Bali Aga - The Origins of Bali

The original inhabitants of Bali are said to have come long before the Hindi-Javanese immigration wave, from Bedulu village. The legend is, there lived the last king of the Pejeng (an old Balinese kingdom), Sri Aji Asura Bumibanten, who had supernatural powers. He could cut off his head without feeling pain and put it back on again. One day, though, his head accidentally fell into a river and was swept away. One of his servants, panicked, decided to quickly decapitate a pig and replace the king's head with the animal's head. Embarassed, the king hid in a tall tower, denying anyone to see him. However, there was a small child who discovered the secret and since then, the king was known as Dalem Bedulu, or He-who-changed-head. A more scientific reason is the theory that it comes from the name Badahulu or "the village upstream". After the Pejeng kingdom, the Majapahit Empire rose to power.

The Bali aga live in isolated areas in the mountains. Tourists wishing to visit certain villages must take care in not putting themselves in danger due to the geographical circumstances. While visiting, it is also important to be respectful and quietly observe the preserved way of life the Bali aga have.

The Bali Aga speak a dialect of the Balinese language that is entirely their own, dating back from thousands of years. It varies from village to village, where the one spoken in the Tenganan village is different from the Trunyan village.

An important part of Bali Aga culture is the unique weaving skills found especially in the Tenganan village, called geringsing. Geringsing consists of an intricate ikat technique, where patterns are applied in such a way that it only appears when completed. The geringsing threads are dyed and cross-dyed until they achieve a color that is often mute. The villagers believe the geringsing to be sacred because of its ability to drive away bad spirits, or black magic. Gering means decease and sing means no.

There are two major bali aga cultural groups in bali, Trunyan and Tenganan

1. Trunyan Village

The mountain village of Trunyan is located at the foot of Mount Abang, at a remote and isolated location on the eastern shore of Lake Batur. The Trunyanese are often referred to as Bali Aga (mountain Balinese), a classification which refers to a conservative, pre-Hindu way of life with ancient, neolithic customs and a conscious avoidance of outside influences.

As the term "Bali Aga has acquired a negative connotation, the term Bali Mula, or 'original Balinese', is often used instead. However, the Bali Aga are in no sense 'original', while the term 'Mountain Balinese' is, from a historical perspective, completely apposite. The Bali Aga namely have always occupied their ancestral villages from choice, and performed their traditional crafts and trades appropriate to the nature of the land.

Trunyanese society has two 'castes', the banjar jero and the banjar jaba. These castes are not based on the Hindu ideas of purity, but are instead determined by descent during the period of the Gelgel dynasty. This caste system is an important example of when outside influence actually did affect the life of the Trunyanese people, for those belonging to the banjar jero are the descendants of rulers, id est the Trunyanese who were appointed by the kings of Gelgel to rule, and those of the banjar jaba are the descendants of the people, id est those who were ruled by the banjar jero.

Another example of outside influence is the requirement for their young men to travel through lowland Bali for a time to live as beggars. This little known practice, reminiscent of the itinerant monks of Thailand, derives from the strong Buddhist tradition of the area a thousand years ago.

Funeral rites of Trunyan - Contrary to elswhere in Hindu Bali the Trunyanese do not cremate their dead. Instead, after a ritual cleansing with rain water, the body of the deceased is placed in a bamboo cage under the taru menyan tree until the forces of nature, in particular the wind, has dissolved the body tissues and only the skeleton remains. Then the skull is placed on a stairs-shaped stone altar which is located some 500 meter north of the banjar Kuban, a special place which can only be reached by boat.

This ancient practice is a reminicsent of the neolithic Agama Bayu sekt, one of the six most important religious-spiritual sekts that dominated Bali during pre-Hindu times. This Agama Bayu sekt mainly worshipped the stars and the wind (angin ngelinus).

Taru Menyan translates as 'nice smelling tree'. The typical scent this tree eminates, neutralizes the smell of rotting bodies. It is also this tree from which the name Trunyan is derived.

Furthermore typical for the funeral rites of Trunyan is that only the bodies of married people are placed in bamboo cages; if the deceased is unmarried, the body is normally buried at the cemetry.

Also typical is that women are not allowed to attend the Pengiriman ceremonies, the bringing of the body to the taru menyan tree or to the cemetry. The reason for this is the belief that otherwise the village will be struck by disaster, such as an earthquake, a volcanic eruption, or a land slide. How and when this rule came into being however is not clear.

