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Potong gigi Potong gigi, also known as mesangih or mepandes,[1] is a form of ritual body modification of adolescents, typically teenagers, in parts of Bali that involves the filing of the canine teeth.[2] Traditional Balinese belief states that "protruding canines represent the animal-like nature of human beings";[3] the purpose of the ritual is to sever ties with these animal instincts and show others that the individual is old enough to marry.[4] Considered a generational ritual, parents of adolescents performing it consider it their "final duty" in being a parent before their child becomes an adult.[4] Reasons adolescents take part in the ceremony are mixed, as they must take into consideration the impacts of globalization with traditional Balinese ritual.[5] References
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