[Flaptekst]: In Bali as in Fryslân, the typical, old, regional cultural situation may be dened as a minority culture in relation to the national state of which they are part. In both regions, typical cultural manifestation nds its origin in unique, circumstantial development. However, some remarkable dierences may be observed in the way primary identity was forged and founded in Bali and in Fryslân. A particular dierence is to be found in the roles of religion and language: in Bali, religion and tradition constitute primary cultural identity, while in Fryslân, language and history are the most important identity markers.