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Caste System
Home » Bali » Bali - The People and the Culture » Caste SystemDaily Balinese life, filled with art, music, and dance, is shaped greatly by intricacies in the culture such as the caste system which was inherited by the people’s Hindi ancestors. Balinese society historically had four castes – the Brahmana (priests and scholars), Ksatrya (warriors and nobility), Weisya (merchants), and Sudra (the lowest – farmers and laborers). Not only was the way of life and the possibility for self-improvement controlled by the caste system, but even the individual dialects within the language reflected the speaker’s caste. According to tradition, a lady could not even marry someone of a lower caste. Once in a caste, there was little hope for ever rising to a higher position in society. Hinduism helped guarantee that you remain as you had always been.
However, in recent years travel and technology have continued to lessen the power of the caste system and strengthen the tourism industry. Culture is slowly being pulled away from its original roots and adapted to attract tourists. As in many other places in the world, some areas in Bali are beginning to see marriage for romance rather than caste positions and interaction with many different people rather than those that are considered “acceptable.”
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