Doors of Perception: Power and Representation in Bali

Abstract

The sign marking the entrance to the Balinese region called Klungkung would probably not strike any foreign visitor as especially worthy of note. Taking for granted such public declarations of identity and welcome, we barely register the visual signals that adorn them even in our own society: the panoply of state birds and flowers that make up totemisme aujourd'hui in what is sometimes referred to as our late capitalist society. So it could hardly be expected that anyone would pay attention to the emblem on the pentagonal sign posted by the side of the road at each of Klungkung's borders (see Figure 1). And what, after all, would there be to notice? Words of greeting (selamat datang, welcome, is inscribed on the side facing entrants; selamat jalan, goodbye, on the reverse), the information that this is Klungkung, and a cluster of images: an enormous stalk of rice and another of cotton curved around a representation of an imposing portal, at the entrance to which is juxtaposed the wavy blade of a kris with five curves in it. Above the portal is a star; below it four leaves, as if it rested upon a lotus pad. Although Klungkung is a rice-growing region famous for its textiles, the same nature symbols could denote many regions in Indonesia, and indeed they not only appear on similar signs elsewhere in Bali but form part of Indonesia's national emblem. Nor does the kris-although it is important-distinguish Klungkung from other places; any former kingdom in the entire Malay archipelago could represent itself with one of those weapons, simultaneously heirlooms, regalia, and magical objects. The door, its importance marked by its place as the centerpiece of the sign, is another matter. Portals like this one are typically found between the forecourt and the inner reaches of Balinese temples or royal palaces. But anyone from Klungkung would know this portal immediately as a