Balinese Castes
August 03, 2020
In the Balinese tradition, society is decomposed into a caste system.
A caste is an endogamous social group, most often having a hereditary profession and occupying a determined rank in the hierarchy of a society.
In Bali, despite the use of titles, the importance of caste tends to decrease, in favor of education, economic success and influence in the community.
Each caste has its own language and different dialects to communicate with the other castes. The Bahasa Indonesia taught in schools facilitates communication between them.
There are four social groups:
- The Brahmana, the caste of priests
- The Satria, the caste of the warriors, holding the temporal power, of the king.
- The Wesia, this caste constitute the Balinese nobility
- The Sudra, the farmers (represent the 90% of the Balinese population)