Clifford Geertz

      Clifford Geertz made a trip to Bali with his wife for anthropological studies. When he first got there, the Balinese acted like he didn’t even exist. They weren’t mean to him they just ignored him. This continued until they were at a local cockfight, which is illegal, that got busted up by the police. All the locals scattered and ran away, so they did to. This gained the respect of the locals and the locals welcomed them into their town. 


     Geertz goes into the details of Balinese cockfighting. He talks about a man's relationship with his cock, and how intimate it is. He talks about how the fight is run as far as the participants, the match up process, the timing mechanism, the so-called referee, and even the betting process. 


    He learns through his time in Bali, that the cockfights hold more meaning than just making money. They hold deep cultural meaning to the Balinese. It helps define people's social status and gives them a chance to earn pride. It displays their loyalty as a people. Everyone bets on the cock that is owned by their kin. It is more of a social battle than a battle between the cocks. Geertz concludes that cockfighting is the center point of Balinese culture and where all anthropologists wishing to learn more about them should start.