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Ramadan festivities: Tale of tolerance in Bali
In rural areas of the island, Balinese Hindus still address their Muslim neighbors as nyama selam
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In rural areas of the island, Balinese Hindus still address their Muslim neighbors as nyama selam.
Nyama is the Balinese word for blood relative while “selam” is the local pronounciation of Islam.
The term nyama selam displays the close and endearing relationship between Balinese Hindus and Muslims, particularly those who reside in dozens of “traditional” muslim villages across Bali.
Unlike the “modern” Muslim communities, which took shape during the island’s tourist boom in the 1980s and 1990s and were mostly formed in urban housing complexes in and around Denpasar and Kuta, these “traditional” Muslim villages boast centuries of cultural interaction and adaptation with the culture of their adopted home.
The genesis stories of these villages show that although the reasons behind their formation are as diverse as their ethnic backgrounds, they all share one important sociological trait: the ability to be a valuable member of their host social structure.
Take for instance Kampung Gelgel in Klungkung. Known as the oldest Muslim village in Bali, its formation was closely related to King Dalem Ktut Ngulesir, who ruled the island in late 14th century from his palace in Gelgel.
It is said that Ngulesir once paid a tributary visit to Hayam Wuruk, the king of the mighty Majapahit empire in East Java. Pleased by this visit, Hayam Wuruk gifted Ngulesir with 40 elite warriors led by two Muslim knights to escort him during his return trip.
These warriors later on decided to call the island their new home and Ngulesir provided them a vast tract of land upon which they constructed houses and a mosque.
Throughout the centuries, the Muslims of Kampung Gelgel have displayed an unwavering loyalty to their Hindu kings, a feat that earned them respect from the royal family as well as from the Balinese people.
A similar display of loyalty have also been shown by the Muslim villagers of Loloan, a fishing and merchant village in the island’s western region of Jembrana.
The Muslim village was established in the 17th century by scores of Bugis warriors who fled Sulawesi following the defeat of their King Hasanudin at the hands of the invading Dutch.
These seafaring warriors eventually anchored in the estuary of the Ijo Gading River in South Jembrana. Loloan is the Balinese word for estuary. The local ruler, I Gusti Arya Pancoran, permitted them to build a village in that area.
Years later, groups of Malay Muslim merchants and clerics arrived in the region and settled in Loloan, transforming the village into a culturally-diverse place.
The people of Loloan endowed Jembrana with a population of accomplished merchants and highly-skilled warriors adept at sea warfare. These would prove very valuable for a kingdom that lies next to the busy Bali Strait.
Centuries of peaceful coexistence between the Hindus and Muslims have naturally spurred cultural acculturations.
Muslims farmers adopted Balinese indigenous farming techniques and the subak irrigation system, while Balinese practitioners of esoteric teachings incorporated the name of Muslim angels into their incantations.
To this day, the traditions of megibung and ngejot, both inspired by Balinese Hindu temple festivals, are still practiced in those Muslim villages.
The megibung feast, in which participants share meals from collective plates, is held during Ramadan in Kepaon, a Muslim village in southern Denpasar.
Ngejot, in which Muslim families send a food package to their Hindu neighbors during Idul Fitri, is still a prevalent tradition in these villages. The Balinese return the favor by sending fruit packages during the Galungan festival.
