Unfamiliar Word of Ategen Asuwun: Inheritance for Balinese Women and Men in Sociology Classes
Nazrina Zuryani,*
Sociology Study Program, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Udayana University, BALI
Abstract:
This research is important to teach English in Sociology study program of Udayana University in Bali from 2016 to 2018. In each class, over three years, the idea of “ategen asuwun”
discussed as ‘inheritance’ get the nuance as unfamiliar word by most girls as Balinese students and limited understanding of male students from any regions of Bali. Word of
“ategen” means two bunches of cultivated rice could be carried out by two wooden baskets by men as the connotation of inheritance for men. While “asuwun” means a bunch of fruits or food objects carries out at the head of the woman as an illustration of inheritance for women in Bali. Teaching this word offers the opportunity to develop an understanding on public use of inheritance words by students as methods to deliver the subject which is new concept reinvented by Balinese Customary Assembly/MUDP leaders. The complexity of interpreting this customary law created more confusion in every discussion. Therefore, the method of class discussion started from how a marriage takes place in every region in Bali. Prami and Zuryani (2016, 242) pointed out how inter-caste marriage as nyerorod or high caste women marry lower caste man has limited women’s right to inherit. In the case of Balinese woman inherits by non-majorat and minorat legacy, she can independently pay the tax as part of active society (Zuryani, 2016: 156). Furthermore, besides in Tenganan village, old custom does not permit married Balinese women or widower or divorcee to inherit the legacy from their father nor from their late or ex-husbands. This ategen asuwun customary law was socialized by Paruman Adat Bali decided by MUDP Bali province with Number 01/Kep/Psm-3/MDP Bali/X/2010 for progress towards the position of women as heirs (Ardika, 2016). Sociologically, the wording of inheritance for women is still unfamiliar and rarely discussed in many households of the students. Although at home, the mother will be the one who asked the girls to stop asking this word to avoid sons to be furious. If the households consist of no son or male inheritance, the mother could say milder suggestion to wait till the girl or one of her daughter can marry her fiance as an adoptive son (sentana) of the family.
When the question is asked by the only daughter of the couple, usually the father suggested her to marry a sentana in order to get adat/customary legacy of “ategen asuwun” for his newly weed daughter and her husband. It is an urgent call for families in Bali to openly discussed the concept of “ategen asuwun” in order to develop Balinese people in traditional Bali community living in modern era knowing the concept of inheritance and participate in empowering their daughters.
Keywords: unfamiliar word , ategen asuwun, inheritance, customary law
*Corresponding author: [email protected] and/ [email protected]
This is an original publication which has
not been published elsewhere and is not
under consideration elsewhere.
Introduction
Since the year of 2016 to 2018, over three years’ time, the students of Sociology department in Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at Udayana University in Bali explored many different English words connote to the Balinese traditional beliefs dan customs. As it is already known world-wide through books written by many foreigners that traditional communities such as in Bali, have the tendency to be reformulated either by Western experts or by Balinese Customary leaders themselves to modernized all rites and rituals. In other words, almost all beliefs and way of thinking are being reformulated into abstract notions and reinvented as newly traditions mostly by non-Balinese anthropologists and adopted by Balinese rulers. Over the time, it is rationalized into modern reinterpretation that are commonly spread out in the hope it will become a notion of the invention of traditions (Hobsbawm and Ranger, 2014). As for example, a famous University in Bali indeed formulating its academic fundamental patterns (PIP/Pola Ilmiah Pokok) as culture that was emerged in 12 March 1976 and it is recommended all the civitas academics to get into the culture as one particular method of giving potential colours of knowledge in Bali (Santhiarsa, 2016). Therefore, non-Balinese students who are coming from other part of Indonesia have the obligation to understand this colour as a sort of identity of Balinese society. This Udayana University way of teaching is famously for Postgraduate ‘Kajian Budaya’ or Cultural Studies thus it becomes a central point of discussion related to this paper.
Students from Bali or other parts of Indonesia must understand that either in first semester and in their second semester of studying in Udayana University, especially in Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, the concept of traditional Balinese way of life can be their points of discussions in every curriculum available at five bachelor level study programs.
This concept is sociologically important and therefore need to get an in depth discussion.
More over, the progress of cultural studies can be seen as multi faceted. They are regarded as dynamic and traditional Balinese ways of living can be seen as complex and multi interpreted. There are no single Balinese way of living but many to interpret. The involvement of ‘Parisadha Hindu Dharma’ or the Hindu National Body, could also give more philoshopical ways that Hinduisme in Bali is not similar to India. Balinese culture is rather a syncretisme from Javanese culture as a living concept that can grow and creatively fulfil the need of its community. In Java the concept of inheritance in old days was ‘’apikul agendongan’’. Apikul means a heavy stuff could carry by the shoulder of a man and this connote to almost similar meaning of Balinese legacy right for men as ‘ategen’. Agendongan means by two hands a Javanese woman could carry something and it can be embracing a basket or a sling that is meet two palm fingers of a woman. For Balinese women, it is famously acknowledge of they ability to carry a high arrangement of fruits on top of their heads as an analogy for Agendongan of Javanese women legacy right.
