1
00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:02,476
(Gamelan music)

2
00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:10,238
<i>These children are in deep trance.</i>

3
00:00:10,320 --> 00:00:13,198
<i>Their bodies are no longer</i>
<i>under their control.</i>

4
00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:18,559
<i>They have been taken over</i>
<i>and are inhabited by unearthly spirits.</i>

5
00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:21,438
<i>This is the island of Bali.</i>

6
00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:48,792
<i>When the Balinese are in trance,</i>
<i>they perform acts that they couldn't repeat</i>

7
00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:53,078
<i>without pain, or indeed repeat at all</i>
<i>in a normal state.</i>

8
00:00:53,160 --> 00:00:56,709
<i>And the ability to communicate</i>
<i>with the gods through trance</i>

9
00:00:56,800 --> 00:00:59,314
<i>lies at the heart of Balinese religion.</i>

10
00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:15,673
<i>0fficially, Bali is a Hindu country,</i>

11
00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:19,719
<i>and like all Hindus,</i>
<i>the Balinese cremate their dead.</i>

12
00:01:19,800 --> 00:01:25,158
<i>But being Bali, they do so</i>
<i>with dramatic displays of great splendour.</i>

13
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<i>The corpses are brought to the cremation</i>
<i>ground in this magnificent tower.</i>

14
00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:35,758
<i>Then they are transferred to a coffin</i>
<i>in the shape of a black bull.</i>

15
00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:47,637
<i>Because the cremation rituals are</i>
<i>so complex and demand so many offerings,</i>

16
00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:49,711
<i>they cost a great deal of money.</i>

17
00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:53,759
<i>0ften a man's body may have to lie</i>
<i>in a shallow grave for years</i>

18
00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:56,400
<i>before his family</i>
<i>can finally save up enough</i>

19
00:01:56,480 --> 00:02:00,439
<i>to provide him with</i>
<i>the rich ceremonial that he deserves.</i>

20
00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:03,512
<i>A cremation therefore</i>
<i>is not an occasion for grief,</i>

21
00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:07,639
<i>but a time for gaiety, to celebrate</i>
<i>the successful accomplishment</i>

22
00:02:07,720 --> 00:02:10,280
<i>of a man's most sacred duty.</i>

23
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(Drumming)

24
00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:26,310
<i>Now, at last, the spirits of the dead are</i>
<i>being liberated from their earthly bodies</i>

25
00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:29,039
<i>to ascend to a higher world,</i>
<i>where they will dwell</i>

26
00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:33,159
<i>until they are reincarnated</i>
<i>once more as better beings.</i>

27
00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:47,071
<i>500 years ago,</i>
<i>the whole of Java and Bali was Hindu.</i>

28
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<i>But during the 16th century, Mohammedan</i>
<i>fanatics began to invade Java.</i>

29
00:02:51,920 --> 00:02:55,754
<i>Slowly, they fought their way eastwards,</i>
<i>converting some princes,</i>

30
00:02:55,840 --> 00:02:57,751
<i>driving others before them.</i>

31
00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:01,310
<i>When they reached</i>
<i>the eastern tip of Java, they stopped</i>

32
00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:04,437
<i>and allowed the surviving</i>
<i>Hindu Rajas and their courts</i>

33
00:03:04,520 --> 00:03:07,910
<i>to escape across the narrow strait to Bali.</i>

34
00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:09,956
<i>Here, they found sanctuary.</i>

35
00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:15,114
<i>And here, there still stand statues</i>
<i>of Ganesha, the Hindu elephant god,</i>

36
00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:18,158
<i>in an island</i>
<i>that has never seen an elephant.</i>

37
00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:26,152
<i>The Javanese Rajas brought to Bali</i>
<i>much else beside their religion,</i>

38
00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:30,870
<i>for with them into exile travelled</i>
<i>their court musicians and their artists.</i>

39
00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:35,590
<i>As a result, Bali became a sanctuary</i>
<i>for the cream, the distillation,</i>

40
00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:39,355
<i>of what was, at the time,</i>
<i>the most sophisticated culture</i>

41
00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:41,510
<i>in the whole of Southeast Asia,</i>

42
00:03:41,600 --> 00:03:46,549
<i>and here, it has not merely survived,</i>
<i>it has burgeoned gloriously.</i>

43
00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:49,596
(Drumming and bells)

44
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<i>This is the Legong, perhaps</i>
<i>the most famous of Bali's dances.</i>

45
00:04:26,760 --> 00:04:30,275
<i>It tells the story of a Javanese king</i>
<i>who kidnaps a princess</i>

46
00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:34,194
<i>from a rival's kingdom</i>
<i>and is eventually killed in battle.</i>

47
00:04:34,280 --> 00:04:37,317
<i>The dancer on the right</i>
<i>portrays a court attendant.</i>

48
00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:40,631
<i>But it seems strange indeed</i>
<i>that the king and his princess</i>

49
00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:45,077
<i>should be played by two doll... like children</i>
<i>dancing in perfect unison</i>

50
00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:48,277
<i>and children moreover who are forbidden</i>
<i>to dance the Legong</i>

51
00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:50,954
<i>when they become</i>
<i>tainted by adolescence.</i>

52
00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:53,156
<i>The official story may be Javanese.</i>

53
00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:57,199
<i>It seems possible that the dance</i>
<i>has origins in Bali itself,</i>

54
00:04:57,280 --> 00:05:01,751
<i>and meanings that lie much deeper</i>
<i>than a relatively trivial tale</i>

55
00:05:01,840 --> 00:05:03,796
<i>of foreign chivalry.</i>

56
00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:12,030
<i>To search for those origins, you must go</i>
<i>into the mountains of central Bali,</i>

57
00:05:12,120 --> 00:05:16,989
<i>where many of the island's most</i>
<i>ancient beliefs and rituals still survive,</i>

