Getting to Know Bali Aga Through Woven Bamboo
Bali, June 15 – Last weekend, young people from the northern part of Bali, specifically the Bali Aga Region in Buleleng Regency, left their village to head a little to the south. They are a small part of the people who get the opportunity from the Responsive Innovation Fund (RIF) program to become a driver of the village economy.
The journey which takes about 60 km or approximately 2 hours is not just an ordinary visit. Last Saturday was a very memorable day for Bali Aga bamboo craftsmen as they were able to showcase their bamboo handicrafts in a one-day exhibition in Sayan Village, Ubud District.
The Bali Aga area that received assistance from the RIF program consisted of the Villages of Sidetapa, Cempaga, Tigawasa, Pedawa, and Banyusri. Many do not know that the Bali Aga in Buleleng Regency is known as the original Balinese. With a strong historical profile, the people of Bali Aga, especially in Tigawasa Village and Sidetapa Village, make woven bamboo an ancestral heritage that must be preserved.
“I have been weaving bamboo since I was little, my parents taught me. Not only men, women in Tigawasa Village are also required to be able to weave bamboo before they get married because these skills can later help their husbands to earn an income. Usually, it is women who make the webbing and men who make the pattern and smooth it.”
That's the short story told by Mr. Indra as one of the bamboo weavers from Tigawasa Village. Pak Indra and other bamboo weavers from Tigawasa Village and Sidetapa Village have received training to improve weaving skills from the third phase of the RIF program. According to him, the woven bamboo products that he produced after the training were very different from the ones he made before.
“Before I received training from RIF, I only used 1 size of sandpaper to smooth my woven bamboo. However, during training, I was taught to use several different sizes of sandpaper. After I tried it, the end result was much smoother and neater,” he explained.
Pak Indra's woven bamboo products have a high appeal for local and foreign visitors. He provides several different models and sizes by taking into account the functionality of the product, such as a basket bag that can be added according to the buyer's request.
Unlike Tigawasa Village, woven bamboo from Sidetapa Village has its own uniqueness. The woven bamboo of Tigawasa Village usually has a wider woven cavity with different motifs.
So far, Bali Aga woven bamboo has been successfully sold only in Buleleng Regency and its surroundings by means of offline marketing, which has limited reach. The existence of the COVID-19 pandemic also had an impact on sales so that their income decreased drastically. Bali Aga woven bamboo is considered necessary to create a new model that can compete in a wider market. The RIF program funded by the Government of Canada through the NSLIC/NSELRED project assists BumdesMa Bali Aga in improving the quality of weaving and design, strengthening institutions in rural areas, and teaching digital marketing techniques. Currently, Bali Aga already has an Instagram and Tokopedia account under the name Bambu Bali Aga. Although Instagram and Tokopedia are still managed by the RIF program, Mr. Ketut Kusuma as the Head of BumdesMa has prepared a digital marketing unit to manage these accounts after the RIF program ends this year.
This is their first time selling products outside Buleleng Regency through an exhibition. They are very happy because they can directly interact with local and foreign visitors. The products sold are also quite diverse and there are some buyers who place orders to be sent later due to limited stock at the exhibition. This exhibition is made even more exciting with traditional games for children and weaving training for adults.
Apart from woven bamboo, friends from Bali Aga also sell several other products that were the result of RIF's intervention, such as palm sugar from Pedawa Village. There are also some artistic photos displayed in the exhibition area. The photos are also the result of training in the RIF program so that they can show their identity to the public. This event lasted until the evening. Before the event closed, two female dancers from Bali Aga showed the beauty of their dance. After that, the event closed by telling the story of the history of Bali Aga which really aroused the attention of visitors. The residents of Sidatapa Village, in Banjar District, have been known as bamboo weavers. From their skilled hands, printed traditional handicraft objects are used as the means of Balinese life. For example, basket, Ngiu, Guungan.
The three types of crafts are mostly made by residents.