This adoption of inheritance from Javanese culture could be unavoidable but it is reluctant to accept by most Balinese in public discussions. They do see this connotation comes from their old Balinese tradition that is unfortunately invented as their newly tradition. Therefore in many ways, the socialization of the meaning for “ategen asuwun” is limited and some times confusing. In each class the idea of “ategen asuwun” discussed as ‘inheritance’ get the nuance as unfamiliar word by most girls as Balinese students and limited understanding of male students originating from any regions of Bali. Literally, word of “ategen” means two bunches of cultivated rice could be carried out by two wooden baskets by men as the connotation of inheritance for men. While “asuwun” means a bunch of fruits or food objects carries out at the head of the woman as an illustration of inheritance for women in Bali. Both Javanese and
Balinese connotation of inheritance can be seen as well as similar intepretation to the system of Islamic legion whereas men get two times value of inheritance than women. As Judiasih and Fakhriah (2018 : 317)) explain that after Islamic jurisprudence by Islamic Law compilation Number 1 of 1991, the Islamic inheritance law in Indonesia is codified in the Book II of KHI Inheritance Law, from article 171 to article 214 whereas daughters obtain half of the son’s portion. Both Balinese and Javanese inheritance connotation similar to Islamic connotation of inheritance.
Study Site
Teaching of English for Sociology program is the main theme for this paper. The important of this topic is it took place in three different cohort of students, three different classes over three years and it was found that the word of inheritance in Balinese context of Ategen Asuwun is not a familiar word unlike a word of marriage. I myself as a lecturer who was mainly teaching several discipline ranging from household welfare to demography and socio- anthropolgy, I had to challenge the perspective of students by asking them to discuss many words related to culture and traditional customs of Bali. Since the discussions were delivered in classes of Campus Jalan Sudirman Denpasar, Bali at Udayana University, the students were happily shared their experience. An activitiy is recorded in the photographs below.
Starting from these students in 2016 cohort where the concept of inheritance was discussed by 49 students in their first semester of doing their bachelor degree in Sociology. At this time, the concept of Ategen Asuwun was not yet comprehend fully but inheritance as part of family sociology.
Figure No 1: Student of 2016 Cohort in studying English for Sociology Class At the year 2017 cohort of students, they were 68 recorded in the class but only 63 passed the subject and get the final marking ranging from 57.4 to 83.75 with scale D, C, B and A.
This class was having more complex discussion as they started to get the nuance of Asetegen Asuwun as part of their discussions. However, out of 63 students only 19 of them origially from Bali. Again female students out numbered of the male and they were only 25 male students and 5 of them were Balinesemen.
Figure No. 2 : The 2017 Students Cohort in studying English for Sociology Class For the cohort of 2018 students who learn English subject for Sociology, the method of delivering the content got to change. They are asked to write a writen opinion (part of PKM/program kreativitas mahasiswa GT/gagasan tertulis) that was a duty for freshmen students in the first semester of 2018 to create PKM GT. In this process, these students were given several concept to write and later to discuss in the class. One of the choice was Indonesian social system and customary law. This PKM GT was collected in a hall of Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Udayana University.
After asking them to write on a paper how they feel about inheritance (see the picture below), this written opinion then submitted to the committee and as one of English subtitute lecturer, I read several papers on the customary inheritance system of Bali, Minangkabau, Batak people and Javenese written by these freshmen students.
Figure : The task to write by each student of Sociology 2018 cohort on the concept of inheritance, customary law and Indonesian social system.
Methods
In the freshmen class who attended by newly graduate senior high school students that were succesfully selected to enter Udayana University from all over Indonesia, the method to teach needs to be varied and different from senior class room teaching. At every class, I delivered the concepts by first asking how marriage took place in Bali. The students were thinking each by the connotation of romance in a marriage with love instead of arranged marriage. Some of students said that they hear occasionally in their close relative the word of eloping marriage after the girl was pregnant and both parents were understand each other of the couple situation. Rather than having too much hassle in rituals, eloping marriage are more common and easy to understand. However, Prami dan Zuryani (2016 : 245) indicates that marriage in Bali is more endogame and therefore intercaste marriage is almost prohibited, as cited from Menawa Dharmacastra inscription that anuloma marriage is a type of marriage from Brahmin male to female of lower caste. More over, in pratiloma marriage type it is a woman with higher caste mary a male from lower caste.
