We had the honor and pleasure of meeting an old friend of our old friend, Pak Ngurah’s - Ida Pendanda Gede Manuaba. We delivered a gift that Pak Ngurah asked us to take with us to Bali. Teresa said, “ok if it’s really small. We don’t have much room for stuff this trip”… As is often the case with Pak Ngurah, what seems like a little thing, is often not what you anticipate - and occasionally, maybe even a bit of a detour. These often turn out to be a major life experience.
What’s in a name? I only know the least little bit about Balinese names. Things like how they might indicate birth order. For example, if you meet a man named “Wayan”, he is the first born in his family. “Made” (Mah-day) - he is the 2nd. “Nyoman” - the 3rd. “Ketut” - the 4th. Or “Wayan” could be the 5th, because they start all over again.
But of course, it’s much more sophisticated than that, especially in the ways that caste and title designations form a name. So when we asked our friend Emon, the driver we’ve been traveling with, if we could go over to Bangli to drop off a jacket to someone named Ida Pedanda Gede Manuaba, he was a bit taken aback. He said this is a very senior high priest. “Ida” indicates high, Brahmana caste. “Pedanda” denotes one who has undergone rites to become a high-ranking religious leader (Hindu priest). “Gede” amplifies their prominence. And “Manuaba” “reflects the individual’s family or clan, linking them to the noble Manuaba lineage within the Brahmana caste.”
Emon worried that his language skills would not be adequate for dialog at that priestly Brahmanic level. But of course, he would be honored, as would we to meet a priest of this stature. And especially an even older friend of our old friend, Pak Ngurah.
When we arrived at his home, he was engaged in prayer and ritual. When he finished he invited us to join him and receive the blessings of this practice.
Afterwards we talked over lunch, mostly through Emon performing translation. I asked Ida Pendanda Gede when he had become a priest. At age 61, he is now 70. I learned later that it is important for someone of each generation of his family lineage to become a priest. I wish I had known this or had asked him about how it was that he prepared to become a religious leader at age 61.
Conversation through translation is always approximate and sometimes belabored. So I thought of probably the most difficult question I could - but one I most wanted to know about. What is time? And what is simultaneity? I’m still teasing his response out of Emon. No doubt, if my Bahasa Indonesia skills were better, that wouldn’t help me one bit on this topic.
We presented Pak Ngurah's small - easy to fit in one's luggage - gift. We were glad to bring it. And he really apprciated it.
After lunch we visited the pelinggih of his home temple. Every Balinese home has a temple, which contains a collection of “pelinggih” (peh-ling-y) - what we might call spirit houses. I find them completely fascinating - everywhere we go - and will try to put a separate post together about pelinggih more generally. Those in his family are very old. They include Chinese elements that predate even the arrival of the Dutch.
Pak Ngurah (I Gusti Ngurah Kertayuda) also has an interesting and significant name and a very rich life story. I wondered how these two men met - were they from the same village? Had they known each other as boys? Ida Pedanda Gede Manuaba said they met in “art school”. That would be ASTI, the special school for the arts in Denpasar, Bali's capital city. ASTI stands foe Akademi Seni Tari Indonesia. “Seni” is art, generally and “Tari” is dance. They went to dance school together. Pak Ngurah said that his friend was the best Ravana. Ravana is the major antagonist/demon in the Ramayana epic so often portrayed in Balinese dance.
Those of you who have seen Pak Ngurah dance know what a totally captivating dancer he is, with any character he plays. What I would give to somehow, someday, see these old friends and masters dance together. I’d take any detour to see that.
Thank you both - I Gusti Ngurah Kertayuda and Ida Pedanda Gede Manuaba
コメント