National Geographic: Bali - Masterpiece of the Gods Page #3

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spread the word of Bali's splendors

in the 1920's and '30s a few hundred

foreigners came here each year

In 1969 the government built a jet

airstrip

The next year, 24,000 people visited

Two decades later the number had jumped

to 400,000

Fearful of uncontrolled growth

the government has restricted large

hotels to the southern tip of the island

After a single highrise hotel was built

a law was passed to regulate construction

No new building can be higher

than a coconut palm

Some visit Bali just for the beaches

At the same time

many discriminating visitors

come to Bali

for what has been called cultural tourism

They have become patrons of the arts

Their interest in Balinese creations is

a source of pride for local artists

who have found a new source of income

by simply continuing to do they have

always done so well

Since the 1920's, Balinese painters

while retaining native subject matter

have found inspiration in the works of

visiting Western artists

Experimentation in themes, materials

and approach has resulted in a fusion of

folk art and modern style

Sanur Beach has been the site of

invasions by the Dutch

the Japanese, and more recently, tourist

Despite inevitable change

the people retain their village

lifestyle

Eleven- year-old Wayan Mastri and her

schoolmates live in Sanur

It was the Indonesian government

that opened education to girls

Today, education is compulsory for all

with parents required to pay a small fee

On Mondays school begins with the

singing of the national anthem

in the Indonesian language

an important element in unifying the

world's fifth largest nation

made up of diverse cultures

languages, and religions

While other classes are taught

in the Bahasa Indonesian language

religion is taught in Balinese

Just steps away from a popular beach

yet worlds away

Mastri and her family live

in a simple compound

They work together

making kites

to supplement the modest

living her father earns as a fisherman

It takes a full day to craft one kite

They are sold to tourists for about

$10 each

The Balinese themselves are very fond

of kites

Mastri's younger brother and sister

take their own gaily painted birds

to dance in the wind above Sanur Beach

At festivals celebrated on each

temple's anniversary

the gods are called down

from their home above the mountains

and greeted with elaborate offerings

Mastir and her family join the stream

of worshippers

at the Temple of the Dead in Sanur

By cleaning and decorating the temple

As well as preparing offerings

everyone has shared in creating the

festival

The gods will remain on earth

for these days

the temple alive with the prayers of

the entire village

When the festival ends

the gods will depart until next year

when they will be summoned again

For most Balinese the sea

is a terrifying place

a realm inhabited by demons

of the underworld

Remarkably

Bali is one of the new island societies

oriented away from the water

But when the tide is right

Mastri's father and brother brave

the danger

They have no boat and only a minimum

of equipment

The boy is learning from his father

how to catch the tropical fish

that provide most of the family's income

He will sell the fish to an exporter

for a few cents each

In the compound they prepare the fish

for shipment to Australia

The Bags are filled with oxygen

for the flight

The fish will be sold at high prices

to shops that cater to tropical

fish fanciers

At the Tandjung Sari hotel on Sanur Beach

Mastri and other local youngsters are

taught traditional dances

The management has created a foundation

to preserve music and dance

They believe that since hotels

are replacing rice fields

as the economic base here

they have a responsibility to the

villagers

Every Saturday night Mastri and

the others

are transformed from school girls

into court dancers

Legong Kraton

its story drawn from 13th century Java

was once performed only in royal palaces

Traditionally legong is danced by girls

who have not yet reached the age of

puberty

Every performance is preceded by rituals

to insure that the spirit world will

be benevolent

Contemporary anthropologist

Philip McKean observes

Often the "young find their identity

as Balinese framed by the mirror

that tourism holds up to them

This has led many of them to celebrate

their own traditions with continued

vitality

This legong portrays a kidnapped princes

lost in the forest

a heroic prince,

and an omen-bearing bird

Dances learned here are also performed

in the banjar and village temples

The dancers receive a small token payment

But their deepest reward is in

filling a spiritual need in themselves

and their community

There is growing awareness in the

Balinese

of the priceless value of their culture

and its potential vulnerability

ASTI, the performing arts college

in the capital

is under the direction of

Dr. I. Made Bandem

Son of a dance master

he learned to dance

and play gamelan instruments in

his village

Later he earned advanced degrees

at UCLA and Wesleyan University

ASTI has 400 students and 60 faculty

members

Dr. Bandem also invites dance master

from the villages

to share with students the diverse styles

found throughout the island. Dr. Bandem

Dr. Bandem...

Our curriculum in ASTI is really a

combination

between ideals of villages and

also modern school

ASTI is not separated from the society

to which it belongs

The subjects they learned at school

is not only technique, music, and dance

but also learning anthropology, history

and other related cultural background

so they can strengthen their

appreciation of Balinese artist

In the countryside

the meticulously tended rice terraces

yield their golden bounty

as they have for centuries

Working together

the Kantor family gathers the stalks

one by one

Mr. Kantor says

Rice is a very great gift from god

Rice gives life to the Balinese people

For the Kantors

this marks the successful culmination

of another cycle

A ceremonial dish delivered

throughout the banjar serves

as the invitation to a unique rite of

passage

This is the tooth-filling ceremony

a ritual that symbolically concludes

the parent, child relationship

The high priest has blessed

his instruments

to make the operation painless

After death

one may be denied entrance

to the spirit world

if his teeth have both been filled

The priest files the points of the

canine teeth to form a straight line

This diminishes what the Balinese

consider "animal qualities"

greed, anger, and jealousy

The fillings will be buried

in the family temple

Marriage is the final initiation

into the community

All Balinese know their most important

duty is to raise a son

who, one day, will perform the cremation

ceremony for his parents

From her home next door

Deni walks to the Kantors' compound

for the rite

that will unite her with their eldest son

A priest purifies the couple with holy

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