Tattwa Are the Words of the World: Balinese Narratives and Creative Transformation
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Tattwa are the words of the world: Balinese narratives and creative transformation by Anna Nettheim Thesis submitted to the University of New South Wales Faculty of the College of Fine Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2011 Tattwa are the words of the world: Balinese narratives and creative transformation Anna Nettheim University of New South Wales, 2010 Abstract In Balinese, a distinction is made between different types of stories. While fiction, unsourced mythological tales and hearsay stories are known as satua, there are a specific group of cultural narratives, carrying a different set of meanings altogether, which are identified as tattwa. Stories described as tattwa do something that goes beyond providing information, entertainment, or instruction (even though they may also do any or all of these things.) This thesis is about what tattwa narratives are and what they do. What is it that makes tattwa narratives different from other stories? How do tattwa narratives enliven the past in the present; engender intimate encounters with elements of the world which can’t be seen; and produce real effects on bodies and in the world today? The thesis combines ethnographic research and creative writing, and takes shape through two distinct forms, a Dissertation and a Screenplay. While structurally different, both of these projects share an abiding preoccupation: how best to model the efficacy of tattwa? How might emulating particular Balinese narrative devices, such as juxtaposing different types of stories and storytelling styles, serve to not only portray but to enact the potency of tattwa as lived cultural knowledge? 2 ORIGINALITY STATEMENT ‘I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, or substantial proportions of material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at UNSW or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the research by others, with whom I have worked at UNSW or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis. I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project's design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged.’ Signed …………………………………………….............. Date ……………………………………………................. COPYRIGHT STATEMENT ‘I hereby grant the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all proprietary rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstract International (this is applicable to doctoral theses only). I have either used no substantial portions of copyright material in my thesis or I have obtained permission to use copyright material; where permission has not been granted I have applied/will apply for a partial restriction of the digital copy of my thesis or dissertation.' Signed ……………………………………………........................... Date …………………………………………….............................. AUTHENTICITY STATEMENT ‘I certify that the Library deposit digital copy is a direct equivalent of the final officially approved version of my thesis. No emendation of content has occurred and if there are any minor variations in formatting, they are the result of the conversion to digital format.’ Signed ……………………………………………........................... Date ……………………………………………........................... 3 Dedication In memory of Ni Nyoman Gedong, who began by telling me stories. And to my beloved children, Wayan Astari and Made Jatayu, for whom these stories are intended. 4 Acknowledgements I wish to express my great appreciation to all members of my family in both Bali and Australia who have contributed, both directly and indirectly, towards the completion of this thesis. I am particularly grateful to Pak Made Sedana, for teaching me so much that has been of value not only to writing this thesis but to my own life. I am also thankful to Mek Man, Putu and Edy for making me so welcome in their home. I take this opportunity also to thank Professor I Gusti Made Sutjaja of the Faculty of Letters, Udayana University, Denpasar, for being a willing and supportive research sponsor. I am indebted to my supervisor Dr Jennifer Biddle, for encouraging me to embark on this journey, and for telling me, ‘Sure you can make creative writing part of your anthropology thesis.’ Her enthusiasm for my unconventional approach to thesis writing, and her deep understanding of my underlying intentions have been of great value in the writing of this thesis. I am also thankful to Dr Gaynor Macdonald, for her unfailing confidence in me and my work, for keeping me gainfully employed, and for offering valuable comments on a late draft of this thesis. My brother Daniel Nettheim and sister-in-law Karen Radzner have been wonderfully encouraging of my fledgling attempts at screenplay writing and have provided constructive feedback at different stages which I endeavoured to incorporate. My brother Matthew Nettheim kindly put his extraordinary photographic talents to work on polishing up my fieldwork photos to great effect. As always, I owe my gratitude to my exceptional parents Garth Nettheim and Margot Nettheim, and my stepfather, Brian Hickman, for their unconditional love and support, and for always being there when I need them. I have been most fortunate to have had fabulous support from my wonderful husband, Nyoman Putrayasa, who shared this journey with me in so many ways, and provided me with so much amazing food along the way. 5 Contents Abstract 2 Acknowledgments 5 Authorisation 7 Chapter 1 The thesis 14 Chapter 2 Tattwa and Satua 53 Chapter 3 Enlivening 76 Chapter 4 The body and the world 91 Chapter 5 Implications 112 Conclusion: The Language of Trees 134 Bibliography 145 6 Authorisation This thesis is based on research carried out in Bali in consultation with Mangku Penyarikan I Made Sedana, who is a teaching balian (practitioner of traditional knowledges) and mangku (temple priest, ceremonial official). The title Mangku Penyarikan refers to his position of seniority within a particular system of knowledge and education traditions which I will refer to further below. Made Sedana, or Pak De1, as I call him, is the maternal uncle of my husband, Nyoman, and he counts both Nyoman and me among his ‘children’. Both Pak De’s position, and my familial relationship to him have been of paramount importance to my research in Bali and to this thesis, as I will discuss. Pak Mangku Sedana authorises my work 1 Bapak or Pak is the Indonesian term for father and uncle and a general respectful term of address for men. Equivalent Balinese terms are Bapa (Pa) or Nanang (Nang) but Pak is also used widely as a term of address in Bali. Non-family address Pak De more formally using terms such as Jero Mangku or Mangku Penyarikan. 7 At the end of my first period of formal fieldwork with Pak De, and before my return to Australia, I went to his home to take my leave and to thank him for all the time he had spent with me and all that he had taught me. In turn, he asked me to photograph the cover and two pages of one of his note books and include them in all work I produce based on my research with him. 8 9 These three pages were taken from a note book into which Pak De had copied the contents of an ancient lontar (palm leaf manuscript) called Lontar Kakek Tua Babad Kundalini Bad 1 when he was first studying it. He did this to keep track of what he was learning and so he 10 could access the knowledge contained in this key lontar whenever he wished, without having to hold the special ceremonies that are generally required before taking lontar down from their place of storage to read2. The reason I put it in a book was so that I would know in this year I did this, in this year this, then in this year this. For example, this book reminds me that on the first day of the second month - this is the figure two in Balinese - nineteen hundred and seventy one, I wrote this book, based on that knowledge. So I have written this belongs to I Made Sedana, Beraban, Batu Ngang3 (Sedana 1201074). In giving me these pages, Pak De did not translate or explain their contents in any detail While he did discuss aspects of them at other times in relation to his work as a balian, their contents are not discussed in detail here because it is not what they say that is of primary significance here. Rather, it is my possession of these pages and their inclusion in my work that authorises me to refer to Pak De’s stories and teachings, and to transcribe, translate and make use of the lontar-based narratives that appear in and inform this thesis. As well as properly referencing the lontar concerned, these pages attest to my own family ties, as Pak De insisted. You need to include these three pages written by Kaki Tua, who was Dalem Tohlangkir5. Dalem Tohlangkir means the first Ancestor to come down, whose name was Dalem Nguni. If you don’t include these then you don’t know how the story really goes.