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  1. <?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:blogger='http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005" xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495679242011896051</id><updated>2024-09-05T02:48:46.364-07:00</updated><title type='text'>All About Bali Island</title><subtitle type='html'></subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://thebali-island.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3495679242011896051/posts/default'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://thebali-island.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><author><name>Budi&#39;s Site</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07858766841540083983</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzi_8d8ACZuO7Tf3ZVf2goyUgInfQTOm2VL2r3MnV_4sGreUKbQypVhHOj-O63Z4nEijN4fgaTf2dOHBNFrgp_5797CoREVOw8_P6I3-ADn7g8Cn-DZ_1BAKxGYyNPGec/s220/P1010413.JPG'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>7</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495679242011896051.post-4214790135279143319</id><published>2006-05-13T03:16:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2007-05-13T03:20:53.569-07:00</updated><title type='text'>GEOGRAPHY</title><content type='html'>&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;An                          Island Built by Volcanoes&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://indonesia-bali.com/images/batur_volcanoes.JPG&quot; alt=&quot;Batur&quot; align=&quot;left&quot; border=&quot;1&quot; height=&quot;230&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;Every                          aspect of Bali&#39;s geography and ecology is influenced by                          the towering range of volcanic peaks that dominate the                          island. They have created its landforms, periodically                          regenerated its soils,and helped to produce the dramatic                          downpours which provide the island with life-giving water.                          The Balinese recognize these geophysical facts of life,                          and the island&#39;s many volcanoes, lakes and springs are                          considered by them to be sacred.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Bali                          is continually being formed by volcanic action. The island                          lies over a major subduction zone where the Indo-Australian                          plate collides with the rigid Sunda plate with explosive                          results. A violent eruption of Mt. Agung (3,142 m before                          the eruption; 3,014 in now) in 1963 showered the mountain&#39;s                          upper slopes with ash and debris that slid off as mudflows,                          killing thousands of people and laying waste to irrigation                          networks and rice fields that had been built up over many                          years. Mt Batur (1,717 in) to the west is also active,                          with greater frequency but less violence.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;A                          mild, equatorial climate&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Lying                          between 8 and 9 degrees south of the equator, Bali has                          a short, hot wet season and a longer, cooler dry season.                          The mountains are wet year round, averaging 2,500 to 3,000                          mm (100 to 120 inches) of rain annually, with warm days                          and cool nights. The lowlands are hotter and drier, but                          fresh and persistent winds make the climate less oppressive                          here than elsewhere in the equatorial zone.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;The                          wet season lasts from November to March, and though there                          are only five or six hours of sunshine a day, this is                          also the hottest time of year (30-31&quot; C by day, 24-25o                          C at night). The dry season is from April to October,                          when southeasterly winds blow up from the cool Australian                          interior (28-29o C by day, and a pleasant 23&quot; C at                          night), with seven or eight hours of sunshine daily.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://indonesia-bali.com/images/a_mild.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bali duck&quot; align=&quot;right&quot; border=&quot;1&quot; height=&quot;213&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;By                          itself, the rainfall in the lowlands is not enough for                          wet rice cultivation. In other parts of Indonesia, particularly                          Java, flood waters following heavy rains can be collected                          behind dams, but the steep, narrow valleys of Bali offer                          no good dam sites. Over the centuries, the Balinese have                          instead devised many sophisticated irrigation systems                          which optimize the water available from rain and rivers.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Bali&#39;s                          volcanic soils are in fact not naturally well-suited to                          wet rice cultivation. They are deep, finely textured and                          well-drained, so water soaks through them rapidly. While                          this reduces the risk of floods, it wastes precious water.                          Paradoxically, the solution is vigorous and repeated plugging,                          which actually renders the soils less permeable. Irrigated                          areas, moreover, receive a supply of nutrients from river                          water enriched by domestic effluents.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Man                          has extensively modified the natural vegetation of Bali.                          The moist primary forest which is its natural vegetation                          now covers only 1,010 sq km or 19 percent of Bali&#39;s total                          area, mainly in the western mountains and along the arc                          of volcanic peaks from Agung to Batukau. About a quarter                          of the forest is protected in four nature reserves, the                          largest of which is Bali Barat National Park (763 sq km.                          Further reserves are planned to protect another quarter                          of the island&#39;s forests.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;An                          island of great contrasts&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Bali                          may be small, but its physical geography is complex, creating                          an island of great contrasts. In simple outline, three                          major areas emerge - the mountains, the coastal lowlands                          and the limestone fringes. The mountains are lofty and                          spectacular, dominated by Mt Agung and its neighbors,                          Abang and Batur. Dramatic lava flows on the northeastern                          flanks of Agung are Bali&#39;s newest landforms, showing what                          the entire island probably looked like a million years                          ago.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;The                          western mountains provide the last major wildlife sanctuary.                          Cultivation is here limited to coastal areas that are                          very dry in the north, but more prosperous and fertile                          in the south. Coconut groves, cattle pastures and rain                          fed fields line the foothills while rice fields are found                          along the coast. Unique canals vanish into foothill tunnels                          excavated as protection from landslides. In the extreme                          southwest, the new Palasari Dam forms the island&#39;s only                          manmade lake. On Bali&#39;s western tip, the coral reefs and                          clear waters around Menjangan Island provide fantastic                          scuba diving.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;The                          southern lowlands formed the cradle of Balinese civilization.                          Here it is possible to grow two or more irrigated rice                          crops per year. Based on this agricultural surplus, eight                          small but powerful kingdoms arose, symmetrically lining                          the parallel north-south river valleys that shaped their                          early growth.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;In                          contrast to the south, the north coast hosted only a single                          kingdom, centered on the less extensive but equally productive                          rice lands around Singaraja. Terracing here continues                          well into the hills, on slopes which elsewhere would be                          regarded as a severe erosion hazard. In Bali, these terraces                          stand as firm as masonry because of peculiar clay minerals                          within the soil. Further east, the dry coast is relieved                          by several major springs which emerge from fissures in                          the lava flows. The spring water is used for irrigating                          table grapes, a crop that thrives here.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://indonesia-bali.com/images/menjangan.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Menjangan Island&quot; align=&quot;left&quot; border=&quot;1&quot; height=&quot;150&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;The                          southern limestone fringes stand in complete contrast                          to the rest of Bali. These are dry and difficult to cultivate.                          The Bukit Peninsula south of the airport has impressive                          southern cliffs and many large caves. Across the sea to                          the east, Nusa Ceningan, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida                          are dry limestone islands with scrubby vegetation and                          shallow soils. Villagers on Penida have built ingenious                          catchments to collect rainwater. Springs also emerge from                          the base of its high southern cliffs, and villagers scramble                          down precarious scaffolds to collect water. just as water                          is the measure of richness in the interior, so is it the                          measure of survival around the periphery. In Bali, water                          is truly sacred.