BOWING TO TRADITION

The case of Ida Ayu Bintang Madrini is quite different to that of Asa Sriani. Ida Ayu Bintang is a member of the brahmana priestly caste, the highest in the Balinese Hindu hierarchy, as the female-specific Ida Ayu' prefix indicates. For this reason, the everyday life of Ida Ayu Bintang, a 21 year-old university student, is regulated by strict traditions that apply to all women, but not the men, of her caste.

For a start, Ida Ayu Bintang is not free to marry a man whose caste status is beneath her, and especially not a man of the lowest sudra caste, to which Asa Sriani, and the great majority of Balinese for that matter, belongs. For to do so would mean to losing her brahmana status and becoming a member of the same caste as her husband; it would mean being rejected by her extended family and losing her inheritance rights; and it could even mean never even being allowed to participate in any family event in any way. Men of the brahmana caste, meanwhile, may marry whomever they choose.

Ida Ayu Bintang, like many of her brahmana sisters, opts to bide by the traditions that, mapped out by her ancestors centuries ago, determined the path of her life long before she was even born. In the name of upholding those traditions, she is willing to sacrifice love, as she did when she fell for a man of a lower caste. Choosing to be faithful tradition and her parents, Ida Ayu Bintang buried her feelings. "The thought of falling in love with a man from a different caste scares me. It would cause big problems in my extended family. I thought it was better to follow tradition than to follow my heart. Anyway, if we don't uphold Balinese traditions, they will disappear," she recounts.

At the same time, however, Ida Ayu Bintang confesses that the thought of becoming a datu Ð an old brahmana virgin, left on the shelf because she couldn't find a brahmana to marry  also scares her. Moreover, datus are hardly rare. They are scattered throughout every griya (brahmana household) in Bali. In the name of upholding tradition, they have agreed not to marry as long as they live. In return, however, datus are furnished with inheritance rights, and are treated with great respect. As unmarried women who have remained in their parents household, they have a lot of authority. As well as controlling inheritance, they are key decision-makers in the household. "I hope I don't end up like that," says Ida Ayu in reference to the datus. "Hopefully, I'll find a brahmana man to marry. And if I don't, what can I do? Being thrown out of the family is the last resort. It would be really awful to be rejected by my family, but I'm determined to marry soon, whatever the case. Anyway, according to the Hindu religion, it's a sin not to marry."

BETWEEN TRADITION AND RELIGION

Balinese women, especially those who are members of high castes, face a dilemma that places them between religion and tradition. Traditional regulations, of which the case above is but one example, tend to be stricter than religious ones. Curiously, according to a survey undertaken by Udayana University's most renowned anthropologist, Prof. Ngurah Bagoes, the majority of Balinese agree with the restriction on inter-caste marriages. "Admittedly, that survey was done back in the sixties, and would have to be repeated to find out whether things have changed," says Ngurah Bagoes, conceding a prediction that a repeat survey would reveal quite different results today.

top: A porter in a traditional market
below: Women road workers.

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