Bengkala

Bengkala, a small village tucked away in the jungles of Bali, is a demographic anomaly. Of a total 3,000 people, 40% are Deaf. Their condition is linked to a recessive gene that’s been passed down through seven generations. Rather than ostracize Deaf community members, the people of Bengkala created Kata Kolok, a distinctly local sign language that’s spoken by 80 percent of the population.