58
00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:23,235
<i>beliefs that hark back to a time long</i>
<i>before the arrival of the Hindu refugees.</i>

59
00:05:34,520 --> 00:05:38,433
<i>This village priest</i>
<i>is holding two wooden dolls.</i>

60
00:05:39,280 --> 00:05:42,192
<i>As he prays, he smokes them with incense</i>

61
00:05:42,280 --> 00:05:45,556
<i>in just the same way</i>
<i>as he would smoke real dancers</i>

62
00:05:45,640 --> 00:05:48,074
<i>in order to send them into a trance.</i>

63
00:05:48,160 --> 00:05:49,912
(Congregation singing)

64
00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:52,514
<i>0n either side of him sit two young girls</i>

65
00:05:52,600 --> 00:05:55,990
<i>lavishly dressed</i>
<i>with whitened, impassive faces,</i>

66
00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:59,709
<i>girls who have been specially selected</i>
<i>by the priest and the villagers</i>

67
00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:02,030
<i>for this particular ceremonial.</i>

68
00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:16,429
<i>0nce again, the priest prays,</i>

69
00:06:16,520 --> 00:06:20,115
<i>calling to the spirits to come down</i>
<i>and visit the village.</i>

70
00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:22,760
<i>0nce more, he smokes the dolls.</i>

71
00:06:22,840 --> 00:06:25,274
(Singing continues)

72
00:06:45,200 --> 00:06:50,718
<i>They begin to vibrate, just as a human being</i>
<i>vibrates when he's on the verge of a trance.</i>

73
00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:53,756
(Bells jingle)

74
00:07:28,920 --> 00:07:31,992
<i>Now the children hold the sticks</i>
<i>that animate the puppets</i>

75
00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:35,356
<i>and the people sing to the gods,</i>
<i>entreating them to come down</i>

76
00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:40,639
<i>and animate the bodies of the girls</i>
<i>just as the girls are animating the puppets.</i>

77
00:07:47,320 --> 00:07:50,312
<i>Slowly, the children's eyes fall shut.</i>

78
00:07:50,400 --> 00:07:53,198
<i>Slowly, they drift into trance.</i>

79
00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:06,192
<i>"Sanghyang, heavenly spirits come down,"</i>
<i>the women implore.</i>

80
00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:09,680
(Singing continues)

81
00:08:58,200 --> 00:09:00,555
<i>And now, the girls are in trance.</i>

82
00:09:00,640 --> 00:09:05,077
<i>Now, the Sanghyang, the spirits,</i>
<i>are inhabiting their bodies.</i>

83
00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:08,436
<i>Their eyes will remain closed</i>
<i>until the trance is over.</i>

84
00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:13,230
<i>They see no one, they speak to no one,</i>
<i>except when, on a rare occasion,</i>

85
00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:17,199
<i>they may communicate secretly</i>
<i>to each other in a whisper.</i>

86
00:09:25,920 --> 00:09:28,036
<i>More offerings must be made.</i>

87
00:09:28,120 --> 00:09:32,159
<i>The villagers now address</i>
<i>the children as Ratu, Your Highness,</i>

88
00:09:32,240 --> 00:09:34,276
<i>as befits a goddess.</i>

89
00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:38,917
<i>The children themselves</i>
<i>are acquiring new characters.</i>

90
00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:43,630
<i>They may well become petulant and arrogant</i>
<i>and quite unlike their normal selves.</i>

91
00:09:55,680 --> 00:10:00,071
<i>This ritual of the Sanghyang Deling,</i>
<i>the puppet spirits, sanctifies the village.</i>

92
00:10:00,160 --> 00:10:02,754
<i>In times of pestilence</i>
<i>when disease threatens,</i>

93
00:10:02,840 --> 00:10:06,594
<i>the children may be called upon</i>
<i>to be perform every night for weeks.</i>

94
00:10:06,680 --> 00:10:10,719
<i>They must be children, for the heavenly spirits</i>
<i>wish to inhabit pure bodies,</i>

95
00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:12,950
<i>uncorrupted by adolescence.</i>

96
00:10:14,600 --> 00:10:18,991
<i>And they must dance like puppets,</i>
<i>impassively and in unison,</i>

97
00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:22,231
<i>for they are portraying</i>
<i>the puppets of the gods.</i>

98
00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:26,677
<i>And so the very characteristics that seem</i>
<i>so meaningless and mystifying in the Legong,</i>

99
00:10:26,760 --> 00:10:28,910
<i>here seem perfectly logical.</i>

100
00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:33,357
<i>What more likely then,</i>
<i>that this is the origin of the Legong?</i>

101
00:10:33,440 --> 00:10:36,352
<i>And that the Javanese princes,</i>
<i>400 years ago,</i>

102
00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:41,355
<i>anxious to recreate the sophisticated splendour</i>
<i>of their court in Balinese exile,</i>

103
00:10:41,440 --> 00:10:44,193
<i>took the child</i>
<i>trance dances of the villages</i>

104
00:10:44,280 --> 00:10:48,273
<i>and used them to recreate</i>
<i>a pantomime of their court legends?</i>

105
00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:53,034
<i>But the Sanghyang Deling dancers,</i>
<i>though they may have been excelled</i>

106
00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:56,829
<i>in technique and sophistication</i>
<i>by the Legong dancers of the lowlands,</i>

107
00:10:56,920 --> 00:11:01,755
<i>can, in their trance, perform feats</i>
<i>which no Legong dancer can emulate.</i>

108
00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:23,633
(Drumming, bells and pipes)

109
00:11:31,160 --> 00:11:35,358
<i>With no support from the hands</i>
<i>of the men, and with their eyes still firmly shut,</i>

110
00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:37,396
<i>they continue to dance.</i>

111
00:12:29,600 --> 00:12:31,830
(Music intensifies)

112
00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:50,592
(Music stops)

