Balinese name

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The Balinese name is a naming system used by the Balinese people of Bali, Indonesia and the Western parts of neighboring Lombok, Indonesia. Since most Balinese are Hindus, most names are Hindi or Sanskrit, while others still use native Balinese ones. Regardless of being male or female, each person receives one of four names based on birth order. Though there are significant variations in the four names of Balinese people,some due to caste membership, and others due to regional customns and variations in the Balinese language between the North and the South of the island, there are four names in Balinese culture that are repeated frequently. The firstborn is "Wayan" (or Yan, for short), second is "Made," third is "Nyoman" or Komang (Man or Mang for short), and fourth is "Ketut" (often elided to Tut). (The vowels are pronounced vowels similarly as in Spanish or Italian). Balinese names are rendered into Roman script by the Romanization of the Indonesian language. The spelling to pronunciation relationship is said to be "perfect" because the spelling of words was revised significantly in the 70's and/or 80's (and even more recently).

The first born is Wayan, and if there is a fifth child, he/she is often called Wayan Balik (or Wayan "again"). Of course, Balinese children/people are given other names, including a new "name" after death. However, it is important to realize that by and large, everyone does use these birth order names to refer to each other, and to call each other constantly throughout the day. "Given" names may be chosen due to, for example, the influence of popular culture or politics. Like some other Indonesian cultures, Balinese do not use family names.

The naming system is a method to instantly recognise caste. Caste, unlike in India, is relatively unimportant to the Balinese and the idea of it probably flowed into Balinese culture as close links with Hindu-Bhuddist Java evolved. The real inclusion of the caste notion probably succeeds Airlangga, a half Balinese who became king of Daha in Java, about 1000 AD.

It is possible that the naming system of the peasant farmers of Bali precedes the idea of caste. These people are largely a mix of 'native' (early proto Polynesian type) Balinese and very early Hindu-Bhuddist missionaries and their followers, who did not arrive in Bali with successive waves of Javanese nobles and military rulers. They form the caste level that would be called sudra in India, that is, people outside the triwarna, or three colors (Wesya, overseers and minor aristocracy, Ksatria, nobles, kings and warriors and Bhramana, the highest caste comprising teachers, priests, writers and philosophers). This "farmer caste" comprises the vast freemasonry of the Balinese villages, as set out above, this caste uses names to denote birth position. It is an ingenious way for peasant farmers to keep track of inheritance questions, Wayan, for first born, Made for second, Nyoman for third and Ketut for fourth.

The system also differentiates (for the same reasons of inheritance rights, but perhaps also to reduce confusion) between males and females, I (pronounced 'ee'), being added as a prefix for males, and Ni (pronounced 'nee' for females). So typical names might look like I Wayan Pedjeng, or Ni Ketut Sulastri. These mean, respectively, 'first born male who's personal name is Pedjeng' (in English, moon), and 'fourth born female whose personal name is Sulastri' (in English, fine light).

The three castes, on the other hand, use a caste identifier as the first part of a name:

Wesya caste - I or Ni Gusti. Gusti literally means "leader". As members of this caste have the same preoccupation as wealthy peasants with inheritance of lands, and in any case were often families promoted from the farmer caste, they often use positional names for the birth order of their children. Sometimes they borrow the whole order of the farmer caste names, so you may find a name like I Gusti Ketut Rajendra, male of the wesya caste, fourth born, whose personal name is Rajendra)

K'satria caste - Gusti, Gusti Agung, Anak Agung, Tjokorde, Tjokorda Agung. The word Agung means "great", or "prominent". The word Tjokorde is a conjunction of the Sanskrit words Tjoka and Dewa. It literally means the foot of the Gods, and is awarded to the highest members of the aristocracy. A typical name might be Anak Agung Rai, meaning a Ksatrya,whose personal name means "The Great One". It is more difficult to differentiate sexes among the k'satrya people, though personal names often tell, like Putra, or Prince, for a boy, and Putri, or Princess, for a girl.

Brahmana caste - Ida Bagus(literally 'your handsome highness') for a male brahmana and Ida Ayu (in English 'your beautiful highness') for a female brahmana. A typical name might be Ida Ayu Ngurah, meaning "Brahman woman, Beautiful highness whose personal name is Ngurah," (in English, gift from heaven).

As in all things Balinese these rules hold true everywhere . . . except where they don't. In the mountain villages and some really remote "dusun" (hamlets), one can find names that probably precede even the arrival of the first Brahmin missionaries and their followers, from Sumatra, via Java possibly as early as 600AD.

See also

• Indonesian name

References

Bali is family name of some people are living in SAUDI ARABIA - Mr.Khalid Ebrahim Khalid Bali is first one get this name family because almost pepole which come from Lombok of Indonesia since of WAR INTERNATIONAL were coming from BALI by chip so Mr Khalid Ebrahim Khalid getten this family name ( BALI ) , he was born at MAKKAH HOLY CITY at SAUDI ARABIA , his father ( Ebrahim Khalid ) back to Indonesia with his wife ( Maryam ) to Lombok Indonesia but let his son ( Khalid ) at MAKKAH with care grandmother ( Mrs Fatemah ) just strart WAR INTERNATIONAL . Khalid was living at MAKKAH and get Saudi Nationl , Married with Saudi women ( Zahra A Banten ) they have 12 childs ( 6 male & 6 female ) , Names are Hisham , Radi , Shukri , Salahuddin , Alauddin , Faisal - Huda , Hala , Hind , Haifa , Khawla , Afra . Writer by : Radi Khalid Ebrahim Khalid Bali - Makkah - Saudi Arabia 20 Dulqiddah 1430 = 8 Nonember 2009