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| NUSA LEMBONGAN VILLAGE |
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Nusa Lembongan has a population
of approximately 5,000 people living in two villages,
Desa Lembongan (Desa = Village) and Desa Jungut
Batu. There is no industry on Lembongan and electricity
required for the villages is generated by diesel engines
that were contributed by the government. These generators
only operate in the evenings.
Lembongan village is 615 ha in area, consisting of 85%
unproductive rocky land. The main income for the population
is derived from seaweed farming. In 1997 the farms were
recorded to cover up to 70 ha. They farm Euchema Cottomi
a specie of ocean algae, by tying the sprouting algae
shoots to farming plots with rope and wood stakes embedded
in the seabed. It takes one month to grow to a size able
to be harvested and then three days to sundry. Normally
during the harvest the new sprouts are returned to the
bed to begin the new crop, additionally new sprouts may
be collected from the seabed. The dried seaweed is kept
in storehouses until it is taken to the mainland and sold
for export to America, Denmark, Japan and Holland. Seaweed
is used for medicines, food stabilizer, cosmetic and gelatin
for ice cream.
Every family owns approximately 3-5 acres of seaweed farming
‘bed’. One acre may produce 150 – 200
kg of dried seaweed with each harvest. The price that
the islanders are paid for the dried seaweed fluctuates
depending on market demand.
Mostly the villagers are Hindu, their ancestors were from
Klungkung Kingdom. Klungkung, on the eastern coast of
Bali, which was the historic capital of Bali before colonization.
Lembongan Village has six dusun or suburbs and within
these Dusun are the Banjars or neighborhoods. Generally
every banjar has a meeting hall called Bale Banjar, ‘Bale’
means ‘place’ and ‘Banjar’ means
‘many’. This is the place used by villagers
to gather together to discuss matters. Every Banjar has
a chief named ‘Kelian Dinas’. A ‘Kelian
Dinas’ is responsible for village administration
and to organize particular activities. Every Bale Banjar
is equipped with a Kul-Kul, a wooded ‘bell’.
Normally rung to call people to gather for village business
it is also used as an emergency signal. The purpose of
the meeting can be determined by the number of times the
‘bell’ is struck. |
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| For Example: |
Marital |
3 times |
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Passed away |
1 time |
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Fire |
Continuously |
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Gathering |
9 times (normally to discuss urgent issues) |
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| Almost no crime occurs in
this village, all people live in peace and adheres to
custom and religious values. On the unusual occurrence
that somebody does break the law the punishment is often
offered through the village as opposed to relying on police
intervention. |
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