And another one

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Each culture that flourish around the globe has its own way in dealing with thief, some cultures use harsh punishment, other use social sanction such as excommunication but the inhabitants of Tenganan village in Bali has a kind of ritual in dealing with thief, it is called Maling-malingan or “game of thief” (the word “maling” in Balinese language means “thief”).

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Here is an interesting piece of writing on Balinese language which is taken from Scott A Johnsen’s thesis which is entitled From Royal House to Nation: The Construction of Hinduism and Balinese Ethnicity In Indonesia:

A man from Denpasar explained to me the rise in importance of the Balinese language: “It used to be taboo to use too much Balinese in school, but now, because of regional autonomy, people use more Balinese. Balinese is the mother language (basa Ibu), [we] can’t forget.” Most people in Bangli told me that a renewed sense of the importance of preserving the Balinese language began in the 1980s. A number of radio shows use only Balinese; the host of one such show, Warung Bali, has said that this is intended specifically to increase the use of the local language. The Balinese government has made a number of efforts to expand the use of Balinese, including designating certain days as “Balinese language days” at offices.

These attempts to make Balinese the equal of the national language, Indonesian, have led to some interesting attempts to invent Balinese terms for things that could only be expressed in Indonesian. I was taught to say “good morning/afternoon/night” in Balinese (rahajeng semeng/sore/wengi), in phrasings copied from Indonesian models. Some people in Bangli found this very amusing, because these are high language forms heard mostly in media; they still sound forced to many Balinese. Brahmana priest Gunung, head of HC-Bali, has a good time making fun of such new Balinese words and phrases by making up his own:

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Balinese language clearly expresses the hierarchy in Balinese society. Balinese often speak of three broad language levels, though each of these levels has sub-levels within it. These three broad language levels can be explained as Low Balinese, Medium Balinese and High Balinese. The Low Balinese is used by a Balinese to speak to friend from same or lower caste, family members and relatives. Medium Balinese is used to speak to stranger, people from higher caste and people of status and importance. The High Balinese is used to speak to high priest (pedanda).

The rules in Balinese language in which a low caste person must use Medium or High Balinese to a high caste person or when referring to a higher caste person but a high caste person may use a Low Balinese in return and the use Medium or High Balinese for words pertaining to the body and actions of the higher caste person while the higher caste using low Balinese terms for the body and actions of lower caste are the obvious evidence of strong hierarchal structure of Balinese language and its close connection with Balinese hierarchal society.

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