The Family Temple and Ancestors — Balinese Kinship Structure

A Balinese family is a vertical community including not only the living but the ancestors. Five paternal generations + part of maternal + dozens of ancestors permanently residing at the Sanggah Kemulan form one family. A three-tier lineage — Soroh (lineage) → Dadia (great lineage) → Pekraman (ritual community). If a foreigner does not understand a Balinese friend at family-unit level, they miss the actual workings of Balinese society.

A. The Nuclear Family — Multilayered Structure

Bali nuclear family standard:

• Couple + children + parents-in-law — same Karangkang (compound)
• Patrilocal residence — bride moves to groom's family (3.6.3)
• 4–5 children (traditional) — now 2–3 (birth rate 1.95, 2.3.2)

Karangkang — Balinese compound:

• Collection of multiple buildings (in one courtyard)
• Asta Kosala Kosali architecture (6.5)
• Sanggah Kemulan northeast
• Separate buildings for bedrooms, kitchen, shed
• Often 3–4 generations together

Residence patterns:

• Eldest married son — co-resides with parents (traditional)
• Second / third sons — separate or co-reside
• Daughters — move to groom's family after marriage
• Modern — dispersed via urban / overseas work

Sources: Geertz H. & Geertz C., Kinship in Bali (1975) · Davison J. & Granquist B., Balinese Architecture (1999)

B. Kinship — Five Paternal Generations

Balinese kinship is patrilineal. Maternal lines are partly acknowledged.

Five-generation paternal system:

+5 and beyond = Pitr (all ancestors) — the pool of souls available for reincarnation. Reincarnation candidates for new children (3.6.1).

Maternal recognition:

• Maternal ancestor rites — included in some Banten
• Memukur rite — purifies maternal ancestors too
• Bride's maternal ancestors after marriage — partially transfer to groom's Sanggah
• Modern — close ties with maternal family maintained

Kinship terms (Balinese):

• Aji — father
• Biang — mother
• Pekak — grandfather (mostly maternal) / grandparent
• Niang — grandmother
• Beli — older brother
• Mbok — older sister
• Adik — younger sibling (any gender)

Source: Geertz H. & Geertz C., Kinship in Bali (1975)

C. The Three Tiers of Lineage — Soroh, Dadia, Pekraman

1. Soroh — small lineage

• Share a common ancestor (5–10 generations back)
• Small family shrine — shared among sibling lineages
• 5–20 households in a village
• Some Soroh:
  • Pasek Sanak Sapta Resi (Bali Aga descendants)
  • Pande (blacksmiths)
  • Bujangga (scholars)
  • Pulasari (herbalists)

2. Dadia — great lineage (Mahasaba)

• Federation of Soroh
• Common ancestor (10–15 generations back)
• Runs a great family temple (Pura Dadia)
• Village- or region-scale
• Dadia assemblies — for major rites (Memukur)
• Dadia registers — some lineages maintain

3. Pekraman — ritual community

• Banjar-scale — ritual organization of all households (4.1.1)
• Runs Pura Desa, Pura Puseh, Pura Dalem
• Whole-village family
• Adat unit

Example — One Balinese's multilayered belonging:

I Wayan Wijaya (head of household):

• Nuclear family — couple + 3 children
• Karangkang — co-residing with parents and siblings
• Soroh — Pasek Sanak Sapta Resi (5 households)
• Dadia — Mahasaba Pasek (50 households across eastern Bali)
• Pekraman — Banjar Adat Tegallalang (200 households)
• Banjar Dinas — administrative unit
• Provinsi Bali — Indonesian citizen

This 6-layer belonging is the Balinese social self. Foreigners have only nationality + city + family, while Balinese are far more multilayered.

Sources: Reuter T., Custodians of the Sacred Mountains (University of Hawaii Press, 2002) · Boon J., The Anthropological Romance of Bali (1977)

D. The Role of Ancestors — Living Spiritual Beings

Daily:

• Daily canang sari (3.4.1) — meal-offering to ancestors
• Reporting major decisions — spiritual counsel
• Family crises — appease ancestors — additional rites

Ritual:

• Otonan (3.6.1) — offerings to self + ancestors
• Galungan-Kuningan (3.5.1) — the 10 days when ancestors visit the family
• Ngaben / Memukur (3.6.4) — newly departed family become ancestors
• Sanggah Odalan — family temple anniversary

Reincarnation (Punarbhava):

• Ancestral souls reincarnate as descendants
• Pedanda identifies via astrology
• Men usually as men, women as women
• Cross-gender reincarnations exist
• The present generation = reincarnation of past generations

Ancestral anger:

• Inadequate Sanggah rites — ancestors signal via bodily illness, business failure
• Pedanda diagnosis — missing Memukur, missing ancestor rite
• Resolved by additional ritual

Modern challenges:

• Overseas migration — cannot maintain Sanggah rites
• Sanggah splitting — conflicts at house sale
• Foreign tenancy — Sanggah-maintenance contracts (3.2.3)
• A house whose ancestors have left is "empty"

Sources: Eiseman F.B., Bali: Sekala and Niskala (1989) · Howe L., The Changing World of Bali (2005)

E. The Foreigner's View — Meeting a Balinese Friend's Family

1. Family-unit thinking

A Balinese friend = their family unit. Birthdays, weddings, tooth-filing, Ngaben are all family events. A foreigner friend forms a relationship with the friend + their family, not one person.

2. First family meeting

• Visit Balinese friend's home — usually the Karangkang courtyard
• Identify the Sanggah in the northeast corner — acknowledge, respect
• Greet parents-in-law, parents, siblings — Bali social entry
• Bring snacks / fruit (small gift)
• Dress neatly — sarong recommended (may be provided)

3. Family forms of address

• Friend's mother — Bu (Bu Made, Bu Wayan…)
• Friend's father — Pak (Pak Made, Pak Wayan…)
• Friend's siblings — Bli / Mbok + name
• Friend's children — short names

4. Invited to a family rite

When invited to a Balinese friend's Otonan, wedding, tooth-filing, Ngaben:

• Always attend — core sign of friendship
• Cash gift (Sembah) — Rp 100K–500K
• Formal dress
• Greet everyone in the friend's family

5. Foreigner children and Balinese families

• Foreigner children raised in Bali — Balinese friend's family is a second family
• Participation in Balinese rites — cultural asset
• Friendship like siblings with the friend's children

6. Foreign residents' "Balinese family"

• Pembantu's family — frequent contact
• Neighborhood Balinese friend's family — ritual participation
• 5+ year residents — surrogate family
• The peak of Balinese social adaptation

Quick Summary

Sources / References

• Wiki — Balinese kinship · Banjar · Veneration of the dead
• Official — PHDI Pusat — family ritual standard · Bali Provincial Government
• News — Bali Post — family ritual series · The Jakarta Post — Bali family-change coverage
• Academic — Geertz H. & Geertz C., Kinship in Bali (University of Chicago Press, 1975); Reuter T., Custodians of the Sacred Mountains (University of Hawaii Press, 2002); Boon J., The Anthropological Romance of Bali 1597-1972 (Cambridge, 1977); Howe L., The Changing World of Bali (Routledge, 2005); Eiseman F. B. Jr., Bali: Sekala and Niskala (Periplus, 1989-90)