Bengkala villagers live happily in a silent world

Alpha Savitri, Contributor, Buleleng, North Bali

Among all the villages in Bali, Bengkala village is probably the quietest.

Located some 14 kilometers from Singaraja in North Bali, the village is home to many deaf-mute people, who communicate in sign language.

According to an official of the village administrative office I Wayan Rupaka, from around 2,000 residents living in the village, many of them are deaf and mute, as were their parents.

A study on people in the village by an Australian researcher a few years back found that a genetic disorder was the main cause behind the large number of deaf-mute people in Bengkala village.

The local villagers call these people Kolok and name them accordingly, for example: Kolok Wayan, Kolok Made and so on.

Another expert, Dr. Aucky Hinting of Airlanggga University's biomedical department in Surabaya, East Java, said the cause might be genetic mutation.

The doctor said there are two kinds of genetic deafness -- syndromic deafness and non-syndromic deafness. Aucky has concluded that the Bengkala villagers might suffer from non- syndromic deafness, which has no other concurrent physical disability like blindness.

"It is probable that genetic mutation is the cause of the high number of deaf-mute people in Bengkala, but precise examinations and tests must be carried out to reveal this," the doctor said.

In Bengkala, it is common to find a family where all members of the family are deaf and mute.

Kolok I Wayan Sandi, 50, and Kolok Ni Wayan Gading, 46, have four children and grandchildren who are all deaf and mute.

One of their children, Kolok Ni Wayan Sariyanti, 16, is lucky. A donor provided a scholarship for her to study at a special school for the disabled in Denpasar, some 90 kilometers from her village.

"I want to become a teacher for deaf-mute children in my language," Kolok Sriyanti said in sign language, interpreted by I Wayan Rupaka.

The sign language used by Bengkala villagers is very specific, different from the international sign language taught at special schools worldwide.

The girl even has her future planned. Kolok Sriyanti said she wanted to get married when she reached 30 years old.

"I want to marry a Kolok (deaf-mute) man because we are in the same boat. A normal man might cheat people like us," she said.

Kolok people actually mingle very well with others in the village. "Kolok people are part of banjar (traditional village council) members with similar rights and obligations here," I Wayan Rupaka said.

In real life, there is no discrimination against the Kolok people. Many of them are married to people who do not have speech or hearing disabilities. "However, many Kolok people still feel inferior when married to normal individuals," he explained.

Kolok Sudarma, 23, married another Kolok woman Ni Nyoman Pindu, 28. Now, they have two children, both of them are also deaf and mute. "Hyang Widhi (God) has given me everything -- happiness and enjoyment. My wife and children are happy," Kolok Sudarma said.

Economic reasons are another factor why a Kolok man would choose to marry a fellow Kolok woman. "If I marry a normal woman, I have to hold a series of ceremonies that require a huge amount of money, which I don't have. If I marry a Kolok woman, our traditions and customs do not require us to carry out an elaborate wedding ceremony," he explained.

Kolok Ni Cening Sukesti, 32, a mother of three deaf-mute children, even had a momentous experience in Australia when she attended an international meeting for deaf-mute people in Australia in l999. There, she shared experiences with participants from around the world.

"I learned there that we could advance in education and other fields if we have the courage and the will to achieve," Sukesti said.

She sent her children to the special school for the disabled in Denpasar. "I want my children to have adequate education for their future," she said.

Another participant attending the conference in Australia, Kolok Sumendra, did not return to Bengkala. There, he met an Australian girl who later became his second wife.

"Now he has two beautiful and normal daughters," said Ni Ketut Rentiani, Kolok Sumendra's first daughter from his first wife who died several years ago.

Ni Ketut Rentiani, a high school student in Singaraja, said her father was now happy living in Australia.

"A few years ago, he returned home to Bengkala and brought his new family to the village. We are happy for him," she said.