113
00:12:50,680 --> 00:12:52,830
<i>And now the women chant.</i>

114
00:12:52,920 --> 00:12:55,593
<i>"They quickly come, the nymphs,"</i>
<i>they say.</i>

115
00:12:55,680 --> 00:12:58,990
<i>"Two together they dance,</i>
<i>like lilies with pollen in the centre,</i>

116
00:12:59,080 --> 00:13:01,116
<i>"blown by the wind and swaying.</i>

117
00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:03,634
<i>"The water lily</i>
<i>seeks the sandat flower,</i>

118
00:13:03,720 --> 00:13:05,756
<i>"they fall, and as they fall,</i>

119
00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:09,230
<i>"the heavenly nymphs</i>
<i>bend over backwards. "

120
00:13:09,320 --> 00:13:12,232
(Congregation singing)

121
00:13:30,320 --> 00:13:33,551
<i>Before the gods release</i>
<i>the children from their trance,</i>

122
00:13:33,640 --> 00:13:36,029
<i>they must perform one more act.</i>

123
00:13:36,120 --> 00:13:41,513
<i>They must walk barefooted through</i>
<i>the embers of a fire made from coconut husks.</i>

124
00:13:47,840 --> 00:13:49,796
(Drumming and pipes)

125
00:15:00,720 --> 00:15:05,555
<i>The main ceremony is over,</i>
<i>but the goddesses have not departed.</i>

126
00:15:05,640 --> 00:15:08,791
<i>The children are still</i>
<i>in the grip of trance.</i>

127
00:15:18,680 --> 00:15:21,433
(Man singing)

128
00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:23,476
(Congregation singing)

129
00:15:26,960 --> 00:15:29,030
<i>0nce more, the priest must pray,</i>

130
00:15:29,120 --> 00:15:32,749
<i>this time, to bring</i>
<i>the girls out of their trance.</i>

131
00:15:39,720 --> 00:15:42,951
<i>With a flower,</i>
<i>he sprinkles them with holy water.</i>

132
00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:45,759
<i>The women pray, giving thanks.</i>

133
00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:47,990
(Singing continues)

134
00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:37,351
<i>The gods are leaving them.</i>
<i>The trance is over.</i>

135
00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:40,795
<i>0nce more, they are little girls.</i>

136
00:16:40,880 --> 00:16:44,589
<i>0nce more, they have demonstrated</i>
<i>that the gods are all around,</i>

137
00:16:44,680 --> 00:16:48,593
<i>invisible, but in direct</i>
<i>communication with the people.</i>

138
00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:53,071
<i>The priest, who gives them</i>
<i>absolution, is officially a Hindu priest.</i>

139
00:16:53,160 --> 00:16:57,153
<i>But the rites over which he presides</i>
<i>have probably existed in Bali</i>

140
00:16:57,240 --> 00:16:59,913
<i>since long before Hinduism arrived.</i>

141
00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:06,117
<i>This ancient religion of the island</i>
<i>seems to have been an animistic one,</i>

142
00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:10,637
<i>a belief that all things in creation</i>
<i>have individual spirits,</i>

143
00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:14,793
<i>and since this is so, it follows that</i>
<i>wherever nature manifests itself</i>

144
00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:18,316
<i>in especially prodigal or spectacular fashion</i>

145
00:17:18,400 --> 00:17:21,597
<i>then there must be</i>
<i>a specially holy place.</i>

146
00:17:22,640 --> 00:17:25,154
<i>Monkeys are rare in Bali.</i>

147
00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:29,233
<i>In this forest alone</i>
<i>do they exist in large numbers.</i>

148
00:17:29,320 --> 00:17:33,632
<i>In this forest, therefore,</i>
<i>shrines have been built to celebrate them</i>

149
00:17:33,720 --> 00:17:36,314
<i>and to give thanks</i>
<i>to the spirits of nature.</i>

150
00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:40,359
<i>Here, it's an act of piety</i>
<i>to bring food to the monkeys.</i>

151
00:17:50,680 --> 00:17:54,036
<i>In a cave on the east coast of the island,</i>
<i>there stands a shrine</i>

152
00:17:54,120 --> 00:17:58,591
<i>in homage of an even more spectacular</i>
<i>concentration of animal life.</i>

153
00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:00,636
<i>Bats.</i>

154
00:18:01,320 --> 00:18:04,039
<i>They hang in millions from the roof.</i>

155
00:18:04,120 --> 00:18:07,715
<i>The air in the cave is fetid</i>
<i>and unbearably stifling</i>

156
00:18:07,800 --> 00:18:11,076
<i>with the accumulated heat</i>
<i>of a million bodies.</i>

157
00:18:11,920 --> 00:18:16,994
<i>As the guardian priestess prays,</i>
<i>a steady hail of lice and droppings</i>

158
00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:21,517
<i>falls to the floor of the cave,</i>
<i>where it's fed upon voraciously</i>

159
00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:25,149
<i>by a glistening carpet</i>
<i>of giant cockroaches.</i>

160
00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:35,114
<i>0n the rocks at the back</i>
<i>lives a python,</i>

161
00:18:35,200 --> 00:18:38,749
<i>which feeds on the dead bats</i>
<i>that fall from the roof.</i>

162
00:18:38,840 --> 00:18:41,718
<i>A hideous place maybe to many eyes.</i>

163
00:18:41,800 --> 00:18:44,633
<i>To the Balinese,</i>
<i>an unquestionable demonstration</i>

164
00:18:44,720 --> 00:18:48,349
<i>of the fecundity of nature</i>
<i>and therefore of its holiness.</i>

165
00:18:54,120 --> 00:18:57,829
<i>Since animals have spirits,</i>
<i>those spirits may as well possess</i>

166
00:18:57,920 --> 00:19:01,390
<i>the bodies of a man</i>
<i>as may the spirit of a goddess.</i>

167
00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:06,031
<i>Even the spirit of the most ordinary</i>
<i>creatures may do such a thing.</i>

