Bitter Honey

Himself - Polygamist:
Maybe I was fated to be with many wives. Or maybe it is due to a supernatural force. Maybe in a past life, I helped a lot of people.

Himself - Polygamist:
I am worried... I have been harsh with my wives and children. But it would be hard to stop completely. It's hereditary. Or it might be my karma.

Herself - Sadra's First Wife:
I didn't accept him taking another wife, not at all. He is the one who wanted to... "I did not want to be made into a co-wife at all, not at all. He is the one who wanted it... I tried to prevent it. I wasn't happy about him taking a second wife. But she was already pregnant, so what could I do? [... ] My heart is really in pain seeing them together. And I have been beaten black and blue... like a thief.

Herself - Sadra's Second Wife:
I took the risk, and so I had to take responsibility. I wasn't angry. I accepted it.

Himself - Polygamist:
It was my goal to have many wives as possible, so that I could have a lively household. The important thing is that everyone gets along.

Herself - Darma's First Wife:
He kept pressing for another wife and I didn't agree. But I thought if we got divorced, I might have to give up the children. The most important thing was that I could keep the children... Now, no one decides what I do. I'm the king.

Herself - Darma's Second Wife:
Because he has more than one wife, I can go wherever I want.

Herself - Darma's Third Wife:
Before I had children, I was not happy. I was sad and became very thin. But I then I got used to it. I don't feel jealous of anyone any more. He loves me, I love him, that's all that matters.

Herself - Darma's Fourth Wife:
The night he took me to his house, I cried and asked to let me go home. He brought me here and had me guarded outside. The next day, the head of the village came and somehow the marriage certificate was already signed. [... ] When a woman's husband wants her, she should be happy right? In my case, I'm smiling on the outside, but crying in my heart. Now I'm just afraid of him, but I hide it.

Herself - Darma's Fifth Wife:
I never asked, and he never told me. I just went along with things. By the time my friend told me he was already married, we had already been intimate. When we were dating, I was happy to be with him. My suffering started when I found out he already had many wives.

Herself - Women's Rights Lawyer:
Polygamy is complex in Bali... When a woman in a village is widowed, mentally ill, an outcast, or promiscuous, she would be eager to be a co-wife, in order to save her family name, and her own name as well. In these cases, polygamy can be seen as a kind of heroic act.

Himself - Anthropologist:
According to me... the law is very unfair. It treats men and women very differently.