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://thebali-island.blogspot.com/feeds/4214790135279143319/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3495679242011896051&amp;postID=4214790135279143319' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3495679242011896051/posts/default/4214790135279143319'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3495679242011896051/posts/default/4214790135279143319'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://thebali-island.blogspot.com/2006/05/geography.html' title='GEOGRAPHY'/><author><name>Budi&#39;s Site</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07858766841540083983</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzi_8d8ACZuO7Tf3ZVf2goyUgInfQTOm2VL2r3MnV_4sGreUKbQypVhHOj-O63Z4nEijN4fgaTf2dOHBNFrgp_5797CoREVOw8_P6I3-ADn7g8Cn-DZ_1BAKxGYyNPGec/s220/P1010413.JPG'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495679242011896051.post-7075536457586985014</id><published>2006-05-13T02:13:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2007-05-13T02:15:04.631-07:00</updated><title type='text'>AGRICULTURE</title><content type='html'>&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Rice                      Culture:&lt;br /&gt;                    Nourishing Body and Soul&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://www.indonesia-bali.com/images/rice_2.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Rice terrace&quot; align=&quot;left&quot; border=&quot;1&quot; height=&quot;160&quot; width=&quot;310&quot; /&gt;Nature                      has endowed Bali with ideal conditions for the development                      of agriculture. The divine volcanoes, still frequently active,                      provide the soils with great fertility. Copious rainfall and                      numerous mountain springs supply many areas of the island                      with ample water year-round. And a long dry season, brought                      on by the southeasterly monsoon, brings plentiful sunshine                      for many months of the year. Bali is, as a result, one of                      the most productive traditional agricultural areas on earth,                      which has in turn made possible the development of a highly                      intricate civilization on the island since very early times.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Rice                      as the staff of life&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;Wet-rice                      cultivation is the key to this agricultural bounty. &#39;Me greatest                      concentration of irrigated rice fields is found in southern-central                      Bali, where water is readily available from spring-fed streams.                      Here, and in other well-watered areas where wet-rice culture                      predominates, rice is planted in rotation with so-called palawija                      cash crops such as soybeans, peanuts, onions, chili peppers                      and other vegetables. In the drier regions corn, taro, tapioca                      and beets are cultivated.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;Rice                      is, and has always been, the staff of life for the Balinese.                      As in other Southeast Asian languages, rice is synonymous                      here with food and eating. Personified as the &quot;divine                      nutrition&quot; in the form of the goddess Bhatari Sri, rice                      is seen by the Balinese to be part of an all-compassing life                      force of which humans partake.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;Rice                      is also an important social force. &#39;Me phases of rice cultivation                      determine the seasonal rhythm of work as well as the division                      of labor between men and women within the community. Balinese                      respect for their native rice varieties is expressed in countless                      myths and in colorful rituals in which the life cycle of the                      female rice divinity are portrayed from the planting of the                      seed to the harvesting of the grain. Rice thus represents                      &quot;culture&quot; to the Balinese in the dual sense of cultura                      and cultus - cultivation and worship.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Irrigation                      cooperatives (subak)&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://www.indonesia-bali.com/images/bali_rice_traditional.JPG&quot; alt=&quot;bali traditional rice&quot; align=&quot;left&quot; border=&quot;1&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; width=&quot;206&quot; /&gt;Historical                      evidence indicates that since the 11th century, all peasants                      whose fields were fed by the same water course have belonged                      to a single subak or irrigation cooperative. This is a traditional                      institution which regulates the construction and maintenance                      of waterworks, and the distribution of life-giving water that                      they supply. Such regulation is essential to efficient wet-rice                      cultivation on Bali, where water travels through very deep                      ravines and across countless terraces in its journey from                      the mountains to the sea.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;The                      subak is responsible for coordinating the planting of seeds                      and the transplanting of seedlings so as to achieve optimal                      growing conditions, as well as for organizing ritual offerings                      and festivals at the subak temple. All members are called                      upon to participate in these activities, especially at feasts                      honoring the rice goddess Sri.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;Subak                      cooperatives exist entirely apart from normal Balinese village                      institutions, and a single village&#39;s rice fields may fall                      under the jurisdiction of more than one subak, depending on                      local drainage patterns. The most important technical duties                      undertaken by the subak are the construction and maintenance                      of canals, tunnels, aqueducts, dams and water locks.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Other                      crops&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://www.indonesia-bali.com/images/rice_crops.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Traditional rice work&quot; align=&quot;right&quot; border=&quot;1&quot; height=&quot;160&quot; width=&quot;208&quot; /&gt;One                      often gets the impression that nothing but wet-rice is grown                      on Bali, because of the unobstructed vistas offered by extensive                      irrigated rice fields between villages. This is not so. Out                      of a total of 563,286 hectares of arable land on Bali, just                      108,200 hectares or about 19 percent is irrigated rice fields                      (sawah). Another 157,209 hectares are non-irrigated dry fields                      (tegalan) producing one rain-fed crop per year. A further                      134,419 hectares are forested lands mostly belonging to the                      state, and 99,151 hectares are devoted to cash crop gardens                      (kebun) with tree and bush culture. Compared with the figures                      for 1980, a gradual decrease in the total area under cultivation                      may be noted, resulting mainly from population pressures and                      tourism development. This includes a real estate and building                      boom in the coastal resort areas and tourist handicraft villages                      such as Celuk and Ubud.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;Other                      crops include Balinese coffee, famous the world over for its                      delicate aroma and still an important export commodity. Lately,                      the production of cloves, vanilla and tobacco has also stepped                      up, and in mountainous regions such as Bedugul, new vegetable                      varieties are under intensive cultivation to supply the tourist                      trade. Other export commodities include copra and related                      products of the coconut palm.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;For                      subsistence cultivators, the coconut palm in fact remains,                      as before, a &quot;tree of life&quot; that can be utilized                      from the root right up to the tip. It provides building materials                      (the wood, leaves and leaf ribs), fuel (the leaves and dried                      husks), kitchen and household items (shells and fibers for                      utensils), as well as food and ritual objects (vessels, offerings,                      plaited objects, food and drink).&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;The                      &#39;green revolution&#39;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;Recent                      changes in Balinese agricultural practices have brought about                      fundamental changes in the relationship of the Balinese to                      their staple crop. Rice production can no longer be expanded                      by bringing new lands under cultivation. Nor is mechanization                      a desirable alternative, given the current surplus of labor                      on the island. For these reasons, the official agricultural                      policy since the mid1970s has been to improve crop yields                      on existing fields through biological and chemical means.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://www.indonesia-bali.com/images/subak.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The green Revolution&quot; align=&quot;left&quot; border=&quot;1&quot; height=&quot;141&quot; width=&quot;216&quot; /&gt;The                      cultivation of new, fast-growing, high yielding rice varieties,                      in concert with the application of chemical fertilizer, herbicides                      and pesticides, lies at the core of the government&#39;s agricultural                      development program (Bimas). Further aims are to improve methods                      of soil utilization and irrigation, and to set up new forms                      of cooperatives to provide credit and market surplus harvests.                      Over 80 percent of Bali&#39;s wet-rice fields are now subject                      to these intensification steps.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;Since                      1984, Indonesia has been able to meet most of its own rice                      needs, thus relieving some of the pressures responsible for                      the original &quot;green revolution.&quot; As a result, an                      ecologically more meaningful &quot;green evolution&quot; is                      now possible, and rice varieties better suited to local conditions                      and better able to find an anchor in the traditional system                      of faith are being introduced to the island.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;Since                      1988, many fields now display new altars for Sri, and the                      hope is that her rice cult one of the basic elements of Balinese                      civilization and culture - will remain strong well into the                      future.