THE LOCAL WISDOM OF BADUY

Leave all your work at home. Leave the bustle of traffic, the blinding lights of the malls, and experience a wonderfully natural silence. Nothing but the sound of wind blowing through bamboo leaves, the birds chirping in the morning as the sun rises a splash in the river. The atmosphere simple a live.

All of these wonderful sensations can be found in Kanekes Village. This village is rich with local wisdom, and still retains a very traditional lifestyle.

Baduy is not the official name of the Kanekes Village  community. The name refers to a nomad society, and comes from scientists that considered the Kanekes Village community similar to Badawi or Arabian Bedoin. The community was originally also referred to simply as Badawi or Bedoin, but was later shifted to Baduy.

Kanekes village is located among the hills of Mount Kendeng, about 75km south of Rangkasbitung, Banten. Since the late 18^th century, it is estimate theat the Baduy area spread from Leuwidamar sub-district to the southern coast.

There are 56 Baduy Villages, divided into two sub groups. The first is Baduy Dalam, or the Inner Baduy, which consists of three villages (Cikeusik, Cikertawana, and Cibeo). The other 53 villages comprise the second area, Baduy Luar, or the Outer Baduy. The Outer Baduy serves as a kind of sister village to protect the Inner Baduy.

In the Inner Baduy, “Pikukuh” (obedience) and other local customs are essential parts of daily life. The tribe’s people primarily get from place to place walking. Except for the “puun”, or head of the tribe, the Baduy men wear black tops with a checkered blue sarong covering their leg down to their knees. The women wear a blue batik sarong, and blue kemben or tube top, covered in white long-sleeved outerwear. The younger girls often wear beaded bracelets and necklaces. The Outer Baduy is a bit more lenient in terms of customs, and can drive vehicles as a means of transportation.

The Baduy area is about 40km from Rangkasbitung, about an hour long drive via private vehicle or public transportation. To reach a Baduy village, you can travel by bