Bengkala villagers live happily in a silent world

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.