This journey allowed our group of photographers to experience the broad range of Indonesian culture and traditions. We saw performances of the devotional Rejang dance at two villages, met a master mask maker, witnessed the purification of roosters before their combat, witnessed a spectacular Fire Horse dance at night, photographed Tengger horsemen at dawn in the highlands around Mount Bromo, witnessed the creation of beautiful Batik cloth, visited an artist creating Wayang puppets, visited an craft shop to see the making of hand painted decorative umbrellas, watched performers make up, dress and perform striking Tobong Opera, and watched blacksmiths create the famed Kris dagger.
Bali and Java offer an opportunity to fully experience the Indonesian culture, lived out by diverse tribes living a quiet, harmonious existence. Daily life relies heavily on gotong royong (mutual cooperation) and mufakat (consensus-building), keeping social ties strong across villages and neighborhoods.