An example of pratiloma type of marriage is asu pundung and alangkahi karang hulu whereas a high caste woman eloped by the man as a symbol this marriage is not permitted in the society. Therefore, this particular woman is nyerorod or loosing her position as a high caste woman since she marry a lower caste man (Prami and Zuryani 2016 : 249). The procession of patiwangi or dying up her parfumary high caste woman must taken place. Some women who experience this nyerorod in the past got a heavy sanction from the community as she regarded as a cheap woman and therefore no right for her to live freely either in her husband family milleu nor in her own extended family. She is loosing her prideness and her identity as a decent woman. Futher more, neither anuloma marriage nor pratiloma marriage can be beneficial for women as their marriage will not giving them any inheritance. As soon as a marriage taking place, a woman is loosing her right to inherit both from her parents and her husband.
Results
Most of non Balinese students in the three cohorts of subject English for Sociology classes were not yet thinking of marriage per se, they brought with them the concept of marriage by law, also by religious beliefs that are varied according to their etnic groups, the place of origin with many acculturation in their rituals and rites that is on the hands of couple who are in love. For example the students from Java island, they delivered some explanation of Javanese rites before marriage taking place, such is in Yogyakarta with kingdomship Kesultanan, also part of East Java including the near by place close to Bali that are Jember and Banyuwangi.
Even in Lamongan (East Java) area, there is a Ganjuran means that the proposal for marriage come from women’s side unlike other parts of Java. They do have many different rites and rituals before a marriage was formally taking place and usually celebrate at a wedding vow follows by a wedding reception. Mean while most of Balinese students were not able to describe marriage as a personal choice. It seems to them, marriage and children are based on cosmic dualism. They do believe on reincarnation and so do his or her future partner is part of this cosmic dualism. In this cosmic dualism, the buana agung is the universe whereas the buana alit is oneself. Both buana agung and buana alit is divided again into dual functions.
Men/purusa and women/pradana as Rwah Bhineda (unity of opposite), parents and children.
They are bound to this belief over the generations.
However, when the discussion more further to the children and what do children expect from their parents, some students explained they expect education in full up to bachelor degree.
Other students described more with the legacy system by Islamic teaching while most Balinese students were quite and calm. This reaction was repeated itself the next year as for Balinese students this is not a matter. The typology of Sociology classes over the time is always female students who are actively involved and out numbered than male ones in Udayana University. Such as in the cohort 2016 class. There were all together 49 students in this cohort. At this cohort of students, out of 49 students, 20 of them were Balinese consisted of 9 males and 11 females students. At the beginning, most of the students said negatively about their understanding about legacy law in Bali. One student in each small group discusion was appointed as a chair and another one was appointed as a secretary who made a notules of the discussion. This rule was aplicable through out the year accross the cohort. Each group discussion consisted of seven to nine members.
They discussed many unrelated problems around land heritance by their heirs who got response from other group members by adding up customary family regulation from different place of origin. Such as how in Kerobokan area in Badung regency, most land has been certificated by companies and has less and less own by Balinese family. Similarly in Malang as part of East Java, more land are sold out due to development of theme parks and touristic development. One particular student from North Bali was saying that the development of North Bali as tourists destination along with promotion of Singaraja as a city for education make the price of land is sky rocketing. Less and less native Bali own land in the city center. This cohort of students were able only to make collection of problems surrounding legacy of family in Bali and other parts of Indonesia as a nuance of family sociology. It is hard to find assertiveness of students who want land for their future inheritance. They said it would be good to get the ‘harta gono-gini’ means the belongings inherit from the wealth of the work of their parents rather than having big land from extended family ownership. This extended family wealth creates a lot of complications.
When I asked as a lecturer how about portion of male and female chilren inherits from their parents, one particular female student was saying that she got an angry voice from her mother when she tried to ask this in the open family gathering. Later on her mother said that never create dispute with her male siblings by asking the portion or the right for a daughter to inherits. As a commoner family (sudra, the lowest caste system), this particular question of female Sociology student can make the sons of the family get angry as well as it goes without saying that daugher get none. I finished this discusion by saying that the progress made by Paruman Adat (customary assembly of Bali) by deciding via their board of MUDP (Majelis Utama Desa Pakraman) Bali province with Number 01/Kep/Psm-3/MDP Bali/X/2010 and giving the position of women as heirs (Ardika, 2016). This customary law, according to Ardika has quaranty right of daughters to get the portion inherit in response to gender equality and global justice. The portion of each gender can be divided by the family members based on concencus. Zuryani (2016) points out that by this progress, a woman in Bali who inherits land can also pay the land taxation as an active citizen.
