26 “You are my hope, Tugeg. Someday, you have to marry an Ida Bagus. You
need to deeply remember this. Now, You are not a kid anymore. You can’t play anymore. You have to start learning how to become a Brahmin girl. You have to
remember various sesaji, and also have to know how to make a janur for ceremony Oka Rusmini :59
Her ambition through her daughter can be seen when Sekar require Telaga become a pragina. This is the quotation that proves about her ambition through her daughter.
“Jadilah perempuan tercantik di seluruh bumi ini, Tugeg. Kau harus mampu. Setiap hari hanya itu doa Meme.’
Untuk ambisi yang satu ini ibunya mendatangkan guru tari. Oka Rusmini:66
“Be the prettiest girl on earth, Tugeg. You have to. I pray for it everyday.’
For this ambition, her mom hired a dance instructor.Oka Rusmini:66
Beside become a pragina, Sekar willing Telaga marrying the man from same caste to keep her nobility. Sekar was really proud of her daughter nobility, and unwilling if
Telaga got married with the man from lower caste. Even she arranged the man for her daughter.
The social caste already made the gap between one caste with the other especially with the higher Brahmin and lower caste Sundra. Oka through this
novel reflected that figure of women in Bali are dreamer and have a big ambition by Sekar character. Sekar as the Sudra also reflected the liberal feminism, one of
concept of feminism is equal rights to improve themselves. She already had it by tries to be a good dancer and wife of nobleman
4.1.2 Traditional
The tradition and religion which cannot be separated makes Bali have a unique tradition. In this modern era, Balinese still upholds their tradition. In Bali,
there are so many rituals and ceremonies that celebrated.Women in Bali should know how to make the variety of offerings, carve janur ‘coconut leaf’ for ceremony. Other
Comment [ T4] : Bisa atau tidak bisa dipisahkan?
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things that prove that women in Bali still uphold the tradition which is reflected in this novel, can be seen from the character Luh Sekar, She is a Sundra who got
married with the Brahmin named Ida Bagus Ngurah Pidada. The consequence of her marriage based on their tradition was that she should change her name Luh Sekar
became Jero Kenanga. This symbolized that she already became a part of griya ‘Brahmins house’, and made people respect her and her family. She become higher
than her family, that situation made her family should respect her even her mother should use subtle language when she talked to Sekar. Become the wife of Brahmins
was not easy, she should take the consequences. Changing her name and habits was one of many consequences for marrying Brahmins.
Setelah disunting secara sah oleh Ida Bagus Ngurah Pidada, Luh Sekar tidak hanya harus meninggalkan keluarga dan kebiasaan-kebiasaannya. Selain
berganti nama menjadi Jero Kenanga, dia harus juga meninggalkan semua yang pernah membesarkannya.
Oka Rusmini : 48
After marrying Ida Bagus Ngurah Pidada, Luh Sekar has to leave her family and all of her old habits. Beside changing name become Jero Kenanga,
she also has to leave whatever which had brought her up till now. Oka Rusmini:48
Perempuan itu juga tidak bisa lagi bersembhayang di sanggah, pura keluarganya. Dia juga tidak bisa memakan buah-buahan yang telah
dipersembahan untuk leluhur keluarganya. Semua telah berubah. Bahasa perempuan tua yang sudah sedikit rabun
dan pikun yang telah melahirkan Luh Sekar pun harus berubah. Dia harus menghormati anaknya, karena sekarang derajat dirinya tidak sama dengan
derajat anaknya. Oka Rusmini :49 That woman can’t pray in sanggah anymore, in her family temple. She
also cannot eat the fruits that already given to her family ancestors. Everything has changed. The way the old lady, who giving birth Luh
Sekar,talk to her also has to change.She has to respect her daughter, becase she is not in equal caste with her now.Oka Rusmini:49
Jangan tanyakan apalagi yang Meme inginkan. Hanya itu. Kau harus mengerti kata-kataku ini. Kau bukan lagi Ni Luh Sekar. Derajatmu lebih tinggi dari
