Bali's 'Sister Islands'
another World
Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan are Bali's three
"sister islands" situated in the deep, whirling straits
separating Bali from Lombok. Nusa Ceningan, the smallest of the
three, is little more than a tiny rock with a single village that
snuggles cozily between the massive highlands of Penida to the
east, and the coral beaches of Lembongan to the west. The three
islands differ radically from the rest of Bali, consisting of
barren limestone highlands covered by cacti and shrubs. Physically,
they have much more in common with the southern Bukit Peninsula
and the islands to the east of Bali.
An austere physical environment. water is scarce, so the only
crops grown here are maize, cassava, beans and tobacco. It is
common in the small villages to see cacah strips of raw cassava
drying in the sun before being steamed as a substitute staple
for rice.
The islands are very sparsely populated. Nusa Penida (usually
called Nusa) has 25 villages scattered along its shores and in
the highlands. Access is difficult, as transport is not well-developed
and roads in the highlands, winding and uneven, are just beginning
to be paved. Everything comes by boat from Bali, including cattle,
motorcycles and even bulldozers (which are knocked down, transported
and re-assembled).
Houses, built with limestone blocks on the Balinese pattern in
the lowlands, are more like Lombok's one-room huts on the plateau.
They always include a family shrine (sanggah), as most inhabitants
are Hindu Balinese. However, in the main town of Toya Pakeh, many
people call themselves "Muslim Balinese" by which they
mean a mixture of Malay, Sasak, Bugis, and Javanese migrants -
settled here for generations. They have their own mosque and Sasak
cloth traders from nearby Lombok live semi permanently in this
desa Islam.
Most highland farmers work in terraced dry fields and breed cattle.
Cows are brought to market aboard jukung to be slaughtered in
Denpasar. On the coast, people live by fishing, transporting passengers
and goods to and from Bali, and, more recently, by cultivating
seaweed. The seaweed the large green kotoni and the smaller, red
pinusun is exported to Hong Kong for use in the cosmetics industry.
On shore, one finds co and cashew plantations.
Women help their husbands in the fields they used to spin cotton
and weave cepuk (rough checkered cloths used- for life cycle ceremonies)
on back strap looms, but this has almost disappeared over the
last 15 years.
Daily life is hard. Rainwater is collected huge tanks for supply
during the dry season and on the southern cliffs of Penida, a
spectacular bamboo stairway has been constructed together water
from natural springs just above the sea. Electricity is not yet
available in the highlands, and education, job entertainment opportunities
are scarce.
The cursed islands
All kinds of appalling myths have always been attached to Nusa
Penida, due to its gloomy atmosphere and unrewarding conditions.
Black magic is said to flourish here, and Balinese from the mainland
are careful about what they say to Nusa people so as not to offend
them. All evil Bali especially floods and diseases during the
dry season - is said to come from Nusa brought by the giant demon
king, Jero Gede Mecaling. In the Badung and Gianyar regencies,
the giant and his troops, who are said to cross the straits and
land at Lebih, are met and expelled by means of exorcist sanghyang
dedari trance dances.
Formerly, the islands were part of the Klungkung kingdom, which
used Nusa as a place of banishment. There fore, most inhabitants
are commoners and only a few bear the noble titles Dewa or Sri.
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