A. Ottino Origin myths, hierarchical order, and the negotiation of ...

Status in the Balinese Village ofTrunyan 487
From a sociological perspective, the ritual and social autonomy of Trunyan
is its most significant characteristic, as it contributes to the maintenance
of ideas of cultural identity that are distinct from those of mainstream
Balinese society. A strong ideal of intra-village endogamy ensures that
contacts with other villages are reduced to a minimum. In the ritual domain,
Brahmanical high priests {pedanda) do not perform rituals in the village
temples. These are conducted by a village high priest (balean desa) and
other temple priests who are related to the deities through mythical kin
ties. The village gods are referred to as Batara Kawitan; they are deified
ideas of origin presented in the form of ancestral figures for individual
groups or for the entire community.
Trunyan is an ancient village, even by Balinese standards. lts population
is known as Bali Aga, a vague term used to refer to conservative,
usually isolated, village communities. The term has connotations of pre-
Hindu, 'aboriginal' populations, egalitarian social and political systems,
and limited interaction with mainstream society over the centuries, although
Danandjaja's ethnography clearly demonstrates this not to be the
case. Written records (prasasti) show that the village already maintained
relations with Balinese kingdoms in the ninth century. The historical circumstances
of its foundation are unknown (Danandjaja 1980:37). From
evidence provided by the origin myths and the local oral tradition it can be
inferred that the original population probably consisted of several unrelated
groups, which included a group of Pande, amongst others. The first
rulers of Trunyan were members of the Pasek Kayu Selem, a local origin
group which was later defeated by members of the Pasek Gelgel. The
latter ruled Trunyan until the arrival of the Dutch in the present century.
They brought with them the banjar division and a new system of desa
adat leadership, which was superimposed upon the previous one. The two
systems are still in existence today. Trunyan was at one stage incorporated
into the kingdom of Karangasem, which granted the village a gift of land
south of the main settlement. Later, Karangasem relinquished Trunyan to
the kingdom of Bangli, with which relations appear to have been close
enough for them to have been incorporated into the pantheon of village
deities. Bangli donated the land where the tempek of Puseh and Mukus
are now located.
Trunyan is situated above the irrigation belt. Except in the main
settlement {desa induk), where it is taboo for the population to cultivate
rice (Danandjaja 1980:208) 5 , dry rice was grown as a main erop until the
1963 eruption of Gunung Agung. Today rice is bought commercially.
Corn, coffee, potatoes and other vegetables are grown in gardens established
on the steep inclines of the ancient crater. Fish from the lake constitutes
the major source of protein. The tourist industry has recently
5 It is also taboo to grow papaws and bananas, as well as a variety of gourd known
as labu jepang.