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://thebali-island.blogspot.com/feeds/7075536457586985014/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3495679242011896051&amp;postID=7075536457586985014' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3495679242011896051/posts/default/7075536457586985014'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3495679242011896051/posts/default/7075536457586985014'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://thebali-island.blogspot.com/2006/05/agriculture.html' title='AGRICULTURE'/><author><name>Budi&#39;s Site</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07858766841540083983</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzi_8d8ACZuO7Tf3ZVf2goyUgInfQTOm2VL2r3MnV_4sGreUKbQypVhHOj-O63Z4nEijN4fgaTf2dOHBNFrgp_5797CoREVOw8_P6I3-ADn7g8Cn-DZ_1BAKxGYyNPGec/s220/P1010413.JPG'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495679242011896051.post-7714219928212674713</id><published>2006-05-13T02:09:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2007-05-13T02:13:24.420-07:00</updated><title type='text'>BIRDING</title><content type='html'>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;An                      Insider Looks at Ball&#39;s Colorful Birds&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;                     &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Well,                        did you see the birds in Bali&lt;br /&gt;                     When you were staying there last year,&lt;br /&gt;                     Or was your time assigned entirely&lt;br /&gt;                     To seeing sights and swilling beer,&lt;br /&gt;                     Sifting sand or shifting gear?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                     &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://www.indonesia-bali.com/images/jalak_bali.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Jalak Bali bird&quot; align=&quot;left&quot; border=&quot;1&quot; height=&quot;248&quot; width=&quot;180&quot; /&gt;The                        hobby of bird watching is above all a delightful recreation,                        and no longer merely the province of collectors and academics.                        And what better place than Bali to indulge the urge? What                        pleasanter island, what wilder domain, and what fresher                        air in which to nurture it?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                     &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;We are                        lucky in Indonesia. The zoogeographic range embraces not                        only both hemispheres but also the Oriental and Australian                        regions, which are divided by the Wallace Line running between                        the islands of Bali and Lombok. Extending from the mountain                        forests of Sumatra to those of New Guinea, there rests a                        largely unpeopled clime and an unrivalled diversity of avian                        life.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                     &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Bali                        alone boasts something like 300 different bird species,                        including of course migrants, from massive Hornbills and                        Storks to diminutive Sunbirds and Spider hunters - to say                        nothing of one of the world&#39;s rarest and most beautiful                        birds, the Rothschild&#39;s Myna (also known as the Bali Starling),                        which occurs only in Bali.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                     &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Our view                        of such marvels, moreover, need not be confined to the aviary.                        There lies the wild, readily accessible to all, even to                        those who inhabit, for example, the crowded tourist beach                        resorts or the city of Denpasar whence an hour&#39;s drive at                        most to Ubud or Bedugul and indeed there is more than enough                        to feast the eyes here without the need to venture beyond                        the garden gate.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                     &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Within                        my very own garden situated in the central foothills of                        Bali, I have seen something like eighty different types                        of bird. On one side, there extends a dense curtain of greenery,                        mainly of flowering shrubs, coconut palms and fruit trees,                        with here and there a shady acacia and clump of bamboo,                        the whole surmounted by a towering cotton tree. This is                        the resort of a host of arboreal birds, the most remarkable                        being the Black aped Orioles and Ashy Drongos; the former                        a glorious golden-yellow with a broad black band through                        the eye to the nape, and the latter an unrelieved dark gray                        with deeply forked tails, always prominently perched and                        admirable for their acrobatic hawking of insects.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                     &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://www.indonesia-bali.com/images/Blue-earedBarbet.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bali bird&quot; align=&quot;left&quot; border=&quot;1&quot; height=&quot;180&quot; width=&quot;150&quot; /&gt;Beneath                        the canopy, the Magpie Robins endlessly disport and vent                        a rich vocabulary of imprecations and sweet fluting calls,                        whilst the restless Pied Fantail dashes to and fro, pirouettes                        and trips the light fantastic, characteristically flirting                        its tail the while. Always in evidence are the ubiquitous                        Yellow-vented Bulbuls, chattering and chortling, as they                        race each other from palm to palm.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                     &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Of the                        smaller birds, the most commonly occurring are the Bar-winged                        Prinias and Ashy Tailorbirds, alternately creeping and darting                        through the bushes in search of grubs; the vivid Scarlet-headed                        Flower peckers and metallic blue-throated Olive backed Simbirds,                        busily rifling the hibiscus blossoms to sate their appetite                        for minute insects and nectar; and the cheerful green yellow                        Common Iora, which hops about in the thick crown of a rambutan                        tree, now and again betraying its presence with a long drawn-out                        mellow whistle, slowly increasing in pitch and ending abruptly                        on a lower note: tweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-tyou.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                     &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;To the                        east is an open expanse of terraced rice fields, gently                        ascending to a ridge. Andhere, according to the season,                        is the haunt of Watercock and Cinnamon Bittern, of Ruddy                        breasted Crake and flocks of stately snowy white Plumed                        and Little Egrets. Consorting with the latter and usually                        distinguishable by the buffy-rufous patches of their nuptial                        plumage, are the Cattle Egrets; while scattered about in                        frozen attitudes, some Javan Pond Herons stare warily at                        passers-by, the breeding birds richly adorned in buff and                        cinnamon and black, which is curiously transformed to white                        when they erupt into flight.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                     &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Over                        flying the fields are Swift lets and Swallows, and tiny                        tumbling Fantail-Warblers, whilst swarms of marauding Munias                        wheel this way and that to escape the clappers, before descending                        in a mass to ravage another patch of unguarded grain. There                        patiently sits the little Pied Bushchat, rather resembling                        a miniature Magpie Robin in appearance, and likewise perched                        and keenly espying its prey, is the spectacularly caparisoned                        Javan Kingfisher, whose radiant presence makes such an indelible                        impression on all who behold it. Like others of its tribe,                        it may be found along the river-beds of verdant ravines,                        but it also frequents the paddy-fields where it may more                        readily be observed, perched atop a slender pole or the                        thatched roof of a&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt; small shrine, sacred to Dewi Sri, goddess                        of agriculture and fertility.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;width: 154px; height: 179px;&quot; src=&quot;http://www.indonesia-bali.com/images/HangingParrot.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Bali collorfull bird&quot; align=&quot;left&quot; border=&quot;1&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                     &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;To live                        thus, surro&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;unded by birds, not to say invaded by them, is                        a joy and an ever lasting revelation. Other regular visitors                        incl&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;ude the Magpie Robins, those&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt; conspicuously pied and                        vocal denizens of all the gardens of the East. In pops the                        Ashy Tailorbird, insignificant &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;mousy gray thing, refocus                        face p&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;eering inquisitively about, tail cocked vertically.                        The coast is clear. Bounding sprightly gaited over the boards,                        it hops on a cushion, inserts its narrow pointed bill, and                        extracts a scrap of kapok stuffing. A cautious backward                        look, more poking and prodding till the bill stuffed with                        w&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;hite fluff, for all the world like the thief that it is                        and sporting instant whiskers and a beard in order to avoid                        detection. A final cursory glance, and aw&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;ay to add some                        comfort to a miraculously stitched leafy nest in the hedgerow.