168
00:19:07,320 --> 00:19:12,553
<i>This man is about to become possessed</i>
<i>by the spirit of a pig.</i>

169
00:19:12,640 --> 00:19:17,350
<i>0nly in remote mountain villages</i>
<i>do these animal possessions take place.</i>

170
00:19:17,440 --> 00:19:21,911
<i>The people themselves can't explain</i>
<i>why these strange ceremonies are held,</i>

171
00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:25,549
<i>yet the men of certain families</i>
<i>habitually and deliberately</i>

172
00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:30,475
<i>go into trance to become pigs</i>
<i>and become possessed to such a degree</i>

173
00:19:30,560 --> 00:19:34,189
<i>that unless they're cared for,</i>
<i>they may injure themselves.</i>

174
00:19:34,280 --> 00:19:37,158
<i>The process of going into trance</i>
<i>is achieved again</i>

175
00:19:37,240 --> 00:19:39,879
<i>by being smoked with incense.</i>

176
00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:44,788
<i>These occasions are watched with pleasure</i>
<i>by everybody in the village.</i>

177
00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:48,270
<i>These people are familiar</i>
<i>with the supernatural.</i>

178
00:19:48,360 --> 00:19:51,796
<i>It's entertainment,</i>
<i>sometimes even comedy.</i>

179
00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:54,792
(Crowd singing)

180
00:20:08,240 --> 00:20:11,630
(Rhythmic clapping)

181
00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:29,189
<i>This is no play... acting.</i>

182
00:20:29,280 --> 00:20:33,398
<i>0ne night, a man entranced as a pig</i>
<i>broke through the cordon of villagers</i>

183
00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:36,233
<i>and escaped into</i>
<i>the surrounding rice fields.</i>

184
00:20:36,320 --> 00:20:39,551
<i>In the darkness of the night,</i>
<i>no one could catch him.</i>

185
00:20:39,640 --> 00:20:42,712
<i>The next morning,</i>
<i>he was discovered in a mud wallow.</i>

186
00:20:42,800 --> 00:20:45,189
<i>He was ill for days afterwards.</i>

187
00:20:45,280 --> 00:20:50,354
<i>For in his pig incarnation,</i>
<i>he had eaten dung, as pigs will.</i>

188
00:21:01,400 --> 00:21:04,949
<i>The villagers taunt and jeer</i>
<i>at the entranced dancers.</i>

189
00:21:05,040 --> 00:21:08,396
<i>They jostle them,</i>
<i>just as they would jostle a pig.</i>

190
00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:11,870
<i>To an outsider, this seems</i>
<i>no more than some extraordinary game,</i>

191
00:21:11,960 --> 00:21:13,916
<i>some pantomime stunt.</i>

192
00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:18,516
<i>It seems so, that is, until the moment comes</i>
<i>to bring the men out of their trance,</i>

193
00:21:18,600 --> 00:21:21,910
<i>for a man possessed</i>
<i>has superhuman strength.</i>

194
00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:25,037
<i>He must be captured</i>
<i>to be exorcised</i>

195
00:21:25,120 --> 00:21:29,033
<i>and he cannot be captured</i>
<i>except in the most violent way.</i>

196
00:21:29,560 --> 00:21:31,516
(Men shout)

197
00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:42,476
(Urgent chatter)

198
00:23:23,080 --> 00:23:25,071
<i>He remembers little</i>
<i>of what happened.</i>

199
00:23:25,160 --> 00:23:28,232
<i>The song the women sang to him,</i>
<i>little more.</i>

200
00:23:28,320 --> 00:23:31,949
<i>But he knows that he's experienced</i>
<i>something vaguely delicious</i>

201
00:23:32,040 --> 00:23:35,032
<i>and he feels exhausted</i>
<i>to his very soul.</i>

202
00:23:41,160 --> 00:23:44,550
<i>Each village may specialise</i>
<i>in a particular kind of trance.</i>

203
00:23:44,640 --> 00:23:47,757
<i>Near the village of the pig trance,</i>
<i>there's another where men are habitually</i>

204
00:23:47,840 --> 00:23:50,354
<i>possessed by the spirits of horses.</i>

205
00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:54,789
<i>Drawn by the light of specially lit fires,</i>

206
00:23:54,880 --> 00:23:57,269
<i>they career out</i>
<i>of the blackness of the night.</i>

207
00:23:57,360 --> 00:24:00,955
<i>Kicking the hot ashes</i>
<i>with their feet and whinnying.</i>

208
00:24:01,040 --> 00:24:03,600
(Crowd singing)

209
00:24:21,280 --> 00:24:24,989
<i>It's not only the spirits of animals</i>
<i>which may possess a man,</i>

210
00:24:25,080 --> 00:24:28,072
<i>objects have spirits</i>
<i>and even they may do so.</i>

211
00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:34,677
<i>This man is about to become entranced</i>
<i>by the spirit of the lid of a pot,</i>

212
00:24:34,760 --> 00:24:38,230
<i>represented by</i>
<i>the wooden disc tied to his hand.</i>

213
00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:40,276
(People clapping and singing)

214
00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:12,157
<i>This is comedy, for the spirit of</i>
<i>a pot lid will obviously wish to place itself</i>

215
00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:14,310
<i>upon any flat surface.</i>

216
00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:19,076
<i>And being a trance spirit,</i>
<i>it will do so with the greatest vigour.</i>

217
00:25:31,520 --> 00:25:34,273
<i>The villagers shriek with laughter.</i>

218
00:25:34,360 --> 00:25:38,797
<i>And yet, beneath it all, lies the knowledge</i>
<i>that the man entranced</i>

219
00:25:38,880 --> 00:25:41,553
<i>is uncontrollable and irrational,</i>

220
00:25:41,640 --> 00:25:43,596
<i>that he may become violent,</i>

221
00:25:43,680 --> 00:25:46,990
<i>that none can tell for sure</i>
<i>how he will behave,</i>

