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Tour de Bali - The Complete Reference about Bali

Social System

The four social systems that tie together the balinese people are klan system, caste, society(banjar), the group in desire and working system.

Clan System or Dadia
‘Dadia’ system content of the combine of the big family and all the ancestors. In this case, the relative meet together at the ceremonials event: at the temple (’sanggah’) for the nuclear family or at the tmple for the whole family. In the ceremonials, they expend their faithfull and devotion to the ancestors, for instance at the death-cremations (’nyumbah’), tribute the foods to the ancestor to eat together (’nyurud. This kind of activities could be tighty their relationship.

Caste or Kasta
The classification of ‘caste’ is derived from Hindu, based on the function for the society are: ‘Brahmana’ is the highest caste ( such as: ‘pedanda’), they responsible to ceremonial events; ‘Ksatria’ (consist of the king, the official, and the family, include the leader of irigation system or the village headman) who has to manage the government; ‘Wesia’ participate in businessman and prosperity life; and ‘Sudra’ consist of the farmers and do the duty of other caste.

Society or Banjar
Banjars developed as organizations of neighbors who engaged in group projects for the welfare of the community, whorshipped in the same tmples, and sought social contacts in each other’s company. Even today, among families who have spent several generations in an urban setting away from the rice fields, the ‘banjar’ still plays an important role. In most Balinese villages all married males are required to join a ‘banjar’.

The wives and children of these members are considered to belong to the ‘banjar’ too, but only the male heads of families go to regular meetings, and it is they who make the decisions. Sizes of ‘banjars vary considersably. Some urban ‘banjars in Denpasar have 400 to 500 heads of families, called ‘kepala keluarga’ often abbreviated KK. Rural ‘banjars’ bave as few as 50. One hundred is about average. Considering an average family of a husband, wife, and three or four children, the typical ‘banjar’ has about 500-600 people in it.

Theoretically, if the membership gets too large, the gropu should split in two, creating a new ‘banjar’ often goes back many generations-this does not often happen. In some villages the membership of some ‘banjars’ has grown so large that they no longer accept new members. They fill their waiting list only when members die.

The ‘banjar’ has religious and cultural functions, but it is also the most accessible government unit. The leaders of the ‘banjar’ are in communication with the civil head of government, the local village head, kepala desa, or ‘lurah’, a kind of mayor.

Desire and Job call Seka
Every ‘banjar’ has an associations that consist of many peoples who have the same mision and vision for each activities. They call this ’seka’. Name of ’seka’ is dealing with the kind of activities they done. There are a n association of ’seka manyi’ for harvest rice, ’seka semal for chasing the squirrel that damageing the coconut tress, ’seka memula’ for planting paddy, and ’seka numbeg’ for land processing; and onther associations which dealing with arts, for instance ’seka gong gamelan’, ’seka drama’, ’seka barong’ that responsible to maintenance and ‘barong’ dance. ’seka kecak’ (dances).

Even, there are the ‘tuak’ drinker group (call ’seka tuak’). The young generations who have not married yet, also has a special association call ’seka truna-truni’.

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