Paying a call on the Subak Museum, at least you will discover
the information on how Bali farmers cultivate their land.
By and large, there are four points to visit there. Firstly,
miniature of subak (traditional irrigation cooperative) reflects
the life of subak in Bali. It is portrayed there from the
time of looking for the wellspring, coagulating the mud, channeling
the water through a dam, tunnel and later it comes to an end
when the water flows to the rice field.
 Secondly,
the audio visual in the form of film describes the process of
handling the agricultural land. Activities are started from
the meeting of subak members, arranging the legislation, cultivating
the land (at home and outside) up to expressing gratitude by
organizing several kinds of rituals. Thirdly, you can watch
various tools commonly used by farmers in cultivating their
land. Fourthly, look around the traditional house compound applying
the astha kosala-kosali geomancy, an arrangement on the layout
of Balinese houses.
Now, should you wish to know
further about the uniqueness of this subak organization in Bali,
you can peruse it through the books available in the Subak Museum.
Recently, only few visitors indeed want to read the books about
the subak provided in the museum, where as they could give more
complete information on the existence and uniqueness of subak
in Bali.
This Subak Museum is located
in Tabanan Regency,
precisely on Jalan Kediri—Tabanan or 20 km west of Denpasar
city. It is within close range of Alas Kedaton monkey forest
and magnificent Tanah Lot Temple. Office hours of this museum
are from 08.00 to 17.00 except for holidays. Every visitor will
be charged entrance fee amounting to IDR 5,000 for adult and
IDR 3,000 for children.
According to I Gusti Ngurah
Putu Widiantara, Head of the Subak Museum, there are 250 books
concerning with the subak in the collection of the museum. They
mostly describe about a variety of rituals held at rice field,
method of planting rice and auspicious days to start activities
including their abstinences. There are also books carrying the
monograph on the subak abian (subak of non-irrigated field),
subak basah (irrigated rice field) and Balinese customary legislation.
The existing books are usually read by civil servants, researchers,
pupils or students who are completing their assignments pertaining
to subak.
Explained, its library is also
equipped with 204 books carrying about the regulations of non-irrigated
field subak from all over regencies
in Bali. They comprise that exist in Denpasar
(39 copies), Karangasem
(18), Bangli (21),
Tabanan (41), Jembrana
(32), Buleleng
(22), Klungkung
(20), Badung (26)
and Gianyar (41).
Among the many books on display,
there is one entitled The Birucate Subak: The Social Organization
of a Balinese Irrigation Community written by an Indian, Jha
Nitish. This book gives an account of the uniqueness of social
life of Balinese community along with its water distribution
system that at all times accompanied with rituals both in starting
and ending their works. |
