The Baduy tribe is one of the tribes in Indonesia who
live in Kanekes Village, Lebak District, Lebak Regency, Banten Province (one of
the provinces on the island of Java). It
is about 120 km from Jakarta (the capital city of Indonesia). They live in a remote area on Mount Kendeng,
so getting to that area also takes a relatively longer time and a strenuous
road. And to explore Kanekes Village
with an area of 5130.8 hectares, we have to walk, because there is no means
of transportation. Historically, the
Baduy people are part of the Sundanese tribe, namely the indigenous people of
West Java Province and Banten Province, the language they use is also
Sundanese. It is estimated that they
moved to this remote area on Mount Kendeng in the 16th century, along with the
collapse of the Pajajaran Kingdom. In
the past, before Islam entered Indonesia and Java, the influence of Hinduism
and Buddhism was very strong, including the Kingdom of Pajajaran. In 1579 Islam came to destroy Pajajaran and
the people there converted to Islam.
There is a group of people who refuse to convert to Islam, then they
move and isolate themselves. The group
was later called the Baduy Tribe.
Baduy or Kanekes people are a group of Sundanese
indigenous people in the Lebak Regency, Banten.
The term "Baduy" is a term given by outsiders to these
community groups, starting with the term Dutch researchers who seem to equate
them with the Arab Badawi group, which is a nomadic society. Another possibility is the existence of the
Baduy River and Mount Baduy in the northern part of the area. They themselves prefer to call themselves as
urang Kanekes or "people Kanekes" according to the name of their
region, or a designation that refers to the name of their village such as Urang
Cibeo.[1]
For this, according to the beliefs they profess, the
Kanekes people or the Baduy tribe claim to be descended from Batara Cikal, one
of the seven gods or batara who were sent to earth. The origin is often associated with the
Prophet Adam as the first ancestor. According
to their belief, Adam and his descendants including Kanekes residents have the
task of asceticism or ascetic "mandita" to maintain world harmony.[2]
Opinions about the origin of the Kanekes people differ from those of
historians, who base their opinion by synthesizing some historical evidence in
the form of recorded inscriptions. the
journey of Portuguese and Chinese sailors, as well as folklore about the
"Tatar Sunda" which is quite minimal in existence. The Kanekes people were associated with the
Sunda Kingdom, which before its collapse in the 16th century was centered in
Pakuan Pajajaran "around present-day Bogor" before the establishment
of the Sultanate of Banten, this area of the western tip of the island of
Java was an important part of the Sunda Kingdom. The Baduy people who until now still inhabit
the upstream area of the Ciujung River on Mount Kendeng. These differences of opinion lead to the
allegation that in the past, their identity and history were deliberately
concealed, perhaps to protect the Baduy community itself from attacks by the
Pejajaran enemies.
Van Tricht, a doctor who had conducted medical
research in 1928, denied this theory.
According to him, the Baduy are natives of the area who have a strong
resistance to influence. The Baduy
themselves also refuse to say that they came from refugees from Pejajaran, the
capital of the Sunda Kingdom.
According to Danasasmita and Djatisunda "1986:
4-5" Baduy people are local residents who are officially designated as
mandala "holy areas" by the king, because the residents are obliged
to maintain the kebuyutan "place of worship of ancestors or
ancestors", not Hinduism or Buddhism.
Kebuyutan in this area is known as kabuyutan Jati Sunda or "Sunda
Asli" or Sunda Wiwitan "Wiwitan = original, origin, tree,
teak". That's why their original
religion was given the name Sunda Wiwitan4. It is said that around the XI and
XII centuries the Kingdom of Pajajaran controlled the entire Pasundan land, namely
from Banten, Bogor, Priangan to Cirebon, at that time the king was PRABU
BRAMAIYA MAISATANDRAMAN with the title
PRABU SILIWANGI. Then around the XV century with the entry of the
teachings of Islam which was developed by Gujarat merchants from Saudi Arabia
and Wali Songo in this case was SUNAN GUNUNG JATI from Cirebon, from the North
Coast to the south of the Banten area, so that the power of the King increasingly squeezed and fragile because
many people are converting to Islam.
Finally the king along with senopati and the loyal ponggawa left the
palace into the wilderness towards the south and followed the upstream of the
river, they left their place of origin with determination as stated in the
Baduy ceremonial rhyme "far teu puguh nu dijugjug, leumpang teu puguhnu
diteang, malipir dina escarpment,
protecting in the mountains, it's better to stay calm, lara jeung wiring,
suddenly you have to play the war, jeung paduduluran nu saturunan or jeung
baraya nu is still cool sa wangatua "Meaning: far uncertain where to go
(Jugjug), walking aimlessly, walking on the edge of a cliff, hiding behind mountain, it is better to be ashamed and
humiliated than to have to go to war with relatives or family who are still a
descendant "These descendants who now live in the village of Cibeo (Baduy
Dalam) with the following characteristics: white clothes made by hand (sangsang
clothes), headband white, wearing a dark
blue sarong (self-woven) to above the knee, and has a jaran appearance g speak (as necessary) but be friendly,
strong against customary law, not easily influenced, strong and wise.
Now the designation for the Baduy tribe consists of:
1. Inner
Baduy tribe which means Baduy tribe who live in Tiga Tangtu (Kepuunan namely
Cibeo, Cikeusik and Cikertawana.
2. The
Panamping Baduy tribe means the Baduy tribe who live outside Tangtu who occupy
27 villages in Kanekes village which are still bound by customary law under the
leadership of Puuun (customary head).
3. The
Muslim Baduy tribe, namely the Baduy tribe who have been resettled and have
followed the teachings of Islam and their behavior has begun to follow the
outside community and no longer follows customary law.
The belief held by the Baduy Tribe or the Kanekes
community itself is often called Sunda Wiwitan which is based on ancestor
worship (animism), but is growing and influenced by other religions such as
Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism. However,
the essence of the belief itself is indicated by absolute customary provisions
with the existence of "pikukuh" (compliance) with the concept of no
change as little as possible or without any change.
The most important object of belief for the Kanekes
community is in the form of the Domas statue, the Baduy community itself keeps
the location of the statue a secret because it is considered the most
sacred. Baduy people visit this location
and perform worship once a year in the month of Kalima. Only the highest customary leader of the puun
and his entourage who were elected can join the worship group. In the area of the statue there is a
lumping stone which is believed to be full when worshiping the stone, it is a
sign that it will rain often and the harvest will be successful, and vice
versa, if it is dry or watery, it is a sign that the harvest will fail.
[1] Y
Garna, Masyarakat Baduy Di Banten, Dalam
Masyarakat Terasing Di Indonesia, ed. Koentjaraningrat & Simorangkir,
4th ed. (Jakarta: Departemen Sosial dan Dewan Nasional Indonesia untuk
Kesejahteraan Sosial dengan Gramedia Pustaka Utama, 1993).
[2] Shamis
Setiawan, “Sejarah Suku Baduy,” Guru
Pendidikan, last modified 2021,
https://www.gurupendidikan.co.id/suku-baduy-definisi-asal-usul-kepercayaan-bahasa-mata%02pencaharian/.