222
00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:51,517
<i>and that to bring him back to normality</i>
<i>will need the strength of many men.</i>

223
00:26:35,040 --> 00:26:39,238
<i>The fact that all things,</i>
<i>animate and inanimate, have spirits</i>

224
00:26:39,320 --> 00:26:43,199
<i>means that every natural phenomenon</i>
<i>must be watched, considered</i>

225
00:26:43,280 --> 00:26:45,919
<i>and, where appropriate, reverenced.</i>

226
00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:50,516
<i>Bali is a volcanic island</i>
<i>and, as so often on the slopes of volcanoes,</i>

227
00:26:50,600 --> 00:26:55,071
<i>warm springs gush from the ground</i>
<i>in miraculous fashion.</i>

228
00:26:55,160 --> 00:26:58,835
<i>These are the most spectacular of them</i>
<i>at Tampak Siring.</i>

229
00:26:59,760 --> 00:27:03,196
<i>The Balinese are, by nature and habit,</i>
<i>fastidious people,</i>

230
00:27:03,280 --> 00:27:06,511
<i>who bathe several times a day anyway</i>
<i>if they can.</i>

231
00:27:06,600 --> 00:27:10,036
<i>But they travel the whole length</i>
<i>of their island, 100 miles or so,</i>

232
00:27:10,120 --> 00:27:12,714
<i>to bathe in these sacred pools.</i>

233
00:27:12,800 --> 00:27:16,270
<i>This place was once</i>
<i>the battleground of the gods.</i>

234
00:27:16,360 --> 00:27:19,636
<i>Not far away, a great demon was killed,</i>
<i>and to this day,</i>

235
00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:23,713
<i>the water that bubbles up there</i>
<i>may not be used to irrigate rice fields</i>

236
00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:26,519
<i>because if it were,</i>
<i>the rice stems, when cut,</i>

237
00:27:26,600 --> 00:27:28,955
<i>would exude blood, they say.</i>

238
00:27:29,040 --> 00:27:33,397
<i>But these springs were specifically created</i>
<i>by the great god Indra</i>

239
00:27:33,480 --> 00:27:36,233
<i>as a source</i>
<i>of the elixir of immortality,</i>

240
00:27:36,320 --> 00:27:41,394
<i>with which he was able to revive</i>
<i>other gods wounded in that battle.</i>

241
00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:45,109
<i>It's important therefore</i>
<i>as a site of pilgrimage,</i>

242
00:27:45,200 --> 00:27:49,716
<i>and blessings given by these priests</i>
<i>are very valuable and powerful.</i>

243
00:27:49,800 --> 00:27:53,509
<i>Every day, whole communities</i>
<i>arrive on foot or by truck,</i>

244
00:27:53,600 --> 00:27:57,354
<i>laden with offerings</i>
<i>to place in front of the shrines.</i>

245
00:28:05,920 --> 00:28:09,310
<i>All important places in Bali</i>
<i>have their own temples.</i>

246
00:28:09,400 --> 00:28:12,073
<i>But there are six</i>
<i>which are particularly holy,</i>

247
00:28:12,160 --> 00:28:16,438
<i>and this is one of them, Luhur, which stands</i>
<i>on the southernmost tip of the island</i>

248
00:28:16,520 --> 00:28:18,476
<i>overlooking the sea.</i>

249
00:28:23,440 --> 00:28:27,877
<i>Strangely for an island people,</i>
<i>the Balinese fear the sea.</i>

250
00:28:27,960 --> 00:28:33,239
<i>For them, it is not a welcome source</i>
<i>of food, or a highway to other places.</i>

251
00:28:33,320 --> 00:28:36,517
<i>Instead, it is the home</i>
<i>of demons and monsters</i>

252
00:28:36,600 --> 00:28:39,478
<i>and the source of all that is most evil.</i>

253
00:28:40,320 --> 00:28:44,996
<i>The long, empty beaches of</i>
<i>black volcanic sand shimmering in the heat</i>

254
00:28:45,080 --> 00:28:48,277
<i>are the assembly grounds</i>
<i>of witches and demons.</i>

255
00:28:49,720 --> 00:28:51,995
<i>There are few fish in the reefs round the island,</i>

256
00:28:52,080 --> 00:28:56,232
<i>and therefore little inducement</i>
<i>to the Balinese to become great seamen.</i>

257
00:28:56,320 --> 00:28:59,995
<i>As a result, when they go to sea,</i>
<i>they do so tentatively,</i>

258
00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:04,153
<i>and they take good care to protect themselves</i>
<i>with the head of a friendly spirit,</i>

259
00:29:04,240 --> 00:29:07,710
<i>half... fish, half... elephant,</i>
<i>in the bow of their canoe.</i>

260
00:29:07,800 --> 00:29:11,395
<i>0nly thus can you hope</i>
<i>to keep the sea monsters at bay.</i>

261
00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:18,992
<i>The sea gods must indeed be placated,</i>

262
00:29:19,080 --> 00:29:23,232
<i>for evil spirits must be taken account of</i>
<i>just as much as good ones.</i>

263
00:29:23,320 --> 00:29:27,518
<i>Among the thousands of ceremonials</i>
<i>that are held every year on the island,</i>

264
00:29:27,600 --> 00:29:30,831
<i>there are many</i>
<i>to make offerings to the sea.</i>

265
00:29:30,920 --> 00:29:33,559
(Drumming and chanting)

266
00:29:45,240 --> 00:29:48,596
<i>0ften, the guardian spirits</i>
<i>of a village near the sea</i>

267
00:29:48,680 --> 00:29:50,636
<i>are brought down in procession</i>

268
00:29:50,720 --> 00:29:54,474
<i>to spend an evening</i>
<i>on the frontiers of their kingdom.</i>

269
00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:22,990
(Drumming)

270
00:30:25,120 --> 00:30:27,588
<i>As the depths of the sea</i>
<i>are the source of evil,</i>

