Sailors, Traders, and Neighbors

Trade, Marriage, and Identity in Kampung Bugis, Singaraja Bali

In the last post on the Bugis, I wrote that I would add some information about the culture of the Bugis who arrived in North Bali. This post summarizes the information in from the first section of Chapter 2 of the Migration and the Role of the Bugis in Kampung Bugis Buleleng 1815-1946 by I Nyoman Mardika.

Bugis Arrival and Economic Contributions

The arrival of the Bugis people as a new social group did not harm the people or the kingdom of Buleleng—on the contrary, it benefited the kingdom and the local rulers. With the arrival of the Bugis, who possessed trading expertise, trade at the Buleleng port came to be fully managed by the syahbandar (harbor master).

Among the trade items that the Bugis brought to the Balinese kingdoms were spices like cloves, nutmeg, and sandalwood; textiles; weapons, including the use of Bugis as mercenaries and allies; salt and fish products; and slaves.

Islam as a Cultural Marker

In its development— after the Bugis people arrived in Bali, and specifically in Kampung Bugis, Buleleng—the Islamic religion they practiced became the main factor distinguishing the Bugis from the Balinese. The arrival of the Bugis in Kampung Bugis (Buleleng), along with the way of life they brought from their place of origin, led to several changes in population numbers. These population changes had an impact on other sectors such as the social, economic, and political spheres, while the cultural element that accompanied them in this case was Islam.

Islam is a deeply rooted cultural factor among the Bugis people. In essence, Islam was spread through various channels, including trade, marriage, Sufism (tasawuf), education in the form of pesantren (Islamic boarding schools), architecture, sculpture, dance, music, and literature. Regarding the spread of Islam in Kampung Bugis, Buleleng, it appears that trade played the most dominant role. This can be seen from the fact that Bugis settlements were established near the coast. The spread of Islam through trade contacts tended to be more personal in nature, as coastal communities are generally more dynamic and open. The spread of Islam via coastal routes was supported by colonial government reports from the time, which noted that in some coastal villages of the kingdom, some residents had converted to Islam as a result of their interactions with Bugis traders along the shore.

Intermarriage and the Pasuwara

In addition to trade, the spread of Islam in Kampung Bugis was also significantly carried out through intermarriage—that is, marriages between the Bugis and people from Bali, Java, Madura, and other regions. Interethnic marriages essentially made it easier to build closer relationships and foster harmonious living with the local population. In this regard, intermarriage was widely practiced by the Bugis community in Kampung Bugis (Buleleng). In fact, such intermarriage had long existed in Bali. A pasuwara (traditional decree or regulation) stated that if a Bugis or Chinese man eloped with a Balinese girl or widow—and likewise if a Balinese man eloped with a Bugis girl or widow—a fine of 1,400 kepeng (traditional currency) would be imposed.

The term pasuwara refers to a traditional decree, proclamation, or legal edict, typically issued by a king (raja) or local ruler (pengelingsir) within the sociopolitical structure of Bali's pre-colonial and early colonial periods. These edicts functioned as part of the local governance system, particularly within the kerajaan (kingdom) framework, and were a key instrument in regulating social conduct, enforcing customary norms (adat), and managing interactions between different ethnic or social groups within the kingdom’s territory.

In regards to intermarriage between Bugis and Balinese—the pasuwara functioned as a mechanism for regulating the boundaries of acceptable conduct between ethnic groups while also offering a means of integration. The imposition of a fine (1,400 kepeng, which would have been Chinese copper coins used in Balinese markets) signals both a deterrent and a form of social negotiation: elopement wasn’t forbidden, but it had to be mediated through formal, compensatory channels. This allowed the kingdom to maintain symbolic authority over such unions while pragmatically accommodating the social realities of interethnic interaction.

A pasuwara can be considered as a kind of local social contract—binding but flexible, hierarchical but negotiable, and inherently performative. It’s a rich symbol of how Bali has historically managed pluralism, long before the arrival of modern Indonesian state law.

Education and Religious Spread

Education is also a channel that can be used in the process of spreading Islam. This can be seen in the establishment of Muhammadiyah in Singaraja (Buleleng) in 1939, in which several Bugis individuals played a role, with one of the key figures being Anang Ramli. Over time, this educational path came to play a significant role, especially in contributing to the advancement of national education after Indonesia achieved independence.

Language, Customs, and Architecture

A common practice among the Bugis when they migrated to a new region was to bring with them the ideas and cultural elements from their place of origin, which gave them distinct characteristics—such as their language and customs. The Bugis language has long served as a tool of communication and has traditionally been used in all areas of cultural life, including the spread of religion, trade, agriculture, and literary knowledge.

When the Bugis first settled in Kampung Bugis, they still used the Bugis language for everyday communication. However, as they began to integrate with other ethnic groups such as the Javanese, Madurese, Balinese, and others, the use of the Bugis language gradually declined. In fact, since Indonesia's independence, most Bugis people no longer speak the Bugis language. They now mostly use Indonesian in their daily interactions.

The same pattern applies to customs, such as the architectural style of their homes. Bugis houses traditionally have a distinctive form—namely, the rumah panggung (stilt house). In the early days, many such houses could still be found in Kampung Bugis, but over time their number has dwindled, and now only one remains.

According to Raden Sasrawidjaja who wrote about the Bugis in Kampung Bugis in 1871 when he visited there, the houses of the Bugis who came to Bali had three parts: an upper house under the roof called the Rakkaang where grain, other food supplies and family heirlooms were stored, unmarried girls from the nobility also lived in this section of the house; the second part of the house, the Ale Bola, consisted of rooms that were used for living, such as bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining room and a receiving room; the third part, the Awa Bola , was used for livestock, farming gear or fishing gear.

Geography and Population

The original geographic boundaries of Kampung Bugis were unclear because there were no firm agreements on borders at this time, but after Indonesia won independence the boundaries of Kampung Bugis were the Java Sea to the north, Tukad Buleleng to the east, Kampung Anyar to the west and Banjar Bali to the south. The population of Kampung Bugis in 1823 was estimated to be around 2,000 residents. The current population is around 3,300.

Economic Life in Kampung Bugis

Kampung Bugis was ideally located for the Bugis people because it is situated along the beach close to the center of the town of Singaraja. It is also adjacent to to the customs port of Buleleng. Because this customs port was busy and visited regularly by ships, it was an ideal location for the Bugis who were skilled in trading activities. Also, due to Kampung Bugis' relatively small, narrow boundaries and sandy soil, farming was not an option as an economic activity. So, the Bugis traded as their main means of livelihood with fishing as a secondary source of income or food. the Bugis were known for their trading ability because of their tradition of sailing and dominating inter-island trade prior to the Dutch intrusion into the islands.

Next post: The Dutch Capture of Buleleng