Makare-kare

Bali is an island of God because we will find many temples in Bali, that's why also called as island of thousand temples. Difference place, difference culture, that's what happen in Bali because Balinese is formed by many sub ethnic. But mostly Bali have similarity in Hinduism culture, although, there is still a difference in making ritual ceremony in different places or districts.

The old ethnic of Bali is Baliaga, they are the first ethnic in Bali, before the Hindu Majapahit society came to Bali island from Java island as refugees when the war of Islamic kingdom expanding era. They have a unique culture of dance war and fighting, they called Makare-kare.  

Makare-kare is a originally Balinese Culture of Baliaga ethnic at Tenganan Village, Karangasem district. It is are the one of Bali attractive cultures. The attractive culture is war culture from Tenganan Village at Karangasemdistrict that given name Makare-kare. This sacred ritual culture held once a year at fifth month of Balinese calendar (around June or July). This ceremony called "Ngusamba". This war ritual to test the bravely and endurance of men of this village.

The fight uses a Panda-nus leaf plant. Nobody is harmed in this fight as it is just for fun, laughing, and brotherhood. Yes they bleed because of the panda-nus leaf scratch their body, but it is just superficial. They also have their own medication, an ancient medicine in yellow color given name "Boreh". This war ritual is from Hindupre-history of Bali.

So only the ancient ethnic Balinese: "Baliaga" have this ritual ceremony. Begin with two sacred dances: Abwang dance and Rejang dance. when the men starting to fight the women go to the village temple for praying. In this ceremony they using their sacred textiles "Geringsing". This ceremony starting from tenth in the morning to ninth at the evening and closing by Rejang dance at the village temple.

Original article: About Makare-kare: Balinese Fight Dance For Brotherhood - written by agus putu agung on Factoidz

Indonesian Antique Textiles Shop At Seminyak-Kuta

Indonesia have many great textiles such as Batik, songket, ndek, Geringsing, Ulos, etc. But you will be like the antique one. The great antique textiles shop that I will suggest to you is on Seminyak main street at the corner of intersection with Kunti street. The shop name is "Lawas", meaning is old. they have many collection of antique textiles that not only from Bali but also from all over Indonesia. I think only this shop selling such many collection of textiles at Legian-Seminyak street. They open from 10 O'clock in the morning until 6 O'clock in the afternoon. You can just walking at Legian-Seminyak street and asking people about this shop or you can call this number: 0361-732741 (+62361732741). You will be like shopping there.

Makare-kare War of Brotherhood

Bali have many attractive cultures. One of the attractive culture is war culture from Tenganan Village at Karangasem district that given name Makare-kare. This sacred ritual culture held once a year at fifth month of Balinese calendar (around June or July). This ceremony called "Ngusamba". This war ritual to test the bravely and endurance of men of this village. The fight is using a Panda-nus leaf plant. No body will be harm in this fight just for fun, laughing, and brotherhood. Yes they get bleeding because of the pandan leaf srath their body, but it is just superficial. They also have their own medication, an anchient medicine in yellow color given name "Boreh". This war ritual is from Hindu pre-history of Bali. So only the ancient ethnic Balinese: "Baliaga" have this ritual ceremony. Begin with two sacred dances: Abwang dance and Rejang dance. when the men starting to fight the women go to the village temple for praying. In this ceremony they using their sacred textiles "Geringsing". This ceremony starting from tenth in the morning to ninth at the evening and closing by Rejang dance at the village temple.

Geringsing Textile From Tenganan-bali | Quazen

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Geringsing Textile From Tenganan-bali | Quazen

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Geringsing Textiles Made From Human Blood

From a tiny village of Tenganan comes the rare geringsing cloth that put this little village among the best in textile technology. The geringsing cloth with its double ikat technique – a method in which resist patterns are applied to both the wrap and the welt before weaving, so that the final pattern appears only on completion – is the most spectacular ever produced by the textile art in Southeast Asia.

When someone encountered the geringsing for the first time, he is immediately captivated by the mute color of geringsing. Geringsing combines red and reddish brown tones, eggshell and dark blue or violet. These mute colors are obtained from natural pigment of outer layers of sunti root (morinda citrifolia) and indigo. The geringsing threads are dyed and cross-dyed several times with the natural pigments to achieve the wanted color and pattern. Since the geringsing is woven in loose tabby from cotton yarns, it produces certain uniformity in appearance.

All kind of geringsings share a basic pattern in which the cloth is divided into two corresponding ‘head’ portion at either end, serves as a frame for a large central panel that is in turn subdivided by arrange the motifs in various ways. Various motifs are used to fill the large central section. For example groups of geometric and abstract floral motifs may be repeated over the whole of central panel, horizontally, vertically or along the diagonal. Some kinds of geringsing have a quite different form of central section for example, the geringsing wayang type has large four-pointed stars with a crenellated motif surrounded by four scorpions devide the main field into semicircular segments. These segments contain stars, emblems, architectural elements, animals and Balinese wayang kulit (shadow puppet) figure.

For the residents of Tenganan village geringsing is not just an ordinary cloth, it is a sacred fabric which full of magical power to protect the wearer. The word ‘geringsing’ is derived from the word ‘gering’ means ‘pestilence’ or ‘plague’ and the word ‘sing’ means ‘no’, it means geringsing possess the magical power to ward off harm wrought by natural or supernatural enemies, and confer invulnerability on the bearer one.

Geringsing not just use for protection but also as a mark of the community membership, it is an incontestable evidence that the wearer belong to the village of Tenganan. Geringsing has become a kind of proprietary mark of Tenganan, a cloth that serves as a social insignia with which Tenganan residence adorn themselves whenever they received guest from neighboring village or when they go outside the village to visit a friend or pay homage to certain temples.

Some materials for this writing are taken from the book “Balinese Textiles”.