Managing English class in Sociology Study Program of Udayana University is not only a challenge in delivering the linguistic matters but its sociology context must teach ahead. The concept of inheritance discussed for the second time in a class of 2017 student cohort. This particular class is a leading class consisted of clever and progressive Balinese female and male students. They introduced the idea of education for children as an investment for the family even for this purpose many Balinese families sold their land. Some comments came from students originaly from Java who helped the Balinese students understood that land ownership is one part of inheritance system but family arrangement is no less important.
Other goods are also matters including the cost of education. In this class discussion, the word of sentana rajek emerged. I need to consult to a book for finding what sentana rajek means.
Artadi (2012) as a customary law expert explained that when a couple has only one daughter and the father (in dying moment of sickness) asked the fiance of his only daughter to behave as a women and his only daughter prentend as a man in charge as kapurusa. Kapurusa is literaly a permition from a husband to accept his future wife as the only daughter (of a man who asked him) to take responsibility of continuing her father duties in the family clan and in the community where her father was born. Artadi mentioned this particular custom is widely accepted in some part of Bali where a family who adopted son in law but in the position of woman as physically she is pradana/woman but functionally, she is purusa. Again this is cosmic dualism of Balinese philosphy.
One hot discussion was about how land commodication has made productive land in Java gone missing including 12 villages becoming a layer of mud in East Java due to drilling of PT Lapindo Brantas. Some households must sacrifice their land for this disaster. It was for more than ten years (May 29 in 2006) as much as 40 thousand members of households was becoming homeless caused by Lapindo Brantas drilling made endlessly hot mud flowing in Porong, Sidoarjo, East Java. This land is still problematic and in this class discussion most of Javanese students concluded that land is not their ownership but state ownership. At the end of discussion, most Javanese students said that inheritance system nowadays in Java follows Islamic religious belief, it has its name connotes to Apikul Agendongan means two part for sons and one part for daughters in Islamic law. The Balinese students agreed to make analogy of this Apikul Agendongan as Ategen Asuwun but refused a connotation of Islamic law. Finally, they concluded in this class discussion that law statement in Indonesia never publish and not mentioning that son and daugher has equal parts of their parents inheritance or legacy system.
In 2018 cohort class, the discussion of English for Sociology class was still related to this topic but mostly the students from Sumatera gave comments. One girl from West Sumatra said that land inheritance is related to women ownership as Minangkabau has matrilineal system. This class is more dynamic as out of 47 students, 13 students are originated from Bali and only two male students of Balinese with one as commoner (Jaba or Sudra) while another one is Cokorda or the heirs of kingdomship. The class situation was able to elaborate more in class discussion to a topic when a couple has more than two daughters, this particular family would voted to get one daughter find a sentana or adoptive son of the family. One member of this class is the youngest daughter from Tabanan regency and she was voted as the one who must find a sentana. Her sister once asked their mother about this family legacy without any male heirs, then the mother suggested her sister to find a sentana. However, her sister rejected this idea as she would marry a highest caste male as her fiance and it was impossible for this commoner to ask the triwangsa (people who are highest caste from Brahmin up to Weisya) to be a sentana. The atmosphere of this particular class discussion was quite lively as it has a unique composition of Balinese students. Two male Balinese students and eleven female students ranging from Brahmin origin to commoners who gained unfamiliar word of Ategen Asuwun as inheritance but slowly understand the complexity surounding this words.
Conclusion and Acknowldegment
It is an urgent call for families in Bali to openly discussed the concept of “ategen asuwun” in order to develop Balinese people in traditional Bali community living in modern era. By teaching the concept of Ategen Asuwun in an open discussion, it gives atmosphere the students were able to absorb the concept of inheritance and participate in empowering themselves.
The new progress made by MUDP as an assembly of customary leaders in Bali is not only cultivate rights of daughters but also gender responsive. Although in positive law of Indonesia it is still no mention of equal portion of rights to both daughter and sons, however customary Balinese law is on the way of accepting global justice.
In the near future, it will make more families in Bali to adopt this ‘ategen asuwun’ as part of their clan and caste regulations. Despite its complex nature of family stratification, Balinese family together with government locally will be able to modernize their content of school curriculum so that this ategen asuwun is becoming a familiar term and concept. The socialization of this concept can be thought since early stage of junior high school.
Furthermore, this concept is going to be challenged in the level of university to the extent of its application’s.
I acknowledge this paper is only based on my teaching experience in Sociology classes over the time of 2016 to 2018. At this moment, I am no longer teaching English for Sociology students since my appointment as a vice dean of student affairs and information at Faculty of Social and Political Sciences/FISIP Udayana University. The new regulation of faculty is also giving mandate to teach English to every departments available in our faculty to Department of English Literature at Faculty of Culture, Udayana University.
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