i have been to bali several times. the old script looks much like oriya/telugu. but it's being replaced by roman script, and balinese by the java-dominated bahasa (ie bhasha) indonesia.
it is a good thing they are trying to revive the old traditions from palm-leaf manuscripts.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ajith
US scholar brings ancient Balinese scripts to digital age.
P.S. Use of words of Sanskrit origin can be seen, e.g. 'ushada', from oushadha (Skt., medicine).
--------
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/01/14/photobali.html-0
US scholar brings ancient Balinese scripts to digital age
Ni Komang Erviani, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar | Fri, 01/14/2011 10:23 AM
| Bali
A theatre professor from Wesleyan University in New York, Ron Jenkins,
is leading a team of workers in transcribing ancient Balinese scripts
written on lontar palm leaves at the library of Bali Cultural office in
Denpasar on Thursday.
Page by page, the lontar scripts were recorded using a DSLR camera and a
computer.
"We will digitalize the entire lontar script collection and translate
the contents of the scripts into three languages, Balinese, Indonesian
and English, and enable people to read them from the Internet," Jenkins
said.
The dried and treated leaf of the lontar palm (Borassus flabellifer) was
widely used for centuries in Java, Lombok and Bali and is still in use
in Bali.
Inscriptions were mostly in the old Javanese language of Kawi and
ancient Balinese. The lontar inscriptions contain old works including
the famous Ramayana and Mahabharata Hindu epics, kakawin (ancient
poetry) and ushada (traditional Balinese medicine).
Jenkins, who has studied Balinese culture for 35 years and written
several books on it, said that the digital lontar project was made
possible by the support of the Internet Archive Foundation based in the
United States.
The foundation works to digitize ancient inscriptions and cultural
activities from around the world.
There are around 3,000 ancient lontar inscriptions at Denpasar's
library, from 50-years-old to centuries-old.
Jenkins is working with two members of the Internet Archive Foundation
and two from the Indonesian Arts Institute (ISI) Denpasar.
"After the project is completed, all of the lontar inscriptions will be
uploaded onto the foundation's websites at www.archive.org and available
to the public — especially professors and students who study Balinese
culture," said Jenkins who speaks fluent Indonesian.
The team will also work to digitize 7,000 other lontar inscriptions
stored at Gedong Kirtya Library, home of the largest lontar collection,
in Singaraja, Buleleng in North Bali.
"We have set a target to complete the project within one year," the
professor said.
Digitizing lontar inscriptions is crucial to preserving the island's
precious cultural heritage, he said.
"This cultural wealth must be passed on to younger generations."
He added that many young people could not read lontar inscriptions. "I
am so worried that the knowledge and wisdom contained in lontar
inscriptions will go nowhere. Therefore it is very important to preserve
this heritage."
Jenkins elaborated that the lontar inscriptions contain valuable
knowledge and information.
The Hindu concept of Tri Hita Karana, for instance, teaches how to
develop a harmonious relation among the creator, mankind and nature. Rwa
Bineda teaches how to distinguish good and bad deeds.
Ketut Suastika, head of the cultural office, said that the project aimed
at both preserving and delivering messages written in the many ancient
inscriptions.
"The project will enable common people to learn, read and understand the
contents of the inscriptions," Suastika said.
He called on people to inform the office if they had ancestral heritage
pieces at their homes.
"Many people have lontar inscriptions inherited from their old men. If
they cannot keep these lontar leaves in proper ways, they can keep them
in our library," Suastika said.
----
From: Ajith
US scholar brings ancient Balinese scripts to digital age.
P.S. Use of words of Sanskrit origin can be seen, e.g. 'ushada', from oushadha (Skt., medicine).
--------
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/01/14/photobali.html-0
US scholar brings ancient Balinese scripts to digital age
Ni Komang Erviani, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar | Fri, 01/14/2011 10:23 AM
| Bali
A theatre professor from Wesleyan University in New York, Ron Jenkins,
is leading a team of workers in transcribing ancient Balinese scripts
written on lontar palm leaves at the library of Bali Cultural office in
Denpasar on Thursday.
Page by page, the lontar scripts were recorded using a DSLR camera and a
computer.
"We will digitalize the entire lontar script collection and translate
the contents of the scripts into three languages, Balinese, Indonesian
and English, and enable people to read them from the Internet," Jenkins
said.
The dried and treated leaf of the lontar palm (Borassus flabellifer) was
widely used for centuries in Java, Lombok and Bali and is still in use
in Bali.
Inscriptions were mostly in the old Javanese language of Kawi and
ancient Balinese. The lontar inscriptions contain old works including
the famous Ramayana and Mahabharata Hindu epics, kakawin (ancient
poetry) and ushada (traditional Balinese medicine).
Jenkins, who has studied Balinese culture for 35 years and written
several books on it, said that the digital lontar project was made
possible by the support of the Internet Archive Foundation based in the
United States.
The foundation works to digitize ancient inscriptions and cultural
activities from around the world.
There are around 3,000 ancient lontar inscriptions at Denpasar's
library, from 50-years-old to centuries-old.
Jenkins is working with two members of the Internet Archive Foundation
and two from the Indonesian Arts Institute (ISI) Denpasar.
