Tenganan Village preserves its tradition and culture, which has been existed since the 8th Century. It is different from culture for other parts of Bali. Locals has different traditional costume, slightly different rituals and rules from other parts of Bali. It follows awig awig or customary law and locals practice endogamy that obligates locals to marry Tenganan blood only. Breaking the awig awig can be exiled from the village and losing other rights as Tenganan residents.

Village origins sources from the first King of Gianyar who lost his horse. The king ordered people to search for the horse in exchange for a reward. Tenganan people found the horse dead. The king then said that Tenganan will be granted land as far as the smell of the horse carcass. The Tenganan people outsmart the king by carrying the carcass behind their clothes while measuring the land for the reward. That was how Tenganan Village originated from. And until today, ruling systems, land rights, natural resource rights and usage, marriage, education and traditional ceremonies have their own rules in Tenganan.

Tenganan village has an area of 917,218 ha which consists of ricefield: 255 ha, residential and public facility:78,23 ha and dry land and forest of 583 ha. The land can only be cultivated by locals, can not be sold or managed by others than locals, according to the village rule. The Land use is under costomary law and and given to a couple with a land to build a house which size is the same with other houses.

Tenganan people still practice weaving traditionally and the weaving is colored with natural color. We can purchase and browse for weaving as well as seeing how they make weaving with single and double ikat. This traditional weaving is locally called gringsing. Gringsing is believed to have magic. Gringsing derives from “gering” which means ill and sing which means NOT or help. from both words, gringsing means to avoid illness.

The weaving is in relatively long time from several weeks to several months, subject to the size of the weaving. That is why the price of gringsing is high. Everyone can make gringsing and wear it, it does not show any social status in Tenganan.

Read more about Tenganan Village on the next post.