Quick Answer
The Bali Aga ("original Balinese") are the island's indigenous communities, who kept their own customs as the later Hindu-Javanese kingdoms reshaped the rest of Bali. Several Bali Aga villages sit in the Buleleng hills of north Bali, including Pedawa, Tigawasa, Sidatapa, Sembiran, Cempaga, and Julah. They differ from mainstream Bali, and from each other, in architecture, ceremony, social structure, and even death rites: some bury their dead rather than cremate, and the famous (central-Bali) village of Trunyan lays the dead out in the open. Each village runs by its own deep tradition.
Bali Aga at a Glance
- Who: The Bali Aga / Bali Mula, the indigenous, original Balinese
- Where (north): Pedawa, Tigawasa, Sidatapa, Sembiran, Cempaga, Julah, in the Buleleng hills (to confirm)
- What's different: Older customs, distinct architecture, ceremony, and social order
- Death rites vary: Some bury rather than cremate; Trunyan (central Bali) lays the dead out
- The key truth: No two villages are the same, each carries its own tradition
- Visit: With deep respect, ideally with a local guide
- Why it matters: A living window into Bali before the kingdoms
Who the Bali Aga Are
Most of Bali's culture as visitors know it, the caste system, the great cremations, much of the courtly art, came with the Majapahit, the Hindu-Javanese kingdom that reshaped the island from the 14th century. But not everyone followed. The communities who held to their older, pre-Majapahit ways are the Bali Aga (also Bali Mula, "original Bali"), the island's indigenous people.
They live mostly in remote mountain and hill villages, and several of them are here in the north, in the Buleleng highlands behind the coast: Pedawa, Tigawasa, Sidatapa, Sembiran, Cempaga, and Julah, among others (to confirm). To step into one is to glimpse a Bali that predates the temples and kingdoms most visitors associate with the island.
Why No Two Villages Are the Same
This is the heart of it, and the thing most guides miss: Balinese tradition is intensely local. The deep ceremonial life is run village by village, and the Bali Aga villages especially each preserve their own distinct customs, in:
- Architecture. Distinct house and village layouts, often older bamboo-and-timber forms and stone walls, arranged by their own rules rather than the standard compound plan.
- Ceremony and dance. Their own ritual calendars and sacred dances (some perform ancient Rejang and Baris forms found nowhere else), run by their own customary law (awig-awig).
- Social structure. Many Bali Aga villages reject or downplay the caste system, organising instead by seniority and council, an older, more egalitarian order.
- Crafts. Distinct traditions, Tigawasa is known for its bamboo basketry and the rare cepuk and gringsing-adjacent weaving traditions of the region (to confirm).
Even neighbouring villages differ. As anyone who knows the coast will tell you, a village like Les runs its customs differently from Lovina, which differs again from the hill villages above them. The diversity is not a footnote; it is the culture.
The Different Ways of Death
Nothing shows the diversity more starkly than how different villages treat their dead. Mainstream Bali cremates in the great Ngaben ceremony, releasing the soul through fire. But that is not universal:
- Some Bali Aga villages bury their dead rather than cremate, keeping an older practice, Tigawasa is among the villages known for burial (to confirm).
- Trunyan, the famous Bali Aga village on the shore of Lake Batur (in central Bali, not the north), does neither: it lays the dead out in the open, in bamboo enclosures beneath a great sacred tree (the taru menyan) said to neutralise any odour. It is the most striking funerary tradition in Bali (to confirm).
This is not strangeness for its own sake. Each rite reflects a village's own ancient understanding of the soul, the ancestors, and the land, held faithfully for centuries. Approached with respect, it is humbling rather than macabre.
Visiting the Bali Aga, Respectfully
These are living communities with their own customary law, not open-air museums. To visit well:
- Go with a local guide who knows the village and can secure a proper welcome, this is essential, not optional.
- Follow the village's rules, which may differ from the rest of Bali, on dress, photography, and where you may go. Ask first, always.
- Be a humble guest. Don't treat ceremonies, and absolutely not death rites or cemeteries, as a spectacle. Some places welcome respectful visitors; others are private. Honour the line.
- Support the village by buying its crafts or paying a fair guide, which sustains the tradition.
The hill villages sit inland from the north coast, reachable from Lovina and the Singaraja area. They pair with the wider history of north Bali and the living culture covered across these guides, and they deepen the picture of how a Balinese village works. To arrange a respectful visit, message Northbound on WhatsApp.
FAQ
Who are the Bali Aga? The indigenous, original Balinese (also called Bali Mula), who kept their pre-Majapahit customs as Hindu-Javanese kingdoms reshaped the rest of the island. They live mostly in remote mountain and hill villages, several in north Bali's Buleleng highlands.
Which are the Bali Aga villages in north Bali? Pedawa, Tigawasa, Sidatapa, Sembiran, Cempaga, and Julah are among the Bali Aga villages in the Buleleng hills (to confirm). Each preserves its own distinct customs.
Do all Balinese cremate their dead? No. Mainstream Bali cremates in the Ngaben ceremony, but some Bali Aga villages bury their dead instead, and the village of Trunyan (central Bali) lays the dead out in the open under a sacred tree. Death rites vary village by village.
Why are Bali Aga villages different? They held to older, pre-kingdom customs, so they differ in architecture, ceremony, social structure (often without the caste system), crafts, and death rites, both from mainstream Bali and from each other.
Can you visit Bali Aga villages? Yes, respectfully and ideally with a local guide who can arrange a proper welcome. They are living communities with their own customary law, so follow the village's rules on dress, photography, and access, and never treat ceremonies or death rites as spectacle.
Is Trunyan in north Bali? No, Trunyan is on Lake Batur in central Bali (Bangli), though it's the most famous Bali Aga village for its open-air funerary tradition. North Bali's Bali Aga villages are in the Buleleng hills.
Want to understand the deep, local Bali most visitors never see? Message Northbound on WhatsApp. North Bali is the home ground here.