Preserving Prophet Adam's legacy in West Java

KANEKES, West Java (JP): We just want to preserve Prophet Adams legacy, Sadim said flatly.

Although the 25-year old Sadim was trying to smile, the effort did not seem to change his expression.

Sadim is serious. He is not just referring to the Outer Baduys tradition of wearing headbands and plain white shirts, or why they dont smoke or use modern goods like radios, televisions, clocks or tables and chairs. Sadim is also referring to the way the Baduy cultivate their fields.

For the 20,000 people living in Kenekes village, farming is not only a matter of earning a living. To them farming is a way to protect Prophet Adams legacy. Cultivating their 5,000 hectares of hilly land is part of the daily ritual. The Baduy, for example, continued to go to their farms throughout the recent dry season although it was impossible for them to plant any crops. If there is no work to do, they usually gather in their huts to chat.

The Baduy do not base their farming system on the cycle of the seasons. They begin or end their farming activities based on supernatural guidelines from their Puun (spiritual leaders). They will plant rice seedlings in the middle of the dry season sensing that the seeds will grow if their spiritual leaders say so.

Magic

Before every farming step they hold a ceremony. The Puun will read magic formulas, called Ubaran, to make their rice grow well. The Baduy also ban the use of fertilizers or pesticides, astutely believing that the chemicals may ruin the earth.

They dont plant any newly developed varieties of rice. The Baduy have 40 varieties of long leaf paddy which are planted once a year. The long leaf rice is easily tied up in bundles for the Sunda Wiwitan religious ceremony.

Sunda Wiwitan is the belief observed by people in West Java before the invasion of Islam. It is a combination of ancient Hinduism and shamanism, according to Ukke Ruk-mini Kosasih, an anthropologist from the University of Indonesia who has been studying the Baduy since 1990.

The religion relates not only to their farming system, but also distinguishes them from Urang Are (outsiders).

Territory

Clear-cut borders are very important to the Baduy because they dont wish to meddle in the affairs of people outside their territory. That is why they are often called an isolated tribe even though they live so close to Jakarta. The Indonesian Ministry for Social Affairs has officially named them indigenous people, even though there is no certain criteria for this.

The Baduy of course have their own reasons for isolating themselves. According to Baduy mythology, Prophet Adam and Prophet Muhammad (unlike in Islam, the Baduy believe that the prophets were brothers, living in the same period of time) agreed that Muhammad and his descendants would be responsible for the affairs of the world. Adam and his people, namely the Baduy, would be responsible for maintaining contact with Mandita (the super natural world). This agreement was aimed at balancing the universe.

The Baduy never question anything that happens outside their region. They also dont care about who leads the world outside the Kenekes village. In the Dutch colonial era, the Baduy were faintly familiar with the names Queen Alminah and Queen Liana (Wilhelmia and Juliana).

But we never felt that they colonized us. The Dutch and Japanese never entered Kene-kes. According to our belief, we wouldnt allow them on our land because they are not circumcised, said 72 year-old Nasinah who lives in the outer village of Gajeboh.

Ambivalence

Because they dont care about what happens in the rest of the world, let alone the country, certain politicians have used the Baduys ambivalence to win seats for their political party. In Kenekes, Golkar has won 100 percent of the votes in every election held there.

What can we do? They say their choice is up to the government which is responsible for world affairs, asserted Jumar, deputy head of Leuwi Damar subdistrict from his office in Ciboleger.

Such things never bother the Baduy. They concentrate on preserving Prophet Adams legacy.

Their belief in Prophet Adam stems from Banten, which was one of the centers of Islam in West Java.

There is a theory that the Baduy are descendants of Pajajaran soldiers who ran away from the soldiers of Syekh Maulana Hasanuddin, the king of Banten. Hasanuddins soldiers were spreading Islamic teachings to the region in 12th century. The Pajajaran soldiers were overcome by their pursuers near the Cisimeut river (from Hasanuddins words Samet dieu bae, meaning stop here). However, King Pucuk Umun who led the Pajajaran soldiers refused to convert to Islam.

King

King Hasanuddin did not force him, but based on the Islamic tradition, the losers were obliged to pay offerings to King Hasanuddin. This practice is still observed. Every year the Baduy pay seba (offerings) to Bapak Gede the Lebak Regent. There is no authenticated evidence or written work to support this tale.

There is another story that the Baduy originated form Kenekes who refused to assimilate or mix with outsiders.

Effort

They use Islamic names such as Adam and Muhammad. They also use the Islamic calendar which is based on the rotation of the moon. The use of the Islamic names and calendar is not a matter of religious syncretism, but is just an effort by the Baduy to avoid conflict with the mostly Moslem Bantens.

Conflict, however, seems unavoidable. The problems be-tween the Baduy people and Urang Are are not merely religious, but can be sparked by more concrete issues like economics.

For example, in mid September a problem came up. The Baduy were accused of destroying a water reservoir on their land. Previously, their leader had protested the building of the modern dam to the Kenekes village head. The dam used by people in Ciboleger is believed to be a violation of Baduy law.

Jumar, the deputy head of the subdistrict, shook his head. Why do they protest now, but not when the dam was constructed six months ago? asked the 51 year-old Jumar.

The problem is a direct result of the prolonged dry season. The water reservoir, which was previously a simple pond, had become a luxury only enjoyed by outsiders. Destroying it was a way for the Baduy to share their misery during the dry season. The argument that the reservoir broke their laws may have been a way to hide their jealousy. Such conflicts occur more and more often.

New traditional laws are introduced as an official way for the Baduy leaders to protect their interests from being effected by the development going on in the surrounding areas.

The spiritual and other Baduy leaders are aware that all sides including the government and the tourist industry have an interest in continuing Baduy traditional practices. This will help keep the Prophet Adams legacy intact.