Tenganan

TENGANAN is a traditional village in Bali, Indonesia. Before the 1970s was known by anthropologists to be one of the most secluded societies of the archipelago. Rapid changes have occurred in the village since the 70's, such as the development of local communications by the central government, the opening up to tourism, the breaking of the endogamic rules. Tourists are attracted to Tenganan by its unique Bali Aga culture that still holds to the original traditions, ceremonies and rules of ancient Balinese, and its unique village layout and architecture. It is known for its Gamelan selunding music and geringsing double ikat textiles

The descendants of these people call themselves Bali Aga, meaning original Balinese. They lived isolated and independent in the mountains where they found refuge from imperialistic invaders. Hidden in the hills of East Bali lies the village of Tenganan, where the most conservative of the Bali Aga preserve the old traditions with the greatest zeal. 
Tenganan is still an isolated community, socially and economically separated from the rest of Bali. It is shut off from the world by a solid wall that surrounds the entire village. The wall is meant to keep outsiders away, and it is broken by means of four gates, facing north, south, east and west respectively. Within these walls lies a banyan tree surrounded by a low wall of uncut stones, providing the small enclosure for a very sacred temple.

Unlike the rest of the villages in Bali, there is hardly any vegetation around the houses of Tenganan, which are all exactly alike.
They are arranged in rows on each side of stone - paved avenues. In the central place is the council house where the elders meet. This council house is some seventy feet long, strongly built and apparently very old. 
Farther along are other buildings for public use. The dwellings in Tenganan are all exactly the same. 
A flight of steps leads to a small gate which opens into a court where the sleeping - quarters the kitchen, and a long house for storage are all located. There is also a small empty shrine where the spirits may rest when they visit their descendants.

The people of Tenganan are tall and slender in a rather ghostly way with white skins and refined manners. The majority of the men still wear their hair long. They live in a communistic system in which individual ownership of property is not recognized. The village of Tenganan owns enormous tracts of fertile and well - cultivated lands that fill every need of the village and make it one of the richest in the island of Bali.

Houses in Tenganan Pegringsingan village are built on either side of the north to the south concourse with their doors opening on to it. The entrances of the houses are narrow, only allowing one person to enter or leave at any one time. One enters the village through the gate on the southern end. On either side of the entrance are two small temples. 
Across from these is the long balé agung, where the administrative decisions for the village are made. Next to that is the drum tower (kul-kul). The kul-kul is beaten 21 times each morning to start the day.Up the center are a series of communal pavilions (balé banjar) for formal and informal meetings, ceremonial gatherings. At the northern end is the village temple Pura Puseh, the temple of origin

source http://www.balitourism.nl/tengananeng.htm