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                     &lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Then                        what are th&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;ose elegant little olivegrey-brown birds, clambering                        about in the variegated copper-leaf and croton bushes yonder,                        every so often emitting a p&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;laintive: twee-wee-wee, succeeded                        by utterances of quite explosive force? Notice the long                        white tipped tail feathers, white throats and upper breasts,                        twin white wing bars, amber eyes and lemon-yellow bellies.                        They are the Bar winged Prinias or Wren-Warblers, which                        seem to thrive in any h&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;abitat from montane forest to coastal                        mangrove, and especially in ornamental gardens. Yet their                        geographic range is confined to Sumatra, Java and Bali.                        Nowhere else may they be found&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://thebali-island.blogspot.com/feeds/7714219928212674713/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3495679242011896051&amp;postID=7714219928212674713' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3495679242011896051/posts/default/7714219928212674713'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3495679242011896051/posts/default/7714219928212674713'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://thebali-island.blogspot.com/2007/05/birding.html' title='BIRDING'/><author><name>Budi&#39;s Site</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07858766841540083983</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzi_8d8ACZuO7Tf3ZVf2goyUgInfQTOm2VL2r3MnV_4sGreUKbQypVhHOj-O63Z4nEijN4fgaTf2dOHBNFrgp_5797CoREVOw8_P6I3-ADn7g8Cn-DZ_1BAKxGYyNPGec/s220/P1010413.JPG'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495679242011896051.post-557294925640961875</id><published>2006-05-13T02:08:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2007-05-13T02:12:35.138-07:00</updated><title type='text'>EARLY HISTORY</title><content type='html'>&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Artifacts                        and Early Foreign Influences&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                     &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;The                        early history of Bali can be divided into a prehistoric                        and an early historic period. The former is marked by the                        arrival of Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) migrants beginning                        perhaps three to four thousand years ago. The Austronesians                        were hardy seafarers who spread from Taiwan through the                        islands of Southeast Asia to the Pacific in a series of                        extensive migrations that spanned several millennia. The                        Balinese are thus closely related, culturally and linguistically,                        to the peoples of the Philippines and Oceania as well as                        the neighboring islands of Indonesia.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                     &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Stone                        sarcophagi, seats and altars&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                     &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://www.indonesia-bali.com/images/pejeng.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Pejeng&quot; align=&quot;left&quot; border=&quot;1&quot; height=&quot;169&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; /&gt;Though                        precious little is known about the long, formative stages                        of Balinese prehistory, artifacts discovered around the                        island provide intriguing clues about Bali&#39;s early inhabitants.                        Prehistoric grave sites have been found in western Bali,                        the oldest probably dating from the first several centuries                        B.C. The people buried here were herders and farmers who                        used bronze, and in some cases iron, to make implements                        and jewelry. Prehistoric stone sarcophagi have also been                        discovered, mainly in the mountains. They often have the                        shape of huge turtles carved at either end with human and                        animal heads with bulging eyes, big teeth and protruding                        tongues.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                     &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Stone                        seats, altars and big stones dating from early times are                        still to be found today in several Balinese temples. Here,                        as elsewhere in Indonesia, they seem to be connected with                        the veneration of ancestral spirits who formed (and in many                        ways still form) the core of Balinese religious practices.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                     &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Also                        apparently connected with ancestor worship is one of Southeast                        Asia&#39;s greatest prehistoric artifacts - the huge bronze                        kettledrum known as the &quot;Moon of Pejeng.&quot; Still                        considered to have significant power, it is now enshrined                        in a temple in the central Balinese village of Pejeng, in                        Gianyar Regency. More than 1.5 meters in diameter and 1.86                        meters high, it is decorated with frogs and geometric motifs                        in a style that probably originated around Dongson, in what                        is now northern Vietnam. This is the largest of many such                        drums discovered in Southeast Asia.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                     &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Hindu-Javanese                        influences&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                     &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;It                        is assumed (but without proof so far) that the Balinese                        were in contact with Hindu and Buddhist populations of Java                        from the early part of the 8th century A.D. onwards, and                        that Bali was even conquered by a Javanese king in A.D.                        732. This contact is responsible for the advent of writing                        and other important Indian cultural elements that had come                        to Java along the major trading routes several centuries                        earlier. Indian writing, dance, religion and architecture                        were to have a decisive impact, blending with existing Balinese                        traditions to form a new and highly distinctive culture.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                     &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Stone                        and copper plate inscriptions in Old Balinese are known                        from A.D. 882 onwards, coinciding with finds of Hindu- and                        Buddhist inspired statues, bronzes, ornamented caves, rock-cut                        temples and bathing places. These are found especially in                        areas close to rivers, ravines, springs and volcanic peaks.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                     &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;At                        the end of the 10th and the beginning of the 11th centuries                        there were close, peaceful bonds with Indianized kingdoms                        in east Java, in particular with the realm of Kadiri (10th                        century A.D. to 1222). Old Javanese was thereafter the prestige                        language, used in all&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                     &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Balinese                        inscriptions, evidence of a strong Javanese cultural influence.                        In 1284, Bali is said to have been conquered by King Krtanagara                        of the east Javanese Singhasari dynasty (1222-1292). It                        is not certain whether the island was actually colonized                        at this time, but many new Javanese elements manifest themselves                        in the Balinese art of this period.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                     &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;According                        to a Javanese court chronicle known as the Nagarakrtagama                        (dated 1365), Bali was conquered and colonized in 1343 by                        Javanese forces under Gajah Mada, the legendary general                        or patih of the powerful Majapahit kingdom who established                        hegemony over east Java and all seaports bordering the Java                        Sea during the mid-14th century. It is said that Gajah Mada,                        accompanied by contingents of Javanese nobles, called aryas,                        came to Bali to subdue a rapacious Balinese king. A Javanese                        vassal ruler was installed at a new capital at Samprangan,                        near presentday lUungkung in east Bali, and the nobles were                        granted apanages in the surrounding areas. A Javanese court                        and courtly culture were thus introduced to the island.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                     &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;The                        separation of Balinese society into four caste groups is                        ascribed to this period, with the satriya warrior caste                        ruling from Samprangan. Those who did not wish to participate                        in the new system fled to remote mountain areas, where they                        lived apart from the mainstream. These are the so-called                        11 original Balinese,&quot; the Bali Aga or Bali Mula.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                     &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Around                        1460, the capital moved to nearby Gelgel, and the powerful                        &quot;Grand Lord&quot; or Dewa Agung presided over a flowering                        of the Balinese arts and culture. Over time, however, the                        descendants of the aryas became increasingly independent,                        and from around 1700 began to form realms in other areas.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                     &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Reconstructing                        the past&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                     &lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Because                        ancestor veneration plays such an important role in Balinese                        religion, many groups possess family genealogies, known                        as babad. In such texts, the brahmana, satriya and wesya                        clans trace their ancestry to Majapahit kings, while the                        Bali Aga claim descent from even earlier Javanese rulers.                        