University of Western Australia

 5th Annual Indigenous Studies Program

The Bali Institute has been collaborating with the University of Western Australia’s Indigenous Studies Department since 2015 to co-create a brand new cultural immersion experience with a group of Aboriginal university students from UWA. The program design will explore a deeper understanding of indigenous ways of knowing through a lens of the Balinese culture being offered by direct experiences and service learning. Areas of this “indigenous ecology” theme will include a richer understanding of the Balinese philosophy and indigenous ways of life, the Tri Hita Karana “system” of being in the world, traditional healing, performance arts, sustainable ancient agrarian practices, community based tourism, and much more.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

  • Walk through Bali’s rice paddies guided by an experienced herbalist and learn about Bali’s ceremonial plants, herbal medicine, and traditional farming practices
  • Visit a national Indonesian organization committed to spreading sustainable farming practices throughout the archipelago
  • Overnight trip will be taken to a number of indigenous communities throughout Bali, including the traditional Bali Mula village of Trunyan
  • Share in many intimate dialogues with Balinese community leaders, such as Agung Rai, owner of Bali’s premier art museum and one of the island’s top historians
  • Try your hand at traditional Balinese Legong dance, Gamelan music, and woodcarving with local instructors
  • Explore Bali’s most sacred purification temple
  • Tour the Royal Palace of Peliatan and have dinner with the Prince in his family compound

SHIFTING PERSPECTIVES, ONE EXPERIENCE AT A TIME