Kanekes Culture

Bold Characteristics of Kanekes Culture

Some cultural characteristics of Kanekes community can be identified not only by their artifacts of architectures nor their sacred music of Angklung Buhun but also by their consistent objection to every physical development offering by government, such as connecting villages by hotmix road, the construction of electrical supply infrastructure so that Baduy people would enjoy the benefit of Thomas Alfa Edison invention and even they reject the government idea of building education and medical facilities.

These modern stuffs are considered against their Pikukuh Adat. They won't change. They resist. They will not supply you with the satisfied answers why they do that for centuries. It is really such a dilemmatic situation for the government. It must ensure the human development of its citizen, but at the same time face a constrains facade of a rigid traditional custom from the Baduy community represented by the effective leadership of Pu'un, that they reject all offers.

So, after sixty-five years of National Independent of Republic of Indonesia, Kanekes community is still illiterate. The same long time after the government of Republic of Indonesia ratified Human Rigths Declaration, ie. Rights to Education for every child, Baduy Children are forbidden to attending classroom. Something would not have happened if the Baduy broke the Pikukuh Adat. This 'Pikukuh' is comparable to the religious rules which are easily double-crossed.by common other Indonesian citizen or even official leaders.