The Bali Aga of Tenganan ~ A Photo Essay

The Bali Aga of Tenganan, Bali, Indonesia

A young Bali Aga girl stands amongst colorful weavings

The Bali Aga are known as the original Balinese people and predate Hinduism in Bali.  They are a unique ethnic group that lived on the island of Bali before modern civilization. These original inhabitants of Bali fled imperialistic invaders, eventually finding refuge in the solitude of Bali's remote mountains. Today, only two villages remain, which until recently, were firmly and purposfully shut off from the rest of the world. The main temple in the village dates back to the 10 century AD (833 Caka) but the village itself is said to be much older than the temple.

Two Bali Aga Pendanda (High Priests) enter the ceremonial grounds with thier sacred Kris (swords)

Located just west of Candi Dasa and Amed lie the villages of Tenganan and Trunyan. The Bali Aga produce fine baskets and weavings and a special double weave ikat, called geringsing.  These highly sought after artworks are unique to the small region and not available any where else. A true Aga Ikat can take over 5 years to create and they are primarily used in religious ceremonies.

The Tenganan’s provide a look into early Bali but the society has very strict rules.  It can be dangerous for outsiders and is not recommended without an experienced guide.  Please contact us directly for assistance when attempting to visit this interesting but possibly dangerous area.

There are only 600 Bali Aga families in Tenganan, and locals are forbidden to marry people from outside of the village. If they do, their family is banished from the village for life.   

Young Bali Aga girls look on in thier ceremonial dress as the ceremony is about to begin

For more on The Bali Aga please see

http://www.balifornian.com/blog/2010/12/24/tenganan-and-the-bali-aga-the-real-old-school-bali.html

A beautiful young Bali Aga girl smiles as she is lead to the ceremonyAlso the Bali Aga culture practices an ancient ritual known as mekare kare, which is a ritual blood sacrifice.  Stay tuned for more on this rite and photos from the fighting ceremony.

An elder Bali Aga woman watches intently from her doorwayHappy and safe travels,

The Balifornian Team

Bali Textiles- The Buying Guide

Balifornian Tours can take you to some of the best shopping spots on the island.  We avoid turist traps to get you the best prices on authentic goods and services.  The tour will often pay for itself with the savings.  Being native Balinese Maryam has relationships with artists of all kinds.  Contact us for more details and inquire about one of our famous shopping tours.

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by baliblog

Everyone who visits Bali inevitably leaves with one kind of souvenir; it could be a T-shirt or some strange looking phallic symbol. However, for that special souvenir, and one that is everlasting, look at the options of purchasing a piece of textile. I don’t mean your wrap-around sarong but a hand-woven or loom created piece.

Don’t restrict your choice of textile to just Bali. Seek out those pieces made in Java, Lombok or Sumbawa. In fact, on the island you will be able to find quite a few of these pieces. Indonesians are renowned the world over for their textiles. Balinese traditional textiles are much more than simply decorative pieces of cloth. In Bali, the Balinese produce textiles for a variety of markets and, one of them the tourist trade.

Various forms of cloth are produced on the island of Bali and each one beautiful in its own right. Batik is a textile is manufactured mainly in factories these days but there are some smaller places in the outer lying villages where the batik process is still as it has been for centuries.

The two main styles of Batik are batik tulis and batik cap. The art of Balinese textile decoration is best expressed in skirt, chest and head cloths. There are three main categories of Balinese textile and these are Prada, Songket and Ikat.

The main batik manufacturing town on Bali is at Gianyar where many factories can be found and visited. Be warned though, the price you pay at the factory is inflated and you would be better of checking the street prices in markets such as Sukawati first. Be warned though that purchasing traditional cloth in the markets along the tourist strip will not give you the quality you will find in the places of origin. There are other traditional weavers in other places across Bali that weave stunning pieces of cloth and it is to these places you should visit.

Grinsing is one of the rarest weaving techniques practiced and you will find this textile in the traditional village of Tenganan, East Bali. Gringsing is also known as the ‘flame cloth’ and in this elaborate dyeing process both the warp and weft threads are carefully bound before dyeing. This creates numerous patterns that once finished seemingly fit together perfectly and harmoniously.

Tenganan is the only place in the world where the double-ikat process is practised. There are not many women left in Tenganan who know this practice of weaving but it is being handed down to the next generation. To weave a piece of gringsing could take up to three days but the finished product is superb. When you visit the village you are welcome to have a look at this weaving process and of course for a fee!.

Endek is a tie-dyed woven textile popular with most Balinese. Wooden hand-operated looms are used in the process of the weft-ikat method. This is where sections of the cloth are tied and then wrapped before immersing them into tubs of dye. The basic designs are irregular and soft wavy patterns. Also created are diamond designs and a zigzagging pattern. Endek is a versatile cloth for the Balinese because it can be worn for both daily use and ceremonial purposes.

Songket is a brocaded silk that has interweaving patterns of silver and gold thread and is classified as the ceremonial dress of all Balinese. Worn mainly on religious occasions, it is also worn to weddings, tooth filings and other important ritual events. The cloth is tapestry in appearance and has various motifs including wayang figures, birds, butterflies, flowers and leaves. The process of weaving is done on back-strap looms. Because of its thread and quality it is generally accepted that it is a wealthy man’s cloth.

Interestingly, the kain songket is bought in two pieces and then sewn together. The men wear the songket saput. This is a narrow piece of cloth worn over a sarung. Together with a songket udeng or head band this is for more formal and ceremonial occasions.

Decorated with silver or gold thread, kain prada is a lustrous fabric woven of cotton or silk. A ceremonial cloth, it is generally two meters in length and can take up as long as three months to weave from start to finish. Various patterns include lotus blossoms with swastikas as border decorations. These are however the most common motifs.



Tenganan and The Bali Aga- The real old school Bali

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The Bali Aga of Tenganan ~ A Photo Essay