271
00:30:27,680 --> 00:30:31,195
<i>so the source of all that is good</i>
<i>lies on the heights.</i>

272
00:30:31,280 --> 00:30:33,999
<i>The summit of the great mountain</i>
<i>Gunung Agung</i>

273
00:30:34,080 --> 00:30:36,799
<i>which forms the heart</i>
<i>and centre of the island.</i>

274
00:30:36,880 --> 00:30:42,352
<i>And yet, by a tragic paradox,</i>
<i>Gunung Agung is a volcano.</i>

275
00:30:43,200 --> 00:30:45,509
(Rumbling)

276
00:30:48,080 --> 00:30:51,629
<i>0nly a few years ago,</i>
<i>the mountain exploded.</i>

277
00:30:51,720 --> 00:30:56,589
<i>Lava poured down its flanks</i>
<i>in an irresistible and lethal flood.</i>

278
00:30:57,840 --> 00:31:01,549
<i>The people took flight before it,</i>
<i>stunned and mystified</i>

279
00:31:01,640 --> 00:31:04,074
<i>that their god</i>
<i>should have turned against them.</i>

280
00:31:04,160 --> 00:31:08,312
<i>In some way, it seemed they must have</i>
<i>unknowingly offended.</i>

281
00:31:09,960 --> 00:31:15,398
<i>The lava swept towards them,</i>
<i>turning rivers to steam before their eyes.</i>

282
00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:28,590
<i>In spite of all their prayers and offerings,</i>
<i>the eruptions continued.</i>

283
00:31:28,680 --> 00:31:30,511
<i>Many people fled.</i>

284
00:31:30,600 --> 00:31:34,798
<i>Many others stayed in their villages,</i>
<i>believing that if they had offended</i>

285
00:31:34,880 --> 00:31:37,394
<i>and could not atone with prayers and offerings,</i>

286
00:31:37,480 --> 00:31:40,153
then they had better accept their fate.

287
00:31:40,240 --> 00:31:41,832
<i>2,000 died.</i>

288
00:31:47,280 --> 00:31:49,669
<i>But the spirits that exercise the most power</i>

289
00:31:49,760 --> 00:31:53,992
<i>over the minds of the Balinese</i>
<i>are neither remote nor impersonal.</i>

290
00:31:54,080 --> 00:31:58,631
<i>They are, on the contrary, creatures that</i>
<i>the people know intimately and personally.</i>

291
00:31:58,720 --> 00:32:03,919
<i>Nor are they some recently imported</i>
<i>deities from India, or anywhere else,</i>

292
00:32:04,000 --> 00:32:07,959
<i>but they are gods</i>
<i>whose origin lies directly in Bali.</i>

293
00:32:08,040 --> 00:32:10,873
<i>They come out of their special stalls</i>
<i>in the temples</i>

294
00:32:10,960 --> 00:32:12,837
<i>and walk the streets in procession</i>

295
00:32:12,920 --> 00:32:15,798
<i>on the occasion</i>
<i>of every temple festival.</i>

296
00:32:15,880 --> 00:32:18,713
<i>And the most important</i>
<i>and friendly of them all</i>

297
00:32:18,800 --> 00:32:22,588
<i>is a magnificent shaggy creature,</i>
<i>the guardian of the village,</i>

298
00:32:22,680 --> 00:32:24,716
<i>the Barong.</i>

299
00:32:24,800 --> 00:32:29,749
<i>He it is who plays one of the main roles</i>
<i>in the most spectacular temple rituals.</i>

300
00:32:44,920 --> 00:32:47,309
<i>The Barong takes part in a great drama</i>

301
00:32:47,400 --> 00:32:51,712
<i>in which he does battle with the hideous witch</i>
<i>Rangda, the embodiment of evil.</i>

302
00:32:51,800 --> 00:32:54,633
<i>But before the main protagonists</i>
<i>emerge from the temple,</i>

303
00:32:54,720 --> 00:32:56,676
<i>masked dancers perform.</i>

304
00:32:56,760 --> 00:32:59,672
<i>These are the Barong's</i>
<i>attendants and supporters,</i>

305
00:32:59,760 --> 00:33:04,470
<i>and their dance is the first act in a drama</i>
<i>which may last for the rest of the afternoon</i>

306
00:33:04,560 --> 00:33:06,516
<i>and go on late into the night.</i>

307
00:33:06,600 --> 00:33:08,556
(Gamelan music playing)

308
00:33:53,320 --> 00:33:56,278
<i>The Barong awaits</i>
<i>in his specially built stall,</i>

309
00:33:56,360 --> 00:33:58,510
<i>oblivious of these preliminaries,</i>

310
00:33:58,600 --> 00:34:02,149
<i>while the gamelan orchestra plays</i>
<i>the sacred melodies.</i>

311
00:34:02,240 --> 00:34:04,470
<i>Most of the village is here to watch,</i>

312
00:34:04,560 --> 00:34:07,358
<i>for this performance is,</i>
<i>at one and the same time,</i>

313
00:34:07,440 --> 00:34:11,911
<i>an entertainment and a drama,</i>
<i>a ritual and an exorcism.</i>

314
00:34:24,120 --> 00:34:27,669
<i>As darkness falls,</i>
<i>the Barong begins to dance.</i>

315
00:34:57,840 --> 00:35:02,550
<i>The two men inside his skin</i>
<i>animating him have already, to some degree,</i>

316
00:35:02,640 --> 00:35:04,915
<i>been taken over by his spirit.</i>

317
00:35:05,000 --> 00:35:07,753
<i>But it will not be unusual</i>
<i>if one or both of them,</i>

318
00:35:07,840 --> 00:35:10,035
<i>before the evening's drama is over,</i>

319
00:35:10,120 --> 00:35:13,556
<i>falls into a deep trance</i>
<i>and becomes possessed.</i>

