2 of 6: Balinese Naming

The Balinese can be called by 6 different names: personal names, birth order names, kinship, teknonyms, caste names and public job titles.

Birth order is extremely important to the Balinese and it's reflected in a person's name. The first born is called Wayan (why-en), with "I" (ee) and "NI" (knee) added at the beginning depending on gender. So a first-born male would be called I-Wayan (ee-why-en) while his wife might be called Ni-Wayan (knee-why-en).

The birth-order names are:

1st born: Wayan, Gede or Putu.
2nd born: Made, Nengah or Kadek.
3rd born: Nyoman or Komang.
4th born: Ketut.

Then the whole cycle starts over with "Balik" (which means "again") added to the name. So the fifth-born child is called Wayan Balik (or "Wayan again").

This naming system is used until a person's first child is born - then their teknonym (child+name) starts to be used. From that point on they are called "Mem (Mother of X)" or "Pan (Father of X)". This teknonym is used until the first grandchild is born, at which point they will be called "Grandmother of Y" or "Grandfather of Y".

So - are you a Wayan, a Made, a Nyoman, a Ketut, a Pan or a Mem?

And you thought the Balnese three calendar system was complex. These names don't even take into account the FOUR other ways that a person can be called!

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