The Balinese people (, ) are an Austronesian

ethnic group An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...

native to the

Indonesian island The islands of Indonesia, also known as the Indonesian Archipelago () or Nusantara (term), Nusantara, may refer either to the islands composing the country of Indonesia or to the geographical groups which include its islands. Indonesia is the wo ...

Bali Bali (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller o ...

. The Balinese population of 4.2 million (1.7% of

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

's population) live mostly on the island of

, making up 89% of the island's population. There are also significant populations on the island of Lombok and in the easternmost regions of

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

(e.g. the regency of Banyuwangi). The Balinese are distinctive amongst Indonesian ethnic groups for their adherence to Balinese Hinduism rather than

Sunni Islam Sunni Islam is the largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any Succession to Muhammad, successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr ...

Origins

The Balinese originated from three periods of migration. The first waves of immigrants came from Java and

Kalimantan Kalimantan (; ) is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It constitutes 73% of the island's area, and consists of the provinces of Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and West Kalimantan. The non-Ind ...

in prehistoric times and were of Proto-Malay stock. The second wave of Balinese came slowly over the years from Java during the

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

period. The third and final wave came from Java, between the 15th and 16th centuries, about the same time as the conversion to

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

in Java, causing aristocrats and peasants to flee to

after the collapse of the Javanese Hindu Majapahit Empire to escape Mataram's Islamic conversion. This in turn reshaped the Balinese culture into a syncretic form of classical Javanese culture mixed with many Balinese elements.

Genetics

A DNA study in 2005 by Karafet et al., found that 11% of Balinese Y-chromosomes are of likely Austroasiatic origin, while 84% are of likely Austronesian 1% of likely Indian origin and 2% of likely Melanesian origin. According to a recent genetic study, the Balinese, together with the Javanese and Sundanese, have a significant admixture of Austroasiatic and Austronesian ancestries.

Culture

Balinese culture is a mix of Balinese Hindu-Buddhist religion and Balinese customs. It is perhaps most known for its dance, drama, and sculpture. The island is also known for its

Wayang Kulit ( ) is a traditional form of shadow puppetry originally found in the cultures of Java and Bali in Indonesia. In a performance, the puppet figures are rear-projected on a taut linen screen with a coconut oil (or electric) light. The (shadow ...

or Shadow play theatre. Even in rural and neglected villages, beautiful temples are a common sight; and so are skilful gamelan players and talented actors. Even layered pieces of palm leaf and neat fruit arrangements made as offerings by Balinese women have an artistic side to them. According to Mexican art historian José Miguel Covarrubias, works of art made by amateur Balinese artists are regarded as a form of spiritual offering, and therefore these artists do not care about recognition of their works. Balinese artists are also skilled in duplicating artworks such as carvings that resemble Chinese deities or decorating vehicles based on what is seen in foreign magazines. The culture is noted for its use of the

gamelan Gamelan (; ; , ; ) is the traditional musical ensemble, ensemble music of the Javanese people, Javanese, Sundanese people, Sundanese, and Balinese people, Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussion instrument, per ...

in music and various traditional events of Balinese society. Each type of music is designated for a specific type of event. For example, music for a ''piodalan'' (birthday celebration) is different from music used for a ''metatah'' (teeth grinding) ceremony, just as it is for weddings, '' Ngaben'' (cremation of the dead ceremony), '' Melasti'' (purification ritual), and so forth. The diverse types of

are also specified according to the different types of dance in Bali. According to Walter Spies, the art of dancing is an integral part of Balinese life as well as an endless critical element in a series of ceremonies or for personal interests. Traditionally, displaying female breasts is not considered immodest. Balinese women can often be seen with bared chests; however, a display of the thigh is considered immodest. In modern Bali, these customs are normally not strictly observed, but visitors to Balinese temples are advised to cover their legs. In the Balinese naming system, a person's rank of birth or caste is reflected in the name. Balinese are generally patrilineal, but in the case where a family only has daughters, they can decide if a daughter is the confirmed heir (''sentana rajeg''). She will then have the same status as if she were a son. The marriage proposal will be carried in reverse; she will be considered the husband (''meawak muani'') and he the wife (''meawak luh''), and the children are considered to be part of their mother's family. File:17 Years of Sekar Jepun 2014-11-01 06.jpg, Legong dance File:Gamelan Orchestra (6336847793).jpg, Balinese gamelan File:Bali 0701a.jpg, Balinese wood carver File:Balinese Cockfighting.jpg, Balinese painting File:Pura Besakih.JPG, Besakih Temple File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Balinese danseressen TMnr 60046652.jpg, Balinese dancers, –1940

Puputan

A puputan is an act of mass suicide through frontal assaults in battle and was first noted by the Dutch during the colonization of Bali. The latest act of puputan was during the Indonesian War of Independence, with Lt. Colonel I Gusti Ngurah Rai as the leader in the Battle of Margarana. The airport in Bali is named after him in commemoration.

Religion

Balinese_woman_carrying_offerings_fruits_on_her_head_01

The vast majority of the Balinese believe in ''Agama Tirta'', the "holy-water religion". It is a part of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

. Traveling Indian priests are said to have introduced the people to the sacred literature of Hinduism and Buddhism centuries ago. The people accepted it and combined it with their pre-Hindu mythologies. The Balinese from before the third wave of immigration, known as the Bali Aga, are mostly not followers of Agama Tirta but retain their animist traditions. Wet rice agriculture is a mainstay of Balinese food production. This system of agriculture is extremely water-intensive and requires a substantial network of irrigation to be effective as a subsistence strategy in Bali. A system of irrigation networks ('' subak'') exists to redistribute access to water in Bali. This network of both underground tunnels (

weir A weir or low-head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the water level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

s) and canals diverts water from natural water sources into the wet-rice cultivation fields utilized by Balinese farmers to grow their staple crops. The system of cooperative water redistribution is tied to religious and cultural practices among the Balinese and represents an economic system based on mutual obligation, and managed by the personnel of the water temples (''Pura Tirta''). Religious officials from these water temples exert spiritual and cultural pressure on the participants in this system and ensure its continuation. These water temples are largely located at the loci of the irrigation networks and manage the distribution of water from the mountainous water sources of the island to lowland areas where water is too scarce for the natural cultivation of rice. There is evidence this system developed as early as the 11th century CE and has been in continuous use since that time. Genetic evidence indicates that this system spread along kinship lines as the original farming villagers of Bali spread from areas where wet-rice farming originated to less climatically favorable areas of the island. The cultural prestige of certain ''Pura Titra'' largely correlates to their position within the ''subak'' system, with temples located at major water sources having significant cultural influence. Royalty has associated themselves with major temples of this type, to link their prestige with that of the ''Pura Titra'', and have taken part in the operations of water temples as a means of gaining influence in society. This system of physical infrastructure represents a durable network of belief that encourages its continuation by the people who participate and provides a levelling mechanism where people who would otherwise be incapable of participating in wet-rice agriculture to take part in the same subsistence activities as those who live in regions more naturally supportive of water-intensive crop growth.

Festivals

Balinese people celebrate multiple festivals, including the Kuta Carnival, the Sanur Village Festival, and the Bali Kite Festival, where participants fly fish-, bird-, and leaf-shaped kites while an orchestra plays traditional music.

References

{{Authority control Hindu ethnic groups Balinese culture Ethnoreligious groups in Asia Hindu communities Ethnic groups in Indonesia Indigenous peoples of Southeast Asia