Kanekes, History of the Baduy Tribe and Their Life
Ditulis pada: November 14, 2021
The Baduy tribe is one of the strongest tribes that still remains in Indonesia. Located not far from the capital city, the Baduy tribe is often the center of research for various cultural observers and journalists who are interested in their isolated lives. Do you know the history of the Baduy Tribe?
Why does the Baduy have a special interest in outsiders? This is because of their success in maintaining isolation in the midst of a very global technological era, even with a location that is relatively close to the city center.
Is all of this related to the history of the Baduy tribe itself or to the way they see life? It is better if we look first at this tribe.
Baduy Tribe, Kanekes People
There is a reason the Baduy people don't want to be called Baduy. This is because the Baduy are the least educated tribes in Arabia and are nomadic or nomadic. They prefer to be called Kanekes people. Kanekes is the name of the area where their tribe lives.
Kanekes is located at the foot of the Kendeng Mountains, Leuwidamar District, Lebak-Rangkasbitung Regency, Banten. With a population of around 800 people, the Kanekes people are divided into three main areas, namely Cibeo, Cikeusik and Cikerta Warna villages. The actual division consists of three groups:
The people belonging to the Tangtu group are Kanekes Dalam people who live in the three villages of Cibeo, Cikeusik and Cikerta Warna. They are the Kanekes people who most adhere to the customs.
Here are the customs that they adhere to:
a. No technology is allowed.
b. No electricity.
c. Wearing white or black clothes that are woven by themselves.
d. Cannot use footwear.
e. Not allowed to use any means of transportation at all. Kanekes people are used to walking everywhere, no matter how far.
f. Do not use any products from outside Kanekes, such as hygiene products (soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, and so on).
The Kanekes people use the plants that grow around them as cleaning tools, such as coconut fiber for toothbrushes and larek for washing clothes. There are no bathrooms at Kanekes. All activities are carried out in the river, from bathing to defecation.
g. Do not smoke.
h. Not drunk.
i. Cannot take pictures.
j. Foreigners are prohibited from entering their territory.
k. The door of the house must face north or south, except for the house of the traditional leader who is called puun. Puun's house cannot be entered by just anyone because without any special needs, there is an assumption that it is impolite to visit Puun's house.
l. It is not allowed to marry outsiders so that their marriage does not care about kinship or blood ties. The spouse is only one for life and no divorce is allowed.
If these rules are violated, they will be sanctioned or punished by being expelled from the inner Kanekes area and then staying in the outer Kanekes area.
2. Panamping Group
The people of the Panamping group are also known as the Kanekes outside. They live in Kanekes outside because they violate the customs that apply in Kanekes inside. The most frequent violations are the use of technology or the use of products from outside Kanekes.
Although its use is still carried out secretly because the rules prohibiting the use of technological equipment apply both in Kanekes inside and Kanekes outside.
One of the reasons they live in Kanekes outside is because they are married to outside Kanekes people. This is of course contrary to the prevailing custom in Kanekes Dalam.
The characteristics of the outside Kanekes people are as follows:
a. They wear traditional black or blue clothes.
b. Kanekes children outside do not go to school, just like children Kanekes inside. For them, going to school is a violation of the prevailing customs.
c. They can divorce and each family can only have four children.
d. Bathroom facilities are available even if they are minimal.
e. Kanekes people outside still accept and implement the customary rules of the Kanekes inside.
3. Dangka Group
The Dangka Baduy are Baduy people who have been completely separated from Kanekes, both regionally and culturally. They are still descendants of internal and external Kanekes, but usually do not live in the area.
Various Versions of the History of the Baduy
People Version of the Kanekes
According to them, the Kanekes people are descendants of Batara Cikal. Batara Cikal is one of the seven gods who came down to earth who has the task of regulating the balance in the world.
This is similar to the Prophet Adam in Islam who was the first human to come down to earth. Kanekes people also believe that they are descendants of the Prophet Adam and are tasked with maintaining harmony and balance in the world.
The Historian's Version
Based on the inscriptions found, historians found that the Kanekes people were closely related to the Kingdom of Pajajaran (Sunda), which was centered in Bogor. In the 16th century, Banten was still part of the Pajajaran Kingdom and was a very busy port.
Meanwhile, the Ciujung River, which empties into Banten, is a very vital trade traffic. To maintain the safety of the river, the selected soldiers had to live at the mouth of the river and later became the Baduy Tribe/Kanekes people.
This is related to the isolated nature of the Baduy Tribe because the chosen soldiers cover their identities so that they are not known by the enemy.
Von Tricht's version
The theory put forward by historians was refuted by a doctor named Von Tricht who visited Baduy in 1928. Von Tricht conducted research and found that the Baduy tribe was an indigenous tribe that had been there for a long time.
According to him, the Baduy tribe has a very strong resistance to culture and outside influences, while also not being able to adopt the culture around them which continues to grow.
This opinion is in accordance with the opinion of Danasasmita and Djatisunda. According to them, the king in power in the Baduy area at that time was Rakeyan Darmasiksa and ordered the Baduy people to guard the kabuyutan. Kabuyutan is a place of worship of ancestors.
The place of ancestor worship is kept pure and is called Mandala/holy. Kabuyutan is known as Kabuyutan Jati Sunda or Sunda Asli or Sunda Wiwitan. Because of this, the Kanekes people's belief is called Sunda Wiwitan.
Version of King Siliwangi
Once upon a time, King Siliwangi had a son named Kian Santang. Kian Santang intended to broadcast Islam, but was rejected by Prabu Siliwangi and moved to the Rangkasbitung area, Lebak.
King Siliwangi, who later had the title Prabu Kencana Wungu, settled in Rangkasbitung with four of his followers. They and their descendants became known as the Baduy Tribe.
The Life of the Baduy Tribe at this time
The Baduy tribe strongly adheres to the customs that have been carried out for a long time, even though the custom is only in the form of oral which is reported from generation to generation. Their belief is called Sunda Wiwitan, with its most important essence being 'not to change anything'.
The Baduy tribe has a motto: " Lojor henteu beunang dipotong, pendek teu beunang disambung" which means "long should not be cut, short should not be spliced".
This reflects the nature of the Baduy Tribe who respects the surrounding nature so that they do not loosen the soil even in farming for the sake of maintaining the harmony of the nature they inhabit.
Even though they are isolating themselves, they recognize the existence of a government. This is reflected in the provision of seba (agricultural products) to the Banten Regional Government through the Regent of Lebak. The giving of this seba is carried out in a traditional ceremony which is held once a year.
Behind its closedness, the Baduy actually reflects a form of defense and preservation of customs that have been passed down from generation to generation. The brotherhood among the Kanekes people is very close to interaction with each other. This is of course very positive because the preservation of the culture of the Baduy Tribe can be maintained in the future.
Thus the article about Kanekes, Baduy Tribe History and Life. Hope it is useful.
