The Bali Street Dog
  • Home
  • The Bali Dog & Bali Life
  • The Role of the Bali Dog
  • Culture & Breed Standard
  • Blog
  • Yudhisthira Story
  • Gallery
  • About the Authors
  • Faithful Companions
  • Genetic Parallels
  • Staying Safe Around Dogs
  • The Impact of Rabies
  • Salty A Bali Street Dog Story
  • Contributors
  • About the Logo

Sukawana

11/1/2018

1 Comment

 
Picture
Watching the sun rise over the peak of Mount Batur, waiting for that magical moment when the clouds part and the vast caldera comes into view – is an experience that can make you appreciate just why this entire highlands area is sacred country to the Balinese. The area of Kintamani is the land of Bali Aga.  These Indigenous people of Bali share a sacred bond with their land and its spiritual inhabitants.  Spending time on this country embodies you with a sense of the spirit and energy that is sometimes lost in the shadows of the more famous low-lying kingdoms of Southern Bali (Reuter 2002).  

Heading north from the caldera viewing point, taking the road less travelled by day trippers and scene seekers you come to a narrow, winding roadway, densely lined by forest on both sides.  The gradual ascent steepens suddenly, and rounding a sharp bend, you enter Desa Sukawana, a designated Kintamani pure zone (Madanir 2018).

It is hard not to be taken aback by the number of free roaming, thick coated, short eared, fuzzy tailed Kintamani Dogs. They stroll along the roadside, gather in clusters alongside warungs and lift their muzzles in a threatening growl to the incoming strangers.  In the middle of this village is a large plinth on the top of which sits a stone statue of a Dog.  A plaque reads ‘Banjar Sukawana, Home of the Kintamani Dog’. 

This is believed to be the birth place of the Bali Dog.  It is here, during the twelfth century that King Jaya Pangus built a temple in honour of his beautiful Chinese princess bride, Kang Ching Wei.  He called the area Balingkang to signify the union of the two countries and cultures.   Local mythology describes the Princess bringing her Chinese Chow Chow dogs with her to live in her new home and it is from these dogs that the Kintamani dog has descended (Muthia 2018).  

Genetically, the short haired Bali Street Dog carries DNA markers from the Kintamani, and no one really knows which one came to the Island first (Puja et al. 2005). However, leaving aside the debate about what came first, the Kintamani, or the short haired Bali Dog, this is a place of significance for the Bali Aga and those of us outsiders who admire and respect the Bali Dog be they the short or long haired variety. 

References
​
Madanir, R  2018, Bali's Kintamani Dogs seek global recognition.
https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2018/06/69ec0e60faf0-feature-balis-kintamani-dogs-seek-global-recognition.html

Muthia, R 2018, How Bali’s Chinese were accepted and integrated into island society – in contrast to other parts of Indonesia.
https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/2129683/how-balis-chinese-were-accepted-and-integrated-island-society-contrast

Puja, I, K, Schaffer, A, L, Irion, D, N & Pedersen, N, C 2005, “The Kintamani Dog: Genetic Profile of an Emerging Breed from Bali, Indonesia’, Journal of Heredity , vol.96, no. 7,  pp. 854-859.

Reuter, T 2002,  Custodians of the Sacred Mountains,  Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press .
 

1 Comment
Sooi_dog
11/19/2018 10:46:41 am

wonderful ❤️ I love Bali Dogs - and I find Kintamani quite unique, elusive creatures outside their island -, looking froward day I see someone breeding Bali Dogs and Kintamanis in western side of world, as it’ll get attention to such breeds plight 😊
With much love,
Sooi_dog

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    January 2023
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    May 2022
    January 2022
    September 2021
    August 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    August 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    February 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013

    Categories

    All
    Bali Dogs
    Dog
    Rabies

    RSS Feed

  • Home
  • The Bali Dog & Bali Life
  • The Role of the Bali Dog
  • Culture & Breed Standard
  • Blog
  • Yudhisthira Story
  • Gallery
  • About the Authors
  • Faithful Companions
  • Genetic Parallels
  • Staying Safe Around Dogs
  • The Impact of Rabies
  • Salty A Bali Street Dog Story
  • Contributors
  • About the Logo