Bhatara Da Tonta - Since long forgotten times Trunyan has been worshipping an ancient, local god connected to the Batur volcano and patron guardian of the village, Ratu Gede Pantjering Djagat - also referred to as Bhatara Da Tonta. In a for outsiders forbidden, underground space is an enormous, neolithic statue of this Bhatara Da Tonta. During special initiation rites of the village flowers are offered here and the statue is ritually cleansed with rain water and a special oil, precisely as instructed on an old bronze tablet (911 AD) that was found in the mysterious Pura Tegeh Koripan, a temple built in the form of a neolithic pyramid at Mount Penulisan, the second highest point of the caldera of the Batur volcano.

Music and dance in Trunyan - like elsewhere in Bali, the performing arts are associated with religious ceremonies, and are a means to maintain a balance between the visible, physical world and the non-visible, multi-dimensional worlds. The Berutuk dance of Trunyan is an excellent example of a performance that is strongly associated with religious rites and supernatural powers

The berutuk dance is at once performance, ceremony, and rite. The performers are a selected group of unmarried men who must undergo a period of ritual purification and isolation prior to performing. During this time they sleep in the temple, abstain from sexual contact, and learn the prayers for the ceremony from the temple priest. The Berutuk performers wear sacred masks and two aprons of dried banana leaf fiber; one is tied around the neck and hangs over the torso and the other is tied around the waist. There is no musical accompaniment for the performance.

Berutuk reenacts the historical legend of the Trunyan migration from the other Bali Aga areas in East Bali. However, this is not a mere dramatization. The Berutuk performance requires the purification of the actors and appropriate offerings and prayers which will allow the young men to be possessed by Bethara Berutuk. At one point, the Berutuk are presented with offerings and members of the audience barter with the Berutuk in order to take part of the offering. In addition, the banana fiber costumes are now charged with powerful magic and spectators attempt to steal bits of the hanging fibers which become protective amulets.

The king and queen Berutuk engage in a courtship dance inspired by the movements of a bird common to the Trunyan area and the queen must be successfully captured by the king in order to ensure the fertility of both the village of Trunyan as well as that of the performer himself. Only after the performance will the young men be eligible for official marriage. The performance ends after the queen is captured and the dancers bathe in the sacred Lake Batur.

The performances happen at irregular intervals depending on the needs of the villages and require that the village not be tainted, for example, by plague or crop failure.

The performers are not trained in the movement of the Berutuk but in the necessary prayers. It is not the dance technique but the selection and ritual preparation of the dancers that is important, as they will become temporary vessels for the Bethara Berutuk: Ratu Pancering Jagat. Thus, the performance places an emphasis on the ritual readiness of the performers, not technical training. It is a recounting of legendary history, a fertility rite for both land and humans, a passage into adulthood, and a time when the spirits enter humans and the tumultuous interaction between performer and audience mimics the interaction between the human, spirit, and natural worlds.

2. Tenganan Village


Tenganan is a small village in Bali which has its own unique. It is located in a remote area in Karang Asem Province. To be able to reach this place, you must take ground way which is around 60 km from the center of town Denpasar, Bali. This village remains traditional because it can survive from the globalization era caused by advanced technology. Even thought the media and the electricity facilities already exist in this area but they still uphold their nature culture so it remains the way it used to be, which is exotic. It is unchangeable because the local people have a traditional custom regulation which is called “Awig-awig”. This custom had been written down since 11 century and already renew in 1842.

This village spread around 1500.000 ha width. When the tourist spot expanded rapidly in Bali such as Kuta beach, Amed beach this place becoming more prestige by the present of hotels, beautiful beaches, cafes and the night life. Tenganan village still remain unchangeable, even though the era keep on changing it still held its 3 old meeting houses which are worn out and the grid traditional houses which has the same feature physically one to another. The heritance of the villagers in this place are being well taking care of by marriage among them. Therefore this village remain traditional and exotic even though the community of Tenganan excepted outside culture, but it still unchangeable because Awig-awig culture regulation that play as an important part to the Tenganan villagers community.

