Local Genius in the Rural Area of Bali: From ‘Menyama-braya' to Multiculturalism

The multicultural life in the rural area of Bali has been the local genius which has become into existence from century to century. There are a cultural exchange and absorption in various activities of life involving heterogeneous societies. The collaborative and associative relations have involved different ethnic groups. This present study is intended to reveal why such good collaborative and associative relations have taken place among different ethnic groups. This present study was conducted using the descriptive qualitative method. The data were taken through an in-depth interview. The information which needed to be further explored was obtained using the interpretative approach. The result of the study shows that everything was good with the multicultural life. The new arrivals adapted themselves to the traditional or local value (local genius); they developed brotherhood and its derived values such as ‘ngejot' (giving one another the foods particularly prepared for their respective feast days), ‘medelokan' (visiting one another when someone is deceased or perform a religious ritual), and so forth. The result of the study also shows that the multicultural life which was shown through the traditional channels (local genius) had taken place since a long time ago. The new arrivals adapted and adjusted themselves to the local tradition such as brotherhood ‘menyama braya' and its derived values