Towards a Baduy-troika

Towards a Baduy-troika

The Baduy of West Java have so far been able to resist outside
influences and hold strongly to their age-old traditions. This
may not be the case in the future, especially since its youths
find it hard not to be tempted by so-called modernism. The
Jakarta Post contributors Diah Purnomowati and Ivan Haris and
photographer Rully Kesuma tell of their recent trip to the land
of the Baduy in the following story and four others on page 7.

KANEKES, West Java (JP): Billy Joel whispers River of Dreams
from a small transistor radio as soft candle-light bathes three
huge posters of Rambo brandishing a machine gun, a blonde in a
bikini, and a map of Indonesia in the corner of the bamboo hut.

It will be embarrassing if its too loud, said Sarpin, 25, the
house owner, moving the coveted radio even closer to him.

Shame is only one reason why he keeps the volume down. The
fact is, radios are included among the Baduys list of forbidden
items.

In this hilly area at the foot of Mount Kendeng, a total of
5,686 families still uphold hundreds of buyut (taboos) set out in
the Baduys pikukuh. The pikukuh are the quatrains which guide the
Baduy in farming and in how they treat the environment.

All the Baduys in the three inner hamlets of Cibeo,
Cikatawarna and Cikeusik strictly observe the traditions and
taboos. The 600 families in these villages are called the Baduy
Jero (Inner Baduy).

The Inner Baduy always wear coarse black outfits and white
headbands. Other colors are taboo. They also have to
un-questionably observe hundreds of other rules. Anyone who
breaks the taboos is punished either verbally or by expulsion.

The Inner Baduy produce almost all of their daily needs with
their own hands. Modern utensils are haram, or forbidden. If they
use a ceramic bowl, for example, it must not have any motifs or
brightly colored. They use bamboo for mugs and light the simple
houses coconut-oil lamps.

Monogamy is a strongly guarded tradition. If the tribal chief
loses his wife to death, he will automatically resign and appoint
his successor.

However, the Inner Baduy are familiar with money. They are
even allowed to engage in business transactions. Vendors from
Ciboleger often come to offer them ice and sweets, but the Inner
Baduy are not allowed to act as brokers. Selling things which
they have not produced themselves is a serious offense.

If they want to venture outside the Kanekes area, they must
ask permission from their chiefs and must be accompanied by one
of the chiefs messengers, called jaro tangtu.

More freedom

The inner hamlets are the center of all the Baduys spiritual
activities. The Baduy living outside the three hamlets are called
the Baduy Penamping (Outer Baduy). The number of their villages
increases every year, the latest number is 44.

Basically, as descendants of Batara Tunggal they are bound by
the same taboos, but the Outer Baduy have more freedom. They are
allowed to wear colorful clothes provided they are not too
bright. Blue is acceptable but red and yellow, except in the form
of small dots, are out of question.

Unlike the Inner Baduy, the Outer Baduy can engage in trade
and own glass ware. The glass, however, never lasts long because
once a year the chiefs launch a raid against such items. Usually
they announce that a raid is imminent and if, in a week, the
Baduy fail to clear their houses of the items, the chiefs take
action.

Once the announcement is made, the Outer Baduy hide the
prohibited items around their farms or in the forest that
surrounds their homes.

Still, the chiefs always find them, assured Sarpin.

This is because the chiefs and their faithful guards come in
the afternoon, when everyone is working in their fields. On
returning home, they find all their glass wares crushed under
stones or thrown into the river.

Its all right. I buy them again when I have money, explained a
smiling Sarpin, stroking his radio fondly. He never tires of
buying modern things, even if they only end up being destroyed by
the chiefs.

Risks

The outside world does lure many people in the tribe,
especially now that more villagers in Ciboleger have purchased
television sets. The Baduy often take the time to stop by
Ciboleger to watch the magic glass box on their way home from
their fields. As a matter of fact, the Baduy arent ignorant of
world affairs.

The Gulf War was a hot topic here, Ukke Rukmini Kosasih, an
anthropologist who has been studying the Baduy for the past four
years, explained.

Even with the lure of the modern world right outside their
homes, the Baduy are aware of the risks they face if they decide
to abandon their tribe.

I want to leave here, but whats the use if that means I have
to sleep under a bridge? asked Sarpin. He quoted a Baduy saying
which states that only crazy Baduy will convert to Islam abandon
their tribe and the taboos and live in poverty.

For the elderly Outer Baduy, the saying is enough to make them
stop thinking of joining life outside their tribe. Not for the
young ones. Today many of them are not only working in the fields
but are also earning money by selling cloth koja bags made from
tree bark and also durian.

When I have enough money I want to move to Jakarta, Sarpin
confessed, half whispering.

Sarpin is serious. Aside from selling the cloth, he is also
learning to read and write. Going to school is another violation.

It is, however, difficult for the Baduy to avoid changes. Even
before the Leuwi Damar to Ciboleger road was opened, the area had
been visited by hundreds of outsiders. Many were holiday makers,
others were re-searchers. Several months ago, for example, a
crosscountry rally was held in the area around Gajeboh and Kadu
Ketug. Such endeavors making the Baduy a tourist attraction.

The most difficult tourists to deal with are those who come to
see the chiefs. Most of them are from the city and want some
magic formula to ensure an easy life, good business, a husband or
wife or a promotion.

The chiefs cannot refuse such requests because it is one of
their duties to help others.

The main problem is that the people give the chiefs money in
return for their supernatural service. The rate is between Rp
5,000 and Rp 10,000 for a talisman or a magic formula. No wonder
there are now young people from Ciboleger or other villages
around Kanekes who offer their services as guides. The locals
call them brokers.

The guides also serve as assistants to the chiefs during the
ceremony. They offer the visitors a small white bag to wrap the
taliman for the special price of Rp 500 or Rp 1,000. The chiefs
set aside some of the money they receive for the guides.

We cannot send them away. They are visitors and we have to
respect them, Sadim said of the guides, although he admitted that
they were somewhat of a nuisance.

Sadim is defending a long-honored tradition, but its possible
that he may have to change his view in the future, given the
continued increase in the tariffs the guides demand.

Impossible

The Baduy tend to compromise when they have to deal with
non-Baduy. The problem is, they have never been faced with an
issue that could change their lives. In the coming years such a
threat may be impossible to stop.

The government is planning to build a road to connect Rangkas
Bitung and Bogor through Sajira and Mun-cang to end the isolation
of South Banten, said Jumar, deputy to the Leuwi Damar district
chief.

The government, according to reports, have already contacted
Sajira residents who will have to give up their land for the
project in the Baduy area.

The Baduy chiefs have been informed of the plan. Jumar
reported that chief Ajal from Cibeo once had a vision which told
him there would be a mosque built in Kadu Ketug and a green
building in Kadu Hejo.

It could be an army headquarters, said Jumar of the green
building, speculating about the armys plan to expand its training
center in Serang.

The chiefs vision foreshadows that the Baduy will eventually
lose the battle against outsiders and will be forced to move to
Mount Madur in the western side of Kanekes, 24 hours by foot from
their present homes. During the past several years the chiefs
have visited the new area at least once a year.

The problem is, many nomad farmers are operating in the area
around Mount Madur. The Baduy have protested the government
because they feel that the nomad farmers are damaging their
future land.

This issue may drag on. Even without the nomad farmers it
remains to be seen whether the Baduy will be allowed to move to
Mount Madur.