There are also groups which claim as their ancestors Javanese                        Hindus and Buddhists who are said to have taken refuge in                        Bali from invading Muslim forces. Ibis probably gave rise                        to the story that entire Hindu-Buddhist populations of Java,                        with their valuables, books and other cultural baggage,                        fled to Bali after the fall of Majapahit. We do not know                        if this is true, as even up to the present day it is a common                        for families to re-write and improve their babad, depending                        on their circumstances.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://thebali-island.blogspot.com/feeds/557294925640961875/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3495679242011896051&amp;postID=557294925640961875' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3495679242011896051/posts/default/557294925640961875'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3495679242011896051/posts/default/557294925640961875'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://thebali-island.blogspot.com/2007/05/early-history.html' title='EARLY HISTORY'/><author><name>Budi&#39;s Site</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07858766841540083983</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzi_8d8ACZuO7Tf3ZVf2goyUgInfQTOm2VL2r3MnV_4sGreUKbQypVhHOj-O63Z4nEijN4fgaTf2dOHBNFrgp_5797CoREVOw8_P6I3-ADn7g8Cn-DZ_1BAKxGYyNPGec/s220/P1010413.JPG'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495679242011896051.post-4140475292572288105</id><published>2006-05-13T02:05:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2007-05-13T02:06:25.227-07:00</updated><title type='text'>TRADITIONAL KINGDOMS</title><content type='html'>&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;                     History in a Balinese Looking Glass&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt; Most                      of what we know about Bali&#39;s traditional kingdoms comes from                      the Balinese themselves. Scores of masked dance dramas, family                      chronicles and temple rituals focus on great figures and events                      of the Balinese past. In such accounts, the broad outline                      of Bali&#39;s history from the 12th up to the 18th centuries is                      an epic tale of the coming of great men to power. These were                      the royal and priestly founders of glorious dynasties - some                      mad, some fearsome, some lazy and some proud - who together                      with their retainers and family members determined the fate                      of Bali&#39;s kingdoms, as well as shaping the situation and status                      of the island&#39;s present-day inhabitants.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;It is                      possible to see the Balinese as both indifferent to history                      and yet utterly obsessed by it. Indifferent because they are                      not very interested in the &quot;what happened and why&quot;                      that make up what we know as history, while at the same time                      they are obsessed by stories concerning their own illustrious                      ancestors.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;Balinese                      &quot;history&quot; is in fact a set of stories that explain                      how their extended families came to be where they are. Such                      stories may explain, for example, how certain ancestors moved                      from an ancient court center to a remote village, or how they                      were originally of aristocratic stock although their descendants                      no longer possess princely titles. In short, they provide                      evidence of a continuing connection between the world of the                      ancestors and present-day Bali.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://www.indonesia-bali.com/images/jelantik.JPG&quot; alt=&quot;Gusti Bagus Jelantik and wife (king of karangasem)&quot; align=&quot;left&quot; border=&quot;1&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; width=&quot;195&quot; /&gt;Major                      events are thus invariably seen in terms of the actions of                      great men (and occasionally women), yet to view them as mere                      individuals is deceptive. They are divine ancestors, and as                      such their actions embody the fate of entire corporate groups.                      Above all, they are responsible for having created the society                      one finds in Bali today.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;Each                      family possesses its own genealogy that somehow fits into                      the overall picture. Some focus on kings, their followers                      or priests as key ancestors. Others see the family history                      in terms of village leaders, blacksmiths (powerful as makers                      of weapons and tools) or villagers who resisted and escaped                      the advance of new rulers.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;The                      fact that such stories sometimes agree with one another should                      not necessarily be taken as proof that this is what really                      happened. There are many gaps, loose ends and inconsistencies                      - often pointing to the fact that generations of priests,                      princes and scribes have recast these tales about the past                      to serve their own ends. &#39;Me stories must be retold, nevertheless,                      in order to know what is open to dispute.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Ancestors                      and origins&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;The                      story begins in ancient Java, in the legendary kingdoms of                      Kadiri and Majapahit where Javanese culture is regarded (by                      Javanese, Balinese and Western scholars alike) as having reached                      its apex. From these rich sources flowed the great literature,                      art and court rituals of Hindu Java, that were later transplanted                      to Bali.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;One                      of the prime reasons for holding such rituals was to elevate                      Hindu-Javanese leaders to the status of god-like kings who                      were in contact with the divine forces of the cosmos. As these                      Javanese kingdoms expanded to take over Bali, they brought                      with them their art, literature and cosmology. At the same                      time, the Javanese also absorbed vital elements of Balinese                      culture, eventually spreading some of these throughout the                      archipelago and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;The                      great Airlangga, descendant of Bali&#39;s illustrious King Udayana,                      is said to have ascended the east Javanese throne and to have                      founded the powerful kingdom of Kadiri in the 11th century.                      Thus it was proper that his descendants would later install                      priests and warriors from Java to rule over Bali. Foremost                      among these was the son of a priest, Kresna Kapakisan, who                      became the first king of Gelgel (now in Klungkung Regency)                      in the mid-15th century.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;The                      transition to Gelgel from a previous court center at Samprangan                      (now in Gianyar Regency) was made by a cockfighting member                      of the Kapakisan dynasty, who became embroiled in a struggle                      for the throne and attempts to save the kingdom from the mismanagement                      of his elder brother, or so the account goes. There is little                      reason to doubt this version of events, yet there are huge                      gaps in the story of how power moved from Java to Gelgel in                      previous centuries, and the relation of the Kapakisan line                      to earlier kings appointed by the Javanese conquerors.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Bali&#39;s                      &quot;Golden Age&quot;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;Most                      Balinese trace their ancestry back to a group of courtiers                      clustering about the great King Baturenggong, a descendant                      of Kapakisan, who is seen to have presided over a Balinese                      &quot;Golden Age&quot; in the 16th century. Balinese accounts                      describe him as: &quot;A king of great authority, a true lion                      of a man, who was wise in protecting his subjects and attending                      to their needs, and an outstanding warrior of great mystical                      power, always victorious in war.&quot; European records do                      not mention him by name, but attest to the wealth and influence                      of a Balinese kingdom which at this time had a more centralized                      and unified system of government than was the case in subsequent                      centuries.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;Of equal                      if not greater importance in the collective Balinese memory                      of this era is the super-priest Nirartha. He is remembered                      for his great spiritual powers - a man who could stop floods,                      control the energies of sexuality through meditation, and                      write beautiful poetry to move men&#39;s&#39; souls. In the genealogies                      it was he who founded the main line of Balinese high priests                      - those whose worship is directed to Siwa, Lord of the Gods.                      His name is associated with many of Bali&#39;s greatest temples,                      and a corpus of literature produced by himself and his followers.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;In Balinese                      eyes, the descendants of King Baturenggong and Nirartha presided                      over a period of decline, even though Baturenggong&#39;s son,                      Seganing, upheld some of his father&#39;s greatness and, after                      the texts, fathered the ancestors of Bali&#39;s key royal lines.                      Balinese sources tell of the destruction of Gelgel by a rebellious                      chief minister, Gusti Agung Maruti, who was distinguished                      by possessing a tail and an over weaning thirst for power.                      After his defeat by princes who established themselves in                      the north and south of the island, new independent kingdoms                      arose from the ashes of Gelgel. The Gelgel dynasty itself                      survived, albeit in a much reduced state, as the kingdom of                      Klungkung - maintaining some of its moral and symbolic authority                      over the rest of the island, but having direct control of                      only its immediate area.