Caste and names
Caste and names in Balinese society is structured around a hereditary caste system which, while far more relaxed than its Indian counterpart, does nonetheless carry certain restrictions and rules of etiquette,as ordained in the Baiinese Hindu scriptures. Of these, the one that travellers are most likely to encounter is the practice of naming a person according to their caste. At die top of the tree is the Brahman caste, whose men are honoured with the title Ida Bagus and whose women are generally named Ida Ayu, sometimes shortened to Dayu. Traditionally revered as the most scholarly members of society, only Brahmans are allowed to become high priests ( pedanda ). Satriya (sometimes spelt Ksatriya) form the second strata of Balinese society, and these families are descendants of warriors and rulers. The Balinese rajas were all Satriya and their offspring continue to bear the tell-tale names: Cokorda, Anak Agung, Ratu and ida bagus for men, and Anak Agung Isti or Dewa Ayu for women. The merchants or Wesia occupy the third most important rank, the men distinguished by the title I Gusti or Pregusti, the women by the name I Gusti Ayu. finally, at the bottom of the heap, comes the Sudra caste, the caste of the common people, which accounts for over ninety percent of the population. Sudra children are named according to their position in the family order, with no distinction made between male and female offspring. Thus, a first-born Sudra is always known as Wayan, the second-born is Made, the third Nyoman and the fourth Ketut. Should a fifth child be born, then the naming system begins all over again with Wayan, and so it goes on. Unlike their counterparts in the far more rigid Indian caste system, the Sudra are not looked down upon or denied access to specific professions (except that of pedanda). It’s not at all abnormal for a university professor to hail from the Sudra caste, for example, or for a waiter or a bemo driver to be a Brahman or a Satriya, and a high-caste background guarantees neither a high income nora direct line to political power.
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