Spirit & Strength
The beauty, power, and tenacity of the women of Bali.
This visual story from 2016 comes from the remote villages in Bali, Indonesia, where village families succeed because of the nonstop, invisible, and silent support of the women: mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and daughters. In the house or temple, women are always in motion weaving cloth and baskets and offerings, cooking, or selling their handmade goods at market. In the fields, they sweat as hard as the men under the stifling heat and – in some cases – under the crushing weight of giant slabs of stone. In the latter situation, it is the women who carry the stone hundreds of meters up the riverbed and up the cliffs to the road, whereas the men remain in camp cutting the stone. Indeed, the tenacity of Balinese women is remarkable; they will undertake any kind of work needed to support their families, even for just a dollar or two a day. In these images I hope to capture the perpetual motion of the sisterhood of Balinese women and the beauty of the labor they do.
The quiet power of the women of Bali.
Copyright 2016 Schmoo Theune
Many thanks to the assistance of Wayan Tilik in creating this story.
Women distribute offerings during a temple renovation ceremony.
A clan high priestess, ratu empu, asks the gods to bless a temple renovation. In Balinese culture, a priest or a priestess must perform such ceremonies at different stages of building construction.
A clan priestess, ratu empu, prepares herself before leading prayers at a ceremony for the opening of a new hotel in Kuta, Bali. In Balinese culture, a priest must ask the gods to bless the grounds at different stages of building construction.
A woman works behinds the scenes to keep the opening ceremonies running smoothly at a new hotel in Kuta, Bali. Hundreds of hand-made offerings are prepared by dozens of women over several days for extravagant Hindu events like these.
Mount Batur, an active volcano on the northern side of Bali, Indonesia.
A woman helps prepare the making of ceremony offerings in the household of the clan priestess (ratu empu) in Ubud, Bali.
A woman prepares daily offerings of flowers and incense in a small shrine above the counter in her roadside store. At the end of each day in Bali, Indonesia, women ask spirits to bless their homes, shops, and businesses.
A priestess prepares plumeria blossoms for a ceremony at her home in Denpasar.
A woman sells handmade banten, or Hindu offerings, at a morning market in Ubud, Bali. Although women traditionally fold and create their own offerings each day, others earn a living selling them to households that prefer to buy.
A small street vendor prepares skewers of chicken to travelers on the go. Hard-working women of all ages in Bali undertake many – often surprisingly difficult – kinds of work in order to support their families.
A woman sells knives from a basket on the side of a busy street in Ubud, Bali. Hard-working women of all ages undertake many – often surprisingly difficult – kinds of work in order to support their families.
Preparing rice offerings before a temple ceremony in Ubud, Bali. Hundreds of intricate, one-time use offerings like these are exclusively prepared by women in Balinese culture, and can take days of hard work and many skilled hands.
A priestess prepares hand-cut coconut fronds for an upcoming temple ceremony. Although many neighboring women will help create the majority of the offerings, only she has the training and experience to produce the more specialized crafts.
Rattan and cloth and stone at a Balinese Hindu temple.
A female brahmana high priestess, ratu pedanda, at her home outside of Tabanan, Bali.
A female brahmana high priestess, ratu pedanda, at her home outside of Tabanan, Bali.
Beautiful banten offerings on temple grounds in Bali, Indonesia.
A brahmana high priestess prepares herself before a mass cremation ceremony in Bali, Indonesia.
A brahmana high priestess prepares herself before a mass cremation ceremony in Bali, Indonesia.
Women sprinkle holy water on effigies of their loved ones at a cremation ceremony near Tabanan, Bali. Because of the high cost of cremations, villages will often pool resources and perform a single mass cremation like these.
A brahmana high priestess reaches for flowers and holy water at a cremation ceremony, with help of an assistant.
A brahmana high priestess leads prayers at a cremation ceremony in a sudden rainstorm at a home outside of Tabanan, Bali.
After a ceremony, a brahmana high priestess drives with her assistants to the next event. On particularly auspicious days, a priest may be required to travel at any hour of the day or night to attend several ceremonies in many different locations.
The jagged edges of hand-cut sandstone at a rock quarry near Gianyar, Bali.
A woman pauses during the planting of a new rice field in Bali, Indonesia. Balinese women of all ages often undertake surprisingly difficult tasks in order to support their families.
Portraits of two Balinese women: One carries slabs of stone uphill from her husband's quarry, and a rice field worker.
Slabs of hand cut stone wait to be carried up to the road from the riverbed outside of Gianyar, Bali.
A woman carries stone slowly from the riverbed up to the road at the top of the cliff, where it can be picked up by buyers. Although each load can weigh approximately 25 kg and each stone sells for about 15000 IDR ($1 USD), the amount sold can vary greatly from day to day.
A woman carries stone slowly from the riverbed up to the road at the top of the cliff, where it can be picked up by buyers. Although each load can weigh approximately 25 kg and each stone sells for about 15000 IDR ($1 USD), the amount sold can vary greatly from day to day.
A woman takes a short break from carrying slabs of hand-cut stone up from the riverbed.
A household's dog sleeps next to the handmade baskets prepared by the women of the family.
Baskets are a staple of Balinese society, holding everything from clothing to fruit in daily life. A mother and her two daughters hand cut and weave bamboo strips, earning approximately 7000 IDR ($0.50 USD) per basket.
A young girl shaves strips of bamboo for weaving into baskets. Each basket sells for about 7000 IDR ($0.50 USD).
A mixture of deities sits on the personal altar of a Hindu balian (spiritual healer) near Denpasar, Bali.
A spiritual healer, jero, advises a family while in a trance state at her home near Denpasar, Bali. Spiritual mediums command such respect, families come from many villages and will wait several hours to a consult with her on deeply personal matters.
A measuring tape and shears adorns a side table at a sarong weaving company near Gianyar, Bali.
A woman weaves traditional ikat sarongs on a simple loom near Gianyar, Bali.
A woman weaves traditional ikat sarongs using simple machinery near Gianyar, Bali.
A woman weaves traditional ikat sarongs using simple machinery near Gianyar, Bali.
A young girl helps her mother dry fresh sticks of incense, one of Bali's most ubiquitous items. This family invested approximately $3500 USD into a modern machine which quickly produces dozens of sticks in a minute. In contrast, the average Balinese worker earns approximately $230 USD per month.
Two farm workers plant onions on their family field, which sits inside the crater of Mount Batur. Many families like these risk settling within the zone of the active volcano in trade for the fertile soil and opportunity to farm crops.
Two women harvest cabbages beneath the shadow of Mount Batur. Many families like these risk settling within the zone of the active volcano in trade for the fertile soil and opportunity to farm crops.
A farm inside the crater of Mount Batur. Many families like these risk settling within the zone of the active volcano in trade for the fertile soil and opportunity to farm crops.
