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Guardians of the Sacred Forest PDF Print E-mail
On Baduy - The Life of Kanekes People

 

“The mountains may not be destroyed, the valleys may not be damaged, What is long may not be cut short, what is short may not be lengthened, We must remain faithful to the ways of our ancestors.”
– Traditional Baduy verse

Written by Irfan Kortschak


For tourists, journalists, and anthropologists alike, the very idea of a people who live deep in the forest, excluding all outsiders, has a powerful fascination. A ‘Keep Out’ sign exerts an allure as powerful as the locked cupboard at the end of Bluebeard’s corridor, and for no better reason than that outsiders are not welcome. In our hearts, perhaps, each of us secretly believes we are special, and will be welcome at spectacles and events closed to ordinary mortals.

It was this fantasy that had led me, clambering up and down steep, slippery footpaths, past dry rice fields and through light secondary forest and bamboo glades, to a rickety looking bamboo bridge that creaked and swayed gently in the breeze. I sat, scowling and biting my nails, and wiping the sweat from my face with a hand filthy with mud.

Baduy walks on huma passage

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The Baduy in the eyes of modern Baduy woman PDF Print E-mail
On Baduy - The Life of Kanekes People
Written by Santi   

The Baduy in The Eyes of Modern Baduy Woman in Africa

I am a modern Baduy woman who live far away from Baduy Villages and the traditions since I was born. I got my Baduy heritage from my great grandmother. My childhood is in Indonesia but recently I moved to Ghana, west Africa for certain period of time. I have seen some interesting facts between the Baduy people and the Ghanaian people.

Separated far away by the continent around 15.400 km between Baduy Villages, Indonesia in Asia continent and my self in Brong Ahafo Region Ghana, Africa continent. The language differences between the two, Baduy people using ‘Archaic Sundanese’ and most of Brong Ahafo region using ‘Twi’ language. They differ in the colour of the skin, yellow to brown  Asian skin are belong to Baduy people and dark and black are belong to most Brong Ahafo people. Among those differences we can find similarities in beliefs and values.

 
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The Marriage of the Baduy PDF Print E-mail
On Baduy - The Life of Kanekes People
Written by Santi   

The Baduy people believe everything they do for their life is for their salvation to God. They do their marriage because it is one of human behavior and their ancient have done that before. It is a manifestation of one of the salvation for God. They will do marriage just because they have to do; often their parent selects the bride and groom.

They do not have any particular standard for a ‘good husband’ or ‘good wife’. They only know what husband and wife job descriptions in their life. A husband will responsible for giving them shelter and food. Wife should carry her responsibilities on cooking, looking after house and children. Their understanding of husband and wife just as it is.

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Jamang Ragrag PDF Print E-mail
ImagineIt - Very Short Stories
Written by Tubagus Rifki Luthfi   

Jamang Ragrag -- The falling Overcoat

As a usual social visit, once or twice a year, the Rawayan made a pilgrimage to a city of Jakarta. They went in a group and of course travelling on foot.

One night, when I was just a small boy, suprised by the gathering of some strange people in front of my house, I asked my father who they were. My father told me that they were alien from the mount of Kendeng, to the South of Banten Highland. This was my first encounter with the Rawayan, the people of Kanekes to whom I call 'Baduy' now.

As usual, they needed a transit night before they continued their travel to the city. That was why they visit us. My father provided them a spacious place outside our house, which we called it 'amben' for the Rawayan to fulfill their duty of sleeping.

The house, being a traditional house of Banten, and like any other Sundanese traditional houses, it has a high floor about half meter high from the ground.

The night was quite. So silent that we could only hear the singing sound from 'Jangkrik' (I do not know it in English.)

The conversation begun.

"Ayah, rek ka mana?" asked my father.

"Kami rek ka kota," answered one of the Rawayan. He might be the leader.

They were just  exchanging hospitality. My father indeed knew where they were heading to and the Rawayan also understood that the question needed not to be asked. But they answered anyway. Then the silent was going on.

After a while, suddenly we heard a 'bump!' sound.

My father asked, "Sawara naon eta?" (What sound was that?)

The Rawayan said, "Naon ja, jamang ragrag" (It was just my overcoat felt down)

Unbelieved, my father then asked "Pan ngagedeblug?" ---This phrase I cannot translate into English.

(How could it make such a bumping sound?)

Innocently the Rawayan replied, "Pan aya aingan!" (I am in it!)Smile

 
Creative Commons License Visit Baduy Village by Tubagus Rifki Luthfi is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at visitbaduyvillage.com.

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