Funeral rites among people of Bali Aga

Trunyan village, on the Island of Bali

Trunyan village is situated in the caldera of Batur Volcano, on the shore of the island. The special feature of this village is that the Bali Aga people live there – considered to be the original natives of the island of Bali. They consider their village shrine to be the First Temple On Earth, and the centre of the universe. For long years the Bali Aga led a secluded existence, not mixing with other Balinese. Among their specially-guarded traditions are their rites of burial of the dead.

At a small local cemetery, located under a large tree – which can only be reached by water – there are just eleven places to bury the bodies of the dead. During the funeral ceremony, the body is just placed on the ground, and covered with a cloth – then a bamboo hut is built above it. The Bali Aga people believe the large tree neutralises all the smells of putrefaction. When the time comes for the next burial, one of the graves is made available for the deceased, and the preceding remains are removed. Mostly they are simply swept into a pile, which looks almost like a waste-pile – but the skull is kept separately, and placed in a special area. This means that there are numerous skulls of both men and women there. Locals explained to us that women's skulls are flatter – because of their habit of carrying heavy loads on their heads. The 'youngest' inhabitant of the cemetery, when we visited, had been there for around three months. It's true, that there was no smell of decay.