seluruh perempuan sudra, termasuk Meme, permpuan yang melahirkanmu Oka Rusmini:51
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Don’t ask me what I want. That’s all. You should understand my words. You are not Ni Luh Sekar anymore. Your degree is higher than any other
sudra women, including me, the woman who giving birth of you.Oka Rusmini:51
The quotations above as prove that there are many role that should obeyed by Sudra’s women when she marrying the Brahmin’s man. The other tradition that
should be followed by Sekar was she could not touch her deceased mother because she already unqueal with her mother she already become the part of griya. This can
be seen from this quotation:
Luh Sekar tidak boleh menyentuh mayat ibunya sendiri.Dia juga tidak boleh memandikan dan menyembah tubuh kaku itu. Sebagai keluarga griya, Luh
Sekar duduk di tempat yang tinggi sehingga bisa menyaksikan jalannya upacara dengan lengkap. Oka Rusmini:56
Luh sekar not allowed to touch her mom’s body. She also not allowed to bathe and worship her. As the griya family, Lus Sekar sit in the
higher place to watch the ceremony.Oka Rusmini:56
Sekar who was the part of griya, should act as the Brahmin women. Her position when the ceremony should be higher than her family. Getting married with the man
from another part takes the consequence that she should leave her family. Eventhough, she already became apart of griya, she was still unequal with her
husbands family. Luh Sekar was still considered as Sudra woman in her husband family. In griya, she should use subtle language when she talked with Brahmins, and
she was not permitted to have a drink from her child glass.
Sementara dalam keluarga besar suaminya, Sekar tetap seperti perempuan sudra. Dia harus berbahasa halus dengan orang-orang griya. Dia tidak boleh
minum satu gelas dengan anak kandungnya Oka Rusmini:54. Meanwhile in her husband’s family, Sekar still considered as sudra. She
should use subtled language with griya’s people. She not allowed drink from her daugther’s glass.Oka Rusmini:54
This fact made Sekar know that become the Brahmin was not easy. Another character who upholds the tradition is Ida Ayu Sangra Pidada, Luh Sekar’s mother in
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law. She was beautiful and kind. She was a Brahmins who upheld the tradition tight. She did not accept if the Brahmins man married women from the lower caste. This
can be seen from these quotations:
Kata orang-orang griya, dulu nenek adalah perempuan tercantik di desa.Tutur bahasa nenek lembut dan penuh penghargaan terhadap sesama.
Dia tidak sombong...Oka Rusmini: 16 Griya people said, in the past grandma is the prettiest girl in the village. The
way she talk is gentle and respectable towards people. She is not cocky. Oka Rusmini:16
Dia juga sangat mengangungkan nilai-nilai kebangsawanan.Memang dari luar dia terlihat sangat sopan pada orang-orang diluar griya.Tetapi Tuniang-
mu sangat tidak bisa menerima apabila ada laki-laki griya menikah dengan perempuan biasa. Oka Rusmini:17
She
also worships the noble values. she seems really polite to the people out of griya but your grandma can’t accept if a griya man marry an
ordinary woman.Oka Rusmini:17 She also did Nyentanain when she got married with Ida Bagus Tugur. Nyentanain is
Balinese tradition when women have been decided as the heir of her family it makes women take over men’s position.
The third character that reflects that women in Bali uphold the tradition is Luh Gambreg. She was a Sundra woman. She rejected her only son, Wayan Sasmitha
idea to get married with woman from the higher caste Ida Ayu Telaga. Balinese women are allowed to get married with man from other castes if he comes from the
higher caste. People in Bali believe Brahmins women arethe sun which shinein the world, so they are not allowed to touch them. Depiction of Brahmins women can be
seen from the quotation below;
“Kulit perempuan itu terbuat dari sinar matahari. Kau lihat Apabila kau berani menyentuhnya, seluruh dewa akan melempar senjata terbaiknya.”