320
00:35:37,760 --> 00:35:41,230
<i>The Barong's first opponent</i>
<i>has emerged from the temple.</i>

321
00:35:41,320 --> 00:35:44,357
<i>Horrifying as she may appear</i>
<i>with her goggling eyes,</i>

322
00:35:44,440 --> 00:35:47,750
<i>her appalling fangs</i>
<i>and her red pendulous tongue,</i>

323
00:35:47,840 --> 00:35:52,197
<i>she's not Rangda the witch,</i>
<i>but Rangda's daughter Rarong,</i>

324
00:35:52,280 --> 00:35:55,556
<i>and she's been sent here</i>
<i>to try and ensnare the Barong</i>

325
00:35:55,640 --> 00:35:57,596
<i>with a proposal of marriage.</i>

326
00:35:57,680 --> 00:36:01,036
<i>The white cloth she holds</i>
<i>is an instrument of her magic.</i>

327
00:36:01,120 --> 00:36:03,429
<i>By waving it, she casts spells.</i>

328
00:36:03,520 --> 00:36:06,876
<i>By placing it over her head,</i>
<i>she becomes invisible.</i>

329
00:37:01,440 --> 00:37:06,195
<i>Rarong's mask was cut out</i>
<i>of a special tree that grows in the graveyard.</i>

330
00:37:06,280 --> 00:37:11,434
<i>Night after night, it has been hung there</i>
<i>in the cemetery to charge it with magic.</i>

331
00:37:11,520 --> 00:37:14,910
<i>Now it is so powerful</i>
<i>that even when it's lying in its basket,</i>

332
00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:18,788
<i>it may creak and groan</i>
<i>and sometimes even rise in the air,</i>

333
00:37:18,880 --> 00:37:20,836
<i>so the people say.</i>

334
00:37:20,920 --> 00:37:24,993
<i>In the drama, at this moment,</i>
<i>Rarong is truly terrifying.</i>

335
00:37:43,920 --> 00:37:47,117
(Yells)

336
00:37:48,760 --> 00:37:52,753
<i>The first skirmish</i>
<i>with the Barong is about to begin.</i>

337
00:38:14,320 --> 00:38:17,198
<i>Rarong has placed</i>
<i>her magic cloth over her head.</i>

338
00:38:17,280 --> 00:38:20,113
<i>She's invisible to all,</i>
<i>except the Barong,</i>

339
00:38:20,200 --> 00:38:24,512
<i>who with his supernatural awareness</i>
<i>knows exactly where she is.</i>

340
00:38:27,760 --> 00:38:30,069
(Yelling)

341
00:38:43,440 --> 00:38:47,831
<i>Although this is a ritual, although</i>
<i>all the villagers watching so intently</i>

342
00:38:47,920 --> 00:38:50,832
<i>know the plot</i>
<i>and the theoretical outcome of the battle,</i>

343
00:38:50,920 --> 00:38:54,390
<i>this conflict is nonetheless a real one.</i>

344
00:38:54,480 --> 00:38:56,550
<i>In a sense, there is a haunting fear</i>

345
00:38:56,640 --> 00:38:59,950
<i>that maybe things</i>
<i>will not go as they should.</i>

346
00:39:00,040 --> 00:39:03,077
<i>Maybe this time, the Barong,</i>
<i>the guardian of the village,</i>

347
00:39:03,160 --> 00:39:06,277
<i>will not win</i>
<i>as he has always won in the past.</i>

348
00:39:06,360 --> 00:39:09,511
<i>Maybe this time, the health</i>
<i>and the wellbeing of the village</i>

349
00:39:09,600 --> 00:39:11,556
<i>is in real jeopardy.</i>

350
00:39:15,480 --> 00:39:18,916
<i>There is a momentary pause,</i>
<i>a lowering of tension in the play</i>

351
00:39:19,000 --> 00:39:22,709
<i>that has already been going on</i>
<i>for an hour or so.</i>

352
00:39:24,920 --> 00:39:26,876
<i>And then suddenly the drama tautens,</i>

353
00:39:26,960 --> 00:39:30,555
<i>for out of the temple</i>
<i>for the first time comes Rangda.</i>

354
00:39:30,640 --> 00:39:32,631
(Yells)

355
00:39:36,440 --> 00:39:38,635
<i>Rangda, the haunter of graveyards,</i>

356
00:39:38,720 --> 00:39:41,518
<i>the personification</i>
<i>of evil and malevolence.</i>

357
00:39:41,600 --> 00:39:44,160
<i>Her shoulders are hung</i>
<i>with dead men's entrails,</i>

358
00:39:44,240 --> 00:39:46,037
<i>flames spring from her tongue</i>

359
00:39:46,120 --> 00:39:49,317
<i>and her fingers</i>
<i>are armed with immense claws.</i>

360
00:39:49,400 --> 00:39:52,756
<i>Rarong reports to her mother...</i>
<i>the Barong has spurned her.</i>

361
00:39:52,840 --> 00:39:54,637
<i>She must be revenged.</i>

362
00:39:54,720 --> 00:39:56,995
<i>If the drama continues</i>
<i>as it usually does,</i>

363
00:39:57,080 --> 00:40:01,198
<i>Rangda will do battle with the Barong,</i>
<i>she will appear to get the upper hand</i>

364
00:40:01,280 --> 00:40:03,589
<i>and men in the audience</i>
<i>will fall into trance</i>

365
00:40:03,680 --> 00:40:06,672
<i>and rush to the Barong's defence,</i>
<i>waving swords.</i>

366
00:40:06,760 --> 00:40:08,716
<i>Rangda will then bewitch them</i>

367
00:40:08,800 --> 00:40:11,155
<i>and make them</i>
<i>turn their swords upon themselves.</i>

368
00:40:11,240 --> 00:40:14,118
<i>But the Barong will</i>
<i>miraculously prevent the swords</i>