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Slave                      trading and king-making&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;To the                      outside world, as to later Balinese writers, the period following                      Gelgel&#39;s Golden Age was one of chaos - in which fractious                      kings ruled from courts scattered about the island. This was                      not necessarily so in contemporary Balinese terms, where the                      new states must have represented a more dynamic way of conducting                      the affairs of state and external trade. Bali became famous                      on the international scene at this time as a source of slaves,                      savage fighters, beautiful women and skilled craftsmen.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;According                      to traditional accounts, the fate and status of present-day                      Balinese families was also largely determined at this time.                      Kingdoms rose and fell with alarming rapidity, clans split                      and were demoted or even enslaved, aspiring princes waged                      war and organized lavish ceremonies. Such human dramas were                      punctuated by a series of natural disasters, such as earthquakes,                      epidemics and volcanic eruptions.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;Bali&#39;s                      principal export throughout the 17th and 18th centuries was                      slaves. Warfare and a revision of Bali&#39;s Hindu law codes helped                      provide a steady supply of slaves to meet an ever-increasing                      overseas demand. War captives, criminals and debtors were                      sold abroad indiscriminately by Balinese rulers, who maintained                      a monopoly on the export trade. In north Bali, Europeans were                      even invited in to oversee the trade, and the Dutch in particular                      purchased large numbers of Balinese to serve as laborers,                      artisans and concubines in their extensive network of trading                      ports - especially their capital at Batavia (now Jakarta),                      where Balinese slaves made up a sizeable portion of the population.                      Balinese were even sent to South Africa, where in the early                      18th century they constituted up to a quarter of the total                      number of slaves in that country.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;Likewise,                      Balinese wives and concubines were very much favored by wealthy                      Chinese traders, for their industriousness and beauty, and                      the fact that they had no aversion to pork, unlike the Muslim                      Javanese. An early 19th-century trader noted that Balinese                      women were among the most expensive slaves, costing &quot;30,                      50 and even 70 Spanish dollars, according to her physical                      qualities.&quot; &#39;Me same observer later comments that the                      Balinese &quot;regard deportation from their island as the                      worst possible punishment. This attitude results from their                      strongly-held conviction that their Gods have no influence                      outside Bali and that no salvation is to be expected for those                      who die elsewhere.&quot;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;The                      principal kingdoms, which emerged during this period, were                      Buleleng in the north, Karangasem in the east and Mengwi in                      the southwest. At various times, these realms expanded to                      conquer parts of Bali&#39;s neighboring islands. Mengwi and Buleleng                      moved westward into Java, where they became embroiled in conflicts                      with and between rival Muslim kingdoms. The Dutch came to                      play an ever larger role in these conflicts, until eventually                      the Javanese rulers discovered that they had mortgaged their                      empires to the gin-drinking Europeans. The Balinese were finally                      pushed out of eastern Java by combined Dutch and Javanese                      forces.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;In the                      east, Karangasem conquered the neighboring island of Lombok,                      and at one point even moved into the western part of the next                      island, Sumbawa. It also annexed Buleleng, and knocked at                      the gates of Bali&#39;s august, but largely impotent central kingdom,                      Mungkung.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;By the                      beginning of the 19th century, the island&#39;s changeable political                      landscape had stabilized to an extent, as nine separate kingdoms                      consolidated their positions. A massive eruption of Mt. Tambora                      on Sumbawa in 1815 - the largest eruption ever recorded proved                      to be a catalyst. A tide of famine and disease swept Bali                      in the wake of the eruption, shredding the traditional fabric                      of Balinese society, and with it many of the fragile political                      structures of the two previous centuries.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;Paradoxically,                      Tambora&#39;s devastating eruption brought in its aftermath a                      period of unprecedented renewal and prosperity. Deep layers                      of nutrient-rich ash from the volcano made Bali&#39;s soils fertile                      beyond the wildest imaginings of earlier Balinese rulers.                      Rice and other agricultural products began to be exported                      in large quantities, at a time when vociferous anti-slavery                      campaigns throughout Europe were bringing an end to Bali&#39;s                      lucrative slave trade.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;font-size:-2;&quot;&gt;Two                      other factors served to transform the island&#39;s political and                      economic landscape. The first was a dramatic decrease in warfare,                      as ruling families focused more and more on internecine struggles                      and competing claims for dynastic control, and the monopolies                      on duties, tolls and corves labor that came with it. The second                      was the changing nature of foreign trade, particularly with                      the founding of Singapore as a British free trade port in                      1819. To Singapore went Bali&#39;s pigs, vegetable oils and rice.                      Back came opium, Indian textiles and guns. Bali was now integrated                      with world markets to a degree unknown in the past, a fact                      that did not escape the ever-watchful eyes of colonial Dutch                      administrators in Batavia.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://thebali-island.blogspot.com/feeds/4140475292572288105/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3495679242011896051&amp;postID=4140475292572288105' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3495679242011896051/posts/default/4140475292572288105'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3495679242011896051/posts/default/4140475292572288105'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://thebali-island.blogspot.com/2006/05/traditional-kingdoms.html' title='TRADITIONAL KINGDOMS'/><author><name>Budi&#39;s Site</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07858766841540083983</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzi_8d8ACZuO7Tf3ZVf2goyUgInfQTOm2VL2r3MnV_4sGreUKbQypVhHOj-O63Z4nEijN4fgaTf2dOHBNFrgp_5797CoREVOw8_P6I3-ADn7g8Cn-DZ_1BAKxGYyNPGec/s220/P1010413.JPG'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495679242011896051.post-1650697425827570423</id><published>2006-05-13T01:56:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2007-05-13T02:04:52.853-07:00</updated><title type='text'>COLONIAL ERA</title><content type='html'>&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Conquests                      and Dutch Colonial Rule&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/b&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;In the                      19th century, Europe took up the fashion of empire building                      with a vengeance. Tiny Holland, once Europe&#39;s most prosperous                      trading nation, was not to be left behind, and spent much                      of the century subduing native rulers throughout the archipelago                      - a vast region that was to become the Netherlands East Indies,                      later Indonesia.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;A steady                      stream of European traders, scholars and mercenaries visited                      Bali in this period. The most successful of the traders was                      a Dane by the name of Mads Lange, one of the last of the great                      &quot;country traders&quot; whose local knowledge and contacts                      permitted them to operate on the interstices of the European                      colonial powers and the traditional kingdoms of the region.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;A                      literary character&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Lange                      was perhaps the prototype for Joseph Conrad&#39;s Lord Jim - a                      man who failed to pick the winning side in an internecine                      dynastic struggle which wracked Lombok in the first half of                      the 19th century, but who then settled in southern Bali and                      found a powerful patron in Kesiman, one of the lords of the                      expanding kingdom of Badung. He soon combined this patronage                      with a knowledge of overseas markets and familiarity with                      the largely female-run internal trading networks of Bali,                      to become extremely rich for a brief period in the 1840s.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;The                      Dutch, determined to establish economic and political control                      over Bali, became embroiled during this period in a series                      of wars in the north of the island. They came, as they saw                      it, to &quot;teach the Balinese a lesson,&quot; whereas the                      words of the chief minister of Buleleng best expressed the                      prevailing Balinese view: &quot;Let the keris decide.&quot;                      The first two Dutch attacks, in 1846 and 1848, were repulsed                      by north Balinese forces aided by allies from Karangasem and                      Klungkung, as well as by rampant dysentery among the invading                      forces. A third Dutch attempt in 1849 succeeded mainly because                      the Balinese rulers of Lombok, cousins of the Karangasem rulers,                      used this as an opportunity to take over east Bali.