"No man is an island unto himself" John Dunne

Bali is certainly no exception in this regard. While there is no questioning the cultural integrity of the Balinese, one must also note their remarkable diversity that mirrors the greater whole of Indonesian culture and society. As many as 3000 years ago, the ancestors of the present-day Indonesians began sailing proud, ocean-worthy outrigger canoes west to Madagascar, off East Africa, and north to what is now known as Taiwan. Migrating southwards from today’s South China they spread throughout the Indonesia archipelago all the way to New Guinea. They discovered the existence of Papuan tribes, and melded with them. About one thousand years later, a second wave of Malay people brought wet rice cultivation and iron to the civilizations of other islands. In the second and third centuries BC, traders arrived on the shores of Borneo and Sumatra in search of gold and other rare and precious products such as jungle resins and kingfisher feathers. Indian traders followed in the first few centuries AD. There were conflicts, but cultural absorption and synthesis more commonly took place.

Indonesia has long been one of the world’s major crossroads. Blessed with enormous natural wealth, Indonesia’s history, culture and society is both diverse and multi-layered. While some islands and areas experienced isolation for periods of time, excavations and sacred relics point to a long history of trade and outside influences. Roman coins have been found in North Sumatra, Bronze Age tools along the shores of Lake Sentani in Irian Jaya and Imperial Yuan porcelain in Central Sulawesi. The Indonesian national motto, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity) is apt indeed.

BALI

In the 19th century, most Balinese lived in splendid isolation. Whilst external sovereignty had been surrendered to the Dutch colonial regime in a series of unfair treaties in the first half of the century, almost all internal affairs remained under the control of the Balinese princes who, emulating the romantic lifestyles of the heroes of the ancient courts, lived a fairytale existence of sorts. This changed when Bali was violently incorporated into the Dutch East Indies.