BACK TO BLACK

The population of Bali’s black pigs are declining. But, there are farmers, butchers and chefs who insist on reviving it.

- EVE TEDJA

With its protruding eyes, large red snout, black bristling hair, and four sharp tusks, the four-legged Barong Bangkal menacingly patrols the streets. One could hear it coming from afar because the black boar-shaped Barong is accompanied by a troupe of gamelan instrument players. The loud kendang’s dumdum and kepyak’s céngcéng sounds are mixed with giggles from the team of children and teenagers.

In many villages in Bali, twice a year, between Galungan and Kuningan holidays, the troupe would go around their village, to ward off evil spirits, diseases and negative energy in a dance ritual called Ngelawang. In return, the enthusiastic entertainers would be given some pocket money by grateful residents or shop owners.

Apart from being a symbol of god’s spirit, Barong Bangkal is a testament of the Balinese’s ancestral wisdom about the superior quality of the black pig. Why is it superior?

Traditionally raised for ceremonial purpose or as the family’s emergency saving, the black pig or babi hitam is casually left to forage on its own or being given a diet made of whatever is available. A research done by Budaarsa K, et al. The Exploration of Traditional Bali Pig’s Feed Composition stated that “…it endures hardship well, requires less water, is able to survive despite being fed a little, and suitable to be raised in a dry land. The pigs are usually left under the care of the women in Balinese villages as ‘tatakan banyu’ or a repository of kitchen leftovers. The pig feeds on whatever its owner can afford to give”.