BALI –changes

The only constant is change. No wonder therefore that the island described by von Faber in his Guidebook and Souvenir of BALI is quite different from the one that modern-day visitors will encounter.

The disappearance of the tiger, and consequently the hunting parties to the western part of the island, is the result of population pressure and competition for the shared environment with wildlife loosing out, while the unspoiled tranquillity of Kuta has disappeared due to lively entrepreneurial resourcefulness and commercial acumen.

Increasing exposure to the outside world has then inevitably led to changes in the outlook of the population itself. I believe it was in Karl Martin's Reisen in den Molukken, in Ambon, den Uliassern, Seran (Ceram) und Buru, Eine Schilderung von Land und Leuten, that I read how sailors dreaded to be becalmed off Bali because its wild long-haired inhabitants would come out in their canoes grappling hooks at the ready to board. Apparently many a ship's crew and supplies were lost during these attacks. Most likely Martin relates stories of yore. His voyage to the Moluccas took place in 1891/92 and it seems highly unlikely that these attacks still occurred in his days. But then, who knows, today piracy is still rampant off the south-western Philippines, in the Strait of Malacca, and of course around Somalia.

Outside influence is almost immediately noticeable in the way of dressing. When von Faber wrote the guidebook Balinese men still wore their hair long. And while the main cities like Denpasar and Singaraja had already changed to a "modern" dress, the countryside was still largely traditional.

Men were wearing a single piece of cloth—kamben—reaching from the waist to the knees and tied in the front, held in place by a cloth belt. Dressed for official or religious occasions they wear a large sarong—saput—over the kamben. Depending on the wealth of the wearer this saput was of greater or lesser quality.

Women wore a sarong tied at the waist and held in place by a sash—bulang. The breasts were uncovered except when appearing in front of a superior or entering the temple. Although the Balinese are accustomed to go nude above the waist, for both men and women, etiquette dictates that the breast must be covered for formal dress.

The priests are dressed in white only, still.

Reference: Het Land der Duizend Tempels (The Land of the Thousand Temples) A Guidebook and Souvenir of BALI.