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Not                      wishing to push their luck, the Dutch contented themselves                      with control of Bali&#39;s northern coast for the next 40 years.                      As this was the island&#39;s main export region, they did succeed                      in isolating the powerful southern kingdoms and in controlling                      much of the export trade. Lange&#39;s fortunes soon declined as                      a result, and he died several years later, probably poisoned                      out of economic jealousy.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;The                      end of traditional rule&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Not                      long after the cataclysmic eruption of Krakatau in 1883, on                      the other side of Java, a series of momentous struggles began                      amongst the kingdoms of south Bali - struggles that were to                      result in a loss of independence for all of them over the                      next 25 years.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;These                      conflicts began with the collapse of Gianyar following a rebellion                      by a vassal lord in Negara. The rebellion ultimately failed,                      as Gianyar was revived by a hitherto obscure but upwardly                      mobile prince in Ubud, but it in turn touched off a series                      of conflicts that produced a domino effect across the island.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;The                      first kingdom to go was once mighty Mengwi, former ruler of                      east Java, which was destroyed by its neighbors in 1891. The                      Sasak or Islamic inhabitants of Lombok then rebelled against                      their Balinese overlords, which gave the Dutch an excuse to                      intervene and conquer Lombok in 1894.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Greatly                      weakened by these events, Karangasem and Gianyar both ceded                      some of their rights to the Dutch, leaving only the independent                      kingdoms of Badung, Tabanan, and prestigious Klungkung by                      the turn of this century.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Shipwrecks,                      opium and death&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;The                      Dutch found excuses to take on these kingdoms in a series                      of diplomatic incidents involving shipwrecks and the opium                      trade. These culminated in the infamous puputans or massacres                      of 1906 and 1908 that resulted in not only many deaths, but                      complete Dutch mastery over the island.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;In the                      1906 puputan, the Dutch landed at Sanur and marched on Denpasar,                      where they were greeted by over a thousand members of the                      royal family and their followers, dressed in white and carrying                      the state regalia in a march to certain death before the superior                      Dutch weaponry. As later expressed by the neighboring king                      of Tabanan, the attitude of&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                                      &lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;the                      unrelenting Balinese ruler of Badung, when asked to sign a                      treaty with the Dutch, was that &quot;it is better that we                      die with the earth as our pillow than to live like a corpse                      in shame and disgrace.&quot; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;A                      macabre massacre&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;In 1908                      the bloody puputan (meaning &quot;ending&quot; in Balinese)                      was repeated on a smaller scale in Klungkung. The ghastly                      scene was one in which, according to one Dutch observer, the                      corpse of the king, his head smashed open and brains oozing                      out, was surrounded by those of his wives and family in a                      bloody tangle of half-severed limbs, corpses of mothers with                      babies still at their breasts, and wounded children given                      merciful release by the daggers of their own compatriots.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Ostensibly                      because they felt guilty about the bloody nature of their                      conquest, which was widely reported and condemned in Europe,                      the Dutch authorities quickly established a policy designed                      to uphold &quot;traditional&quot; Bali. In fact this policy                      supported only what was was seen to be traditional in their                      eyes, and only if those bits of tradition did not contradict                      the central aim of running a quiet and lucrative colony.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Marketing                      ploys&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Preserving                      Bali largely meant three things to the Dutch: creating a colonial                      society which included a select group of the aristocracy,                      labeling and categorizing every aspect of Balinese culture                      with a view to keeping it pure, and idealizing this culture                      so as to market it for the purposes of tourism. Although these                      may sound contradictory, they meshed well together. There                      were slight hiccups Balinese who refused to cooperate and                      did their best to avoid the demands of the Dutch run state.                      Some were killed, others were forced to work on road construction                      projects or to pay harsh new taxes on everything from pigs                      to the rice harvest.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Indirect                      rule through royalty &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Another                      aspect of &quot;preserving&quot; Bali was that the traditional                      rulers were maintained. As on Java, the Dutch adopted a policy                      of ruling the villages indirectly through them, while running                      their own parallel civil service to administer the towns.                      At least this was the general idea, although here too there                      were some hitches. It took decades before a cooperative branch                      of the old Buleleng royal family was in place, and many members                      of the other royal families had to be exiled. In the case                      of the Klungkung royalty, the exile lasted for some 19 years                      after the puputan.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;The                      royal families of Gianyar and Karangasem adapted best to the                      new conditions. Gusti Bagus Jelantik, the ruler of Karangasem,                      embarked on an active campaign to strengthen and redefine                      traditional Balinese religion. In large part, he did this                      to head off the sort of split that had earlier occurred in                      the north, between modernist commoners or sudras who argued                      for a social status based on achievement, and members of the                      three higher castes or triwangsa who were given hereditary                      privileges. Ironically this split came about because of a                      new emphasis on rigidly-defined caste groups under Dutch rule.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;The                      Dutch had to intervene and exile some sudra leaders, but modernizing                      moderates such as the Karangasem ruler realized the need to                      shape and control the changes taking place in Balinese religion                      and society. In this, they found ready allies among intellectuals                      in the Dutch civil service with a passion for Balinese culture,                      and an international influx of artists, travelers and dilettantes                      who poured into Bali during the 1920s and 1930s.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Hints                      of sex and magic&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Some,                      like Barbara Hutton and Charlie Chaplin, were rich and famous                      and stayed only for a short time. Others, like painter Walter                      Spies, cartoonist Miguel Covarrubias and composer Colin McPhee,                      are now famous principally because of their long association                      with Bali.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;The                      attraction for these well-heeled, well connected or simply                      talented Westerners was the developing image of Bali as a                      tropical paradise, where art exists in overabundance and people                      live in perfect harmony with nature&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;an image                      tinged with hints of sex and magic that was officially sponsored                      by Dutch tourism officials. And it was certainly promoted                      by genuinely enthusiastic reports from those who visited and                      witnessed the island&#39;s intricate life, art and rituals.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;The                      positive contributions of these foreign scholars and artists,                      working in conjunction with enlightened Balinese and Dutch                      civil servants, included such institutions as the Bali Museum                      and the Kirtya Liefrinckvan der Tuuk (now continuing as the                      Bali Documentation Center).&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                   &lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;But                      there was a negative side as well. Although the Bali lovers                      claimed to be the complete opposite of colonial authorities,                      they in fact represented the other side of the coin of Western                      rule. With the fan dance performances for tourists came forced                      labor, and in their writings Bali-struck foreigners always                      conveniently ignored the poverty, disease and injustice that                      made the colonial era a time of continuous hardship and fear                      for many Balinese.