369
00:40:14,200 --> 00:40:16,509
<i>from doing any harm to her supporters.</i>

370
00:40:16,600 --> 00:40:21,037
<i>That is what should happen,</i>
<i>but things do not always turn out as expected.</i>

371
00:40:23,040 --> 00:40:25,429
(Man shrieking)

372
00:40:25,520 --> 00:40:30,150
<i>The drama has been too powerful...</i>
<i>even before battle has been seriously joined,</i>

373
00:40:30,240 --> 00:40:34,518
<i>men in the crowd are falling into trance</i>
<i>and rushing to attack Rangda.</i>

374
00:40:34,600 --> 00:40:38,354
<i>They must be restrained</i>
<i>before they injure themselves.</i>

375
00:40:39,400 --> 00:40:42,039
<i>And now Rangda herself</i>
<i>goes into trance.</i>

376
00:40:48,960 --> 00:40:50,916
(Man shrieking)

377
00:41:10,320 --> 00:41:13,312
<i>Rangda is no longer in control of herself.</i>

378
00:41:13,400 --> 00:41:15,834
<i>She must be carried forcibly</i>
<i>back to the temple</i>

379
00:41:15,920 --> 00:41:19,037
<i>to be brought out of her trance</i>
<i>by a priest.</i>

380
00:41:31,240 --> 00:41:34,869
<i>It seems that the play has come</i>
<i>to an early and unexpected end</i>

381
00:41:34,960 --> 00:41:39,431
<i>without any of the usual demonstrations</i>
<i>with swords and self... stabbings.</i>

382
00:41:39,520 --> 00:41:42,239
<i>The Barong visits each</i>
<i>of the entranced villagers</i>

383
00:41:42,320 --> 00:41:45,915
<i>giving her benison</i>
<i>to bring them out of trance.</i>

384
00:41:46,000 --> 00:41:48,275
<i>But all is by no means over yet.</i>

385
00:41:50,840 --> 00:41:54,037
(Man shouts and sobs)

386
00:42:15,640 --> 00:42:18,393
<i>These swords</i>
<i>are unquestionably sharp.</i>

387
00:42:18,480 --> 00:42:23,076
<i>If a man is not deeply entranced,</i>
<i>he may well injure himself severely.</i>

388
00:42:23,160 --> 00:42:26,436
<i>If he is impure,</i>
<i>he would be in great danger.</i>

389
00:42:26,520 --> 00:42:29,398
<i>If he had touched a corpse</i>
<i>within the last seven days,</i>

390
00:42:29,480 --> 00:42:32,597
<i>the swords would certainly pierce his flesh.</i>

391
00:42:50,480 --> 00:42:52,994
<i>0nce they have endeavoured</i>
<i>to stab themselves</i>

392
00:42:53,080 --> 00:42:55,116
<i>to demonstrate devotion to the Barong,</i>

393
00:42:55,200 --> 00:42:58,351
<i>they must be disarmed</i>
<i>by the priests and their helpers.</i>

394
00:42:58,440 --> 00:43:01,193
<i>But that must be done swiftly and powerfully,</i>

395
00:43:01,280 --> 00:43:03,999
<i>for none can tell how they will react.</i>

396
00:43:44,320 --> 00:43:48,438
<i>To be brought out of trance,</i>
<i>the men must now be sprinkled with holy water.</i>

397
00:43:48,520 --> 00:43:52,718
<i>But when it appears, one of the most</i>
<i>powerfully entranced men in his passion</i>

398
00:43:52,800 --> 00:43:54,756
<i>seizes the jar to drink it.</i>

399
00:44:57,240 --> 00:45:00,277
<i>Some are released from trance</i>
<i>by wiping their faces</i>

400
00:45:00,360 --> 00:45:04,751
<i>with the shock of human hair that hangs</i>
<i>beneath the Barong's chin.</i>

401
00:45:04,840 --> 00:45:10,119
<i>But final exorcism will not happen</i>
<i>except inside the temple itself.</i>

402
00:45:27,200 --> 00:45:30,954
<i>Within the courtyard of the temple,</i>
<i>the village priest prays</i>

403
00:45:31,040 --> 00:45:33,679
<i>and makes offerings before the shrines.</i>

404
00:45:34,600 --> 00:45:37,558
<i>In front of him stands</i>
<i>the Barong and attendants</i>

405
00:45:37,640 --> 00:45:41,428
<i>holding on their heads the baskets</i>
<i>which now contain the magic masks</i>

406
00:45:41,520 --> 00:45:43,476
<i>of Rarong and Rangda.</i>

407
00:45:44,320 --> 00:45:47,039
<i>Many men</i>
<i>are still entranced and moaning.</i>

408
00:45:47,120 --> 00:45:49,873
<i>Before all can be brought</i>
<i>back to this world,</i>

409
00:45:49,960 --> 00:45:52,633
<i>the sacrifice of a chick must be made.</i>

410
00:45:56,840 --> 00:45:58,796
(Droning chants)

411
00:46:00,240 --> 00:46:02,595
(Man chattering wildly)

412
00:46:54,400 --> 00:46:56,789
(Drumming and chanting)

413
00:46:59,720 --> 00:47:03,952
<i>0nce more, the Barong receives</i>
<i>the homage of his supporters.</i>

414
00:47:04,040 --> 00:47:06,429
<i>0nce more, evil has been routed,</i>

415
00:47:06,520 --> 00:47:10,957
<i>good has triumphed,</i>
<i>and the village has been saved.</i>

416
00:47:11,040 --> 00:47:14,191
<i>0nce more, the gods</i>
<i>have demonstrated the continuity</i>

417
00:47:14,280 --> 00:47:16,919
<i>between the natural and the supernatural</i>

418
00:47:17,000 --> 00:47:20,629
<i>by coming down to earth</i>
<i>and, for a short time,</i>

419
00:47:20,720 --> 00:47:23,553
<i>inhabiting the bodies of men.</i>