The history of the village of Tenganan expressed in some version, first version mentioned that the resident of the village of Tenganan comes from the village of Paneges, a near one by the field of Bedahulu in the regency of Gianyar, second version it express that they write up Tenganan recognized in one of the inscription of Bali with the Tranganan word, ter expresses that the resident of the village of Tenganan requests to the temple of Bukit Lempuyang that overcomes the coast from Crystalized Dasa to the east near 10 and century 11. The word of Tenganan attributed by a word by the root of Tengah that can mean to aim at the center of Pegringsingan, representing the type armor of the cloth to typically hold the product of the resident of the village of Tenganan. The structure of the resident in the village of Tenganan is constructed in the ray consisted of linear seize, each ray consisted widely of some turf, forms the building that the relative, existence of the store of the art has altered original the some types of the resident. All the existence of the tradition of the one of the harmonious human being with the God, of est human with est of the human being and est human environmentally like according to the concept of Tri Hita Karana. The destination of the tourism of Tenganan remains to draw during the time, the quality like cultural object of the tourism, the nature of the tourism and the tourism of agriculture.

This village has a unique entrance gate. To be able to enter this village, the visitors have to pass a ticket-counter; it’s not a must that we pay, because the amount of the money that you give as a voluntary donation to the ticket officer who guard the ticket-counter. It was built Semi permanently. Before entering this village, the visitors have to pass a narrow gate which is enough to be passed by one person. The income of the villagers can’t be measure because they still use the barter system among them. Over here there are plenty of trees, rice field; buffalos which are set loose in front of their yard.

Pegeringsingan is place to learn patience to girl village to weaving thread to be traditional woven cloth. That is geringsing cloth? In afternon we find girl hand of midle tenganan smeared of yellow candlenut oil and sunti nusa penida red root. Be a patience wait till it dry, a couple minute they are will make a cloth with their creative hand. Yes, both of their hand dancing embroider and weave thread whom their coloring don’t hurry so be a nice motif. This is geringsing cloth whom was weaved with pantience in heart.


That girl was weave cloth to refuse a disaster. That cloth whom always take care your self from disaster. Until now geringsing still look sacred. If “gering” mean sick and “sing”mean no. their belive geringsing take away tanganan villager from disaster.

love in kilometer sixty five from city centre limited also. So don’t try maried with another villager. Hai tenganan boys if your love posible to hold with girl from another village, consequences waiting you. there in “banjar pande” will be place for your love becouse your love in opinion public is disreputable because conflict the rule of village, but be you out from ritual tradition and religion.nyou still give right and obligation for doit the ritual.


Beside that the most performence is “Mekare” or “Geret Pandan” or “Perang Pandan” Tenganan People Belive was there is India descent. The belive that as though proven with team research Indonesian and swiss scientist on 1978

from genetik research who do with 18 people Tengangn. And get same enzim between their with people from calcuta, india. This matter was affirm with same ritual between Tenganan people with India People. Even geringsing cloth is one of characteritic of Tenganan People also same with with pantola cloth from india.

One of cultur to be affirm they was people hindu sekte “Dewa Indra” in india. Looking from ritual, they respect with god of war. One way is “geret” or “perang Pandan” Where the boy that village run peace fight using a tied pandanus. Two boys mutualy scratch to opponent body.

This ritual their run every year in fullmoon number five in balinese calender at Sambah Holiday. Pandan fighting doing for respect to Dewa Indra, a God of War. Be Dewa Indra Follower Tenganan People Belive There is war knight descent.

Traditional perfoment “mekare” or “Mageret Pandan” it mean scratch or hook with thorny pandan leaf . this sacred sport performed every once year in tenganan pegringsingan village on “Usaba Sambah Ceremony”.Pandan Scratch to opponent Body doing while hook until they body hurt and bleeding. The lose player is not revenge but they satisfied and respected becouse they have opportunity to offering “yadnya’ in that ceremony.

How to paly “Mekare” did by Tenganan People in yard of “Bale Patemu Tengah. The Player is teenager and adult not limited from that village but from another village also. Mutualy scratch did one way, that mean one by one.

Skill in this game is atack and dodged. Atack with scratch or hook opponent body with a tied pandan. One tied have content is five leaf with tall 30 until 40 cm in hold part the trorn. The part of body must atack is neck and waist usualy in back.

Avoid the atack with “mekelid” or repulse with “tamiang”.the shape is circle with line in the midle round about 45 until 60cm.Tamiang made from “ata”.the frame in out side circle made from rattan in order easy to hold in the back side set both of hollow tied to put in the hand and hold it.The hollow tied set in right and left of back tamiang with distance around about 25 cm. the performance lead by one or two refere. They duty is give a sigh and breack up the fight if the both player wrestle.game finish if one of player giveup or stoped by refere, couse see serious hurt or much bleeding . The game is intresting. Together with selonding made sacred performance. Player atacking with wild and try to hurt the enemy, but peace in the end. Even they mutualy smeared with “Boreh” ( concoction heal ) at the hurt.