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://thebali-island.blogspot.com/feeds/1650697425827570423/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3495679242011896051&amp;postID=1650697425827570423' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3495679242011896051/posts/default/1650697425827570423'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3495679242011896051/posts/default/1650697425827570423'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://thebali-island.blogspot.com/2007/05/colonial-era.html' title='COLONIAL ERA'/><author><name>Budi&#39;s Site</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07858766841540083983</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzi_8d8ACZuO7Tf3ZVf2goyUgInfQTOm2VL2r3MnV_4sGreUKbQypVhHOj-O63Z4nEijN4fgaTf2dOHBNFrgp_5797CoREVOw8_P6I3-ADn7g8Cn-DZ_1BAKxGYyNPGec/s220/P1010413.JPG'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3495679242011896051.post-5520481073724156103</id><published>2006-05-13T01:40:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2007-05-13T02:03:42.933-07:00</updated><title type='text'>POST INDEPENDENCE</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style=&quot;;font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;&quot;  &gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;From                          Chaos to Tourism Development&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/span&gt; &lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://www.indonesia-bali.com/images/proklamasi.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Proklamasi&quot; align=&quot;left&quot; border=&quot;1&quot; height=&quot;210&quot; width=&quot;162&quot; /&gt;The                          Dutch, complacent in their cocoon of colonial supremacy,                          were shocked when the Japanese invaded the Indies in 1942,                          so shocked that they gave up with hardly a fight. More                          shocking still to the colonialists was the fact that after                          the war the majority of Indonesians failed to welcome                          their former rulers back with open arms. Revolution! and                          Freedom! had instead become rallying cries around the                          archipelago, and these were taken up with fierce determination                          by the Balinese.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Those                          who had come to believe in colonial &quot;peace and order&quot;                          and in &quot;Bali The Paradise&quot; were appalled by                          the intensity of violence and social divisions which wracked                          Bali in subsequent decades, from the beginning of VAVII                          until the middle of the 1960s. In many ways the violence                          was worse here than in any other part of Indonesia, a                          situation which had its roots in the way that the Dutch                          had ruled Bali, and the fierce pride and independence                          of the Balinese people themselves.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Japanese                          rule, brief as it was, was a period of increasing hardship                          punctuated by torture and killings. Although the Japanese                          had initially been welcomed as liberators, members of                          the Balinese upper class soon found themselves bearing                          the brunt of a campaign of terror designed to beat them                          into submission. Military requirements for rice and other                          products also dictated that the niceties of wooing the                          Balinese masses into devotion to the Japanese cause eventually                          gave way to harsher measures.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;As                          the war dragged on and Japan&#39;s position became precarious,                          most Balinese suffered from serious shortages of all basic                          necessities. At the same time, Balinese youths were radicalized                          by being made to join paramilitary organizations with                          strong nationalistic overtones. When the Japanese surrendered,                          a few Balinese did welcome the Dutch back, but many others                          acted swiftly to seize the Japanese weapons and take up                          the struggle for independence. As the Dutch prepared to                          return with the triumphant Allied forces, preparations                          were made on Bali for a violent &quot;welcome for the                          uninvited guests.&quot;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Bali&#39;s                          foremost revolutionary was Gusti Ngurah Rai, who led a                          brave but badly outnumbered and outgunned guerilla group.                          Some 1400 Balinese fighters died in the struggle, but                          with few resources Ngurah Rai was defeated and killed.                          Bali then became the headquarters of the new State of                          Eastern Indonesia, which the Dutch hoped to later merge                          into a pro-Dutch federation. Even this state, under the                          leadership of the Gianyar ruler, Anak Agung Gede Agung                          (later Foreign Minister of the Republic), turned against                          the Dutch when they broke their treaty with the fledgling                          Republic, and so contributed to the achievement of full                          independence in 1949.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Mayhem                          and mass murder&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Throughout                          the 1950s and early 1960s, social divisions which had                          crystallized during the Revolution continued to widen.                          Political conflicts and assassinations were rife - the                          key split being between those who favored the old caste                          system and traditional values, and those who rejected                          the caste system as a form of aristocratic &quot;feudalism&quot;                          designed to oppress the majority. By the mid-1960s the                          conflict had taken political form as a contest between                          the Indonesian Nationalist Party (PMI) and the Indonesian                          Communist Party (PKI). Attempts by the latter to organize                          a program of land reform exacerbated the already high                          level of rhetoric and bad feelings, and both sides organized                          rallies and pressed Balinese to chose one side or the                          other.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;On                          September 30th, 1965, an unsuccessful coup in Jakarta                          resulted in a takeover of the government by pro-Western                          military leaders under General Suharto. In the wake of                          the coup, a tidal wave of killings swept Java and Bali,                          as the military sought first to dismantle the extensive                          structure of the PKI, and rightist supporters then turned                          this campaign into one of wholesale slaughter. As many                          as 500,000 Indonesians died, and up to a fifth of them                          - 5 per cent of the island&#39;s population at the time -                          may have been Balinese.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Bitter                          memories&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Most                          Balinese have family or friends who were involved in the                          conflict in one way or another, but few will talk about                          it today, so extensive and brutal were the killings. One                          journalist wrote, &quot;For the next three months [November                          1965 to January 1966] Bali became a nightmare... There                          is no one living in Bali now who does not have a neighbor                          who was killed and left unburied by the black devils with                          red berets [followers of the PNI] who roamed about at                          the time.&quot;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;A quiet                          military leader, Suharto emerged as President of Indonesia.                          His &quot;New Order&quot; government has provided a long                          period of stability and development, in sharp contrast                          to the chaotic Sukarno years that preceded it, providing                          basic health care, food, housing and education to a rapidly                          growing population of over 190 million people.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://www.indonesia-bali.com/images/ngurahrai.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Ngurah rai international airport&quot; align=&quot;left&quot; border=&quot;1&quot; height=&quot;205&quot; width=&quot;275&quot; /&gt;Bali                          has played a key role in Indonesia&#39;s recent development.                          The tourist &quot;paradise&quot; begun by the Dutch has                          been revised and given modern form, providing a lucrative                          income for many thousands of Balinese and significant                          amounts of foreign exchange for the nation.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                       &lt;/div&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;Under                          the leadership of Ida Bagus Mantra, a Brahman religious                          scholar and educationalist who became Bali&#39;s governor                          in 1978, the island&#39;s tourist development was relatively                          steady and controlled throughout the 1980s.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;                       &lt;span style=&quot;font-family:MS Sans Serif;&quot;&gt;The                          end of the 20th century brought great changes to Indonesia,                          with the downfall of the Suharto regime and the arrival                          of democratic elections. Bali&#39;s challenge, in this era                          of newfound political and economic freedom, is to control                          the island&#39;s cultural changes in the face of expanding                          mass tourism.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://thebali-island.blogspot.com/feeds/5520481073724156103/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3495679242011896051&amp;postID=5520481073724156103' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3495679242011896051/posts/default/5520481073724156103'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3495679242011896051/posts/default/5520481073724156103'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://thebali-island.blogspot.com/2007/05/post-independence.html' title='POST INDEPENDENCE'/><author><name>Budi&#39;s Site</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/07858766841540083983</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzi_8d8ACZuO7Tf3ZVf2goyUgInfQTOm2VL2r3MnV_4sGreUKbQypVhHOj-O63Z4nEijN4fgaTf2dOHBNFrgp_5797CoREVOw8_P6I3-ADn7g8Cn-DZ_1BAKxGYyNPGec/s220/P1010413.JPG'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry></feed>

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