"After the project is completed, all of the lontar inscriptions will be
uploaded onto the foundation's websites at www.archive.org and available
to the public — especially professors and students who study Balinese
culture," said Jenkins who speaks fluent Indonesian.
The team will also work to digitize 7,000 other lontar inscriptions
stored at Gedong Kirtya Library, home of the largest lontar collection,
in Singaraja, Buleleng in North Bali.
"We have set a target to complete the project within one year," the
professor said.
Digitizing lontar inscriptions is crucial to preserving the island's
precious cultural heritage, he said.
"This cultural wealth must be passed on to younger generations."
He added that many young people could not read lontar inscriptions. "I
am so worried that the knowledge and wisdom contained in lontar
inscriptions will go nowhere. Therefore it is very important to preserve
this heritage."
Jenkins elaborated that the lontar inscriptions contain valuable
knowledge and information.
The Hindu concept of Tri Hita Karana, for instance, teaches how to
develop a harmonious relation among the creator, mankind and nature. Rwa
Bineda teaches how to distinguish good and bad deeds.
Ketut Suastika, head of the cultural office, said that the project aimed
at both preserving and delivering messages written in the many ancient
inscriptions.
"The project will enable common people to learn, read and understand the
contents of the inscriptions," Suastika said.
He called on people to inform the office if they had ancestral heritage
pieces at their homes.
"Many people have lontar inscriptions inherited from their old men. If
they cannot keep these lontar leaves in proper ways, they can keep them
in our library," Suastika said.
----
1 comment:
Speaking of Bali, check the following links about contempoary Hindu resistance to Muslim colonialism in Bali:
http://www.insideindonesia.org/edition-95/keeping-bali-strong
http://www.insideindonesia.org/edition-89/bali-standing-strong
http://www.thiscenturyreview.com/ajeg-bali.html
http://eprints.utas.edu.au/918/1/IMW_article.pdf
Ignore the snide remarks about Hindu "fundamentalism" by the leftist goras who wrote the above, to them any sort of Hindu defense is fundamentalism.
Also check pg's 55 to 57 here:
http://books.google.ca/books?id=hvrUBvGK69UC&pg=PA55&lpg=PA55&dq=ajeg+bali+satri\
ya+naradha&source=bl&ots=nD_kNIoEvx&sig=I7Nd3DeY5QVfv9dKL84pYGXmeoY&hl=en&ei=ilA\
-TZfbOYL_8Ab26fzqCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCAQ6AEwAQ#v=one\
page&q&f=false
113 to 125:
http://books.google.ca/books?id=H0PXkzgcdRQC&pg=PA113&lpg=PA113&dq=ajeg+bali+sat\
riya+naradha&source=bl&ots=m-1Fb2XdiO&sig=1sUEy9GL9xhv3VAkpwUy9leXNe0&hl=en&ei=i\
lA-TZfbOYL_8Ab26fzqCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCMQ6AEwAg#v=o\
nepage&q&f=false
359:
http://books.google.ca/books?id=N3XU7eUMSGIC&pg=PA359&lpg=PA359&dq=ajeg+bali+sat\
riya+naradha&source=bl&ots=zKrKVORv1F&sig=fPBcCITUuDarKY5BM3YqRu-V74E&hl=en&ei=i\
lA-TZfbOYL_8Ab26fzqCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBsQ6AEwAA#v=o\
nepage&q&f=false
As you can see one man's (Satria Naradha) initiative to create awareness using his newspaper Bali Post and TV channel Bali TV made a lot of differnece.
Some Balinese Hindus have rightly concluded that Ajeg Bali is not enough(referred to in the 113 to 125 pg's lin) and what is needed is Ajeg Hindu because Ajeg Bali could mean inclusion of Muslims and Christians of Bali whereas
Ajeg Hindu will automatically protect Balinese culture because as long as Hindu Agama remains strong Balinese culture remains strong.
Others (a woman no less i.e if a man tells these facts he is declared a chauvunist) have identified the demographic warfare of Muslims and the need to counter it by stopping the demographic suicide known as family planning:
"Pendatang are not the only reason for the decreasing number of Hindu Balinese in Bali. The problem lies also in the fact the Balinese are having fewer children, according to the Balinese psychiatrist Luh Ketut Suryani in her book Perempuan Bali Kini (2003). In this book (published by Bali Post), after a gloomy description of a contemporary Bali which has lost its way, with a young generation focused on alcohol, drugs, free sex and love of western culture, Suryani instructs Balinese women on how to save Bali. They have to bear in mind
their main role, which is to be a mother able to produce a great new generation of Hindu Balinese who will save Balinese culture from all the destructive outside
negative influences. In one chapter
of this would-be `manual' for modern Balinese women, Suryani tells readers that the destiny
of Bali is in their hands. Because of the birth control programme very few Balinese couples
have more than two children, which has led to a decrease in the Hindu Bali population. In Suryani's view, having more children and educating them as good Balinese Hindus will obviate the danger that they could become a minority in their own home and will
save Balinese culture (Suryani 2003: 99).
http://eprints.utas.edu.au/918/1/IMW_article.pdf"
Hindus in India have to learn from them.
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