FHOTO GALLERY
Subak
Building Bonding between Humans and Nature
An aerial photo of Subak Jatiluwih - Pong47/shutterstock.com A statue in Subak Jatiluwih - Sanatana/shutterstock.com
V
I
isiting again an area of rice fields
which cover Ujung Kulon National Park,
with a the Subak Irrigation System
Banten (1991), Komodo National Park,
in Jatiluwih Village, Penebel
NTT (1991), Lorentz National Park, Papua
District, Tabanan Regency, Bali Province
(1999), and Sumatran Tropical Rain Forest
really refreshes the mind. How are you,
(2004). Subak expert Wayan Windia once
subak? Seems to be holding up. We
said that in order to maintain subak
know that Subak is one of eight world
consistently, awig-awig was needed,
heritage sites belonging to Indonesia
namely the basic subak regulations
that are listed in UNESCO. The eight sites
that prohibited the conversion of rice
include four world cultural heritages,
fields that were mutually agreed by
namely the Borobudur Temple Complex
the members of the subak who were
(established in 1991), the Prambanan
involved. The Pekaseh or the head of
Temple Complex (1991), the Sangiran
the subak must be consistent. As long
Early Human Site (1996), and the Cultural
as there is subak, there is still emotional
Landscape of Bali Province: The Subak
bonding between humans and their
System as a Manifestation of Tri Hita
nature. If subak converts functions, then
Karana’s Philosophy (2012). The other
the bonding disappears.
four sites are world natural heritage sites
(Syefri Luwis)
80 INDONESIANA VOL. 13, 2022
Enjoying subak from the side of a dining table - Syefri Luwis
