention, or are in the middle of a kiss, you may notice a difference. All of a sudden, and without understanding his/her logic, you may see your Balinese partner take himself/herself off your mouth,
Changes in Balinese Religion: Hinduism Strengthens
When we talk about Balinese religion, we tend to immobilise it into intemporality, as if the kind of religious belief and practice that existed 100 years ago when the Dutch took over Bali, was still valid today. Of course the Balinese continue referring to a belief system that combines cult of ancestors and natural forces
Caste in Modern Balinese Hinduism
Since the puputans (fight to the end) of 1906 and 1908, which destroyed the political system of Bali and integrated the island into the Dutch-run archipelago, the Balinese quadripartite caste system (Brahmana, Satria, Wesia and Sudra) has undergone many changes, some inherent to the economic transformation of Balinese society itself, other origination in the exposure
Sebel: A Taste of Blood in Bali
Balinese society, like all societies, show numerous features of gender inequality in rights, status or simply behaviour. One of the most persistent imbalances pertains to the perception of female sexuality as being basically “impure” (sebel). Blood is associated in Balinese religion with negative forces, the butakalas. It is the main ingredient of the offerings addressed
What About Love in Bali
Have you ever thought about what love making entails when you cross a border and change cultural background. You may say the basic working of the thing is similar, and, as a frequent traveler, I will tend to agree of course…But, as you know, in some countries, people eat bread, in others, rice. So while