Seorang laki-laki ikut menambahkan Oka Rusmini:8 “That skin made from sunshine. You see If you dare to touch it, Gods will
throw their best weapons.” Said the man Oka Rusmini:8
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jadinya bila Wayan mengambil Telaga sebagai istri. Perempuan sudra itu percaya pada mitos bahwa perempuan brahmana adalah surya, matahari yang
menerangi gelapOka Rusmini:121.
Man from Sudra caste not allowed to marry Brahmin woman. He will get bad luck if Wayan takes Telaga as his wife. That sudra woman believe in the myth
that Brahmin women is the sun, the sun that light the dark.Oka Rusmini:121
The man who gets married with women from the higher caste will get the bad luck. Oka shows the bad luck that should be faced by Gumbreg because her son married
the Brahmin woman was he died. To throw the bad luck, Luh Gambreg asked her daughter in law or Telaga to do Patiwangi ‘extrication ceremony’. This ceremony
was a symbol that she permitted from griya, released her nobility and became completely a Sudra, this can be seen from this quotations:
Hari ini juga tiang akan menanggalkan nama Ida Ayu, Tiang akan jadi perempuan sudra utuh,… Oka Rusmini:153
Today I’ll leave my nobility, I’ll be a sudra woman… Oka Rusmini:153 Telaga berguman, membiarkan perempuan tua itu mencuci kaki di ubun-
ubunnya utuk menjelmakan dirinya menajdi perempuan baru. Perempuan sudra Oka Rusmini:155
Telaga mumble, let that old lady wash her foot on her cantle to made her be a new women. Sudra women. Oka Rusmini:155
Not only the view that makes Bali as one of the best destinations in this world but also the tradition such as Balinese dancing. Every woman in Bali is expected to know
their traditional dance. Luh Kambren was Telaga’s dancer teacher. She was a woman who reflected that women in Bali uphold the tradition.She devoted herself only to
keep the tradition, become the dancer. She reminded her students or other Balinese women to keep their tradition as Balinese, this can be seen from this quotation.
Bagi perempuan Bali bekerja adalah membuat sesaji, sembhayang, dan menari untuk upacara. Itu yang membuat kesenian ini tetap bertahan…
Mereka tidak belajar dari orang-orang luar, bagaimana harus menyelamatkan peninggalan peradaban yang sangat mahal ini. Oka
Rusmini:82
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That can made this art still exist... They didn’t learn from the others people, how to save their precisious tradition.Oka
Rusmini:82
Hidupku hanya untuk menari Itulah kata-kata Kambren. Kata-kata yang selalu diingat Telaga Oka Rusmini:83
My life is only for dance Kambren said. Telaga always remember that words. Oka Rusmini:83
Telaga as the main character in this novel also reflected the traditionally women uphold the tradition, when Balinese women mature they celebrated the one of their
tradition that is Menek Kelih. Telaga do this tradition when she mature and she should learn to memorize the variety of offerings, carve janur ‘coconut leaf’ for
ceremony. These quotations can provings that Telaga was the traditional women.
Saat Telaga makin dewasa, terlebih setelah menjalani upacara Menek Kelih, sebuah upacara pembaptisan lahirnya seorang gadis baru, Telaga harus
melepaskan kulit kanak-kanaknya. Kulit yang sangat dicintainya. Oka Rusmini:57
When Telaga mature, especially after Menek Kelik ceremony, the ceremony to baptize as symbol of a new woman has born, Telaga should leave her habit
as a kid. The moment that she really loves. Oka Rusmini:57
Kau harus mulai belajar menjadi perempuan keturunan brahmana. Menghafal beragam sesaji, juga harus tahu bagaimana mengukir janur untuk
upacara. Oka Rusmini: 60 You should start learn how to become a Brahmin woman. Remembering
various offerings, and also have to know how to carve janur for ceremony. Oka Rusmini:60
Bali as one place in Indonesia which has unique culture still keeps and upholds their tradition. These characters such as Luh Sekar, Ida Ayu Sangra Pidada, Luh
Gumbreg, Luh Kambren are the prove that Bali women, in this modern era, still uphold their tradition and this becomesone figure of women character that reflected
through Tarian Bumi.
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4.1.3 Strong and Critical
