Nusa Lembongan Village
Nusa Lembongan Village has a population
of approximately 5,000 people living in two villages, Desa Lembongan
(Desa = Village) and Desa Jungut Batu. There is no industry on
Lembongan and electricity required for the villages is generated by
diesel engines that were contributed by the government. These generators
only operate in the evenings.
Lembongan village is 615 ha in area, consisting of 85% unproductive
rocky land. The main income for the population is derived from seaweed
farming. In 1997 the farms were recorded to cover up to 70 ha. They
farm Euchema Cottomi a specie of ocean algae, by tying the sprouting
algae shoots to farming plots with rope and wood stakes embedded in
the seabed. It takes one month to grow to a size able to be harvested
and then three days to sundry. Normally during the harvest the new sprouts
are returned to the bed to begin the new crop, additionally new sprouts
may be collected from the seabed. The dried seaweed is kept in storehouses
until it is taken to the mainland and sold for export to America, Denmark,
Japan and Holland. Seaweed is used for medicines, food stabilizer, cosmetic
and gelatin for ice cream.
Every family owns approximately 3-5 acres of seaweed farming ‘bed’.
One acre may produce 150 – 200 kg of dried seaweed with each harvest.
The price that the islanders are paid for the dried seaweed fluctuates
depending on market demand.
Mostly the villagers are Hindu, their ancestors were from Klungkung
Kingdom. Klungkung, on the eastern coast of Bali, which was the historic
capital of Bali before colonization. Lembongan Village has six dusun
or suburbs and within these Dusun are the Banjars or neighborhoods.
Generally every banjar has a meeting hall called Bale Banjar, ‘Bale’
means ‘place’ and ‘Banjar’ means ‘many’.
This is the place used by villagers to gather together to discuss matters.
Every Banjar has a chief named ‘Kelian Dinas’. A ‘Kelian
Dinas’ is responsible for village administration and to organize
particular activities. Every Bale Banjar is equipped with a Kul-Kul,
a wooded ‘bell’. Normally rung to call people to gather
for village business it is also used as an emergency signal. The purpose
of the meeting can be determined by the number of times the ‘bell’
is struck.
Almost no crime occurs in this village, all people live in peace
and adheres to custom and religious values. On the unusual occurrence
that somebody does break the law the punishment is often offered through
the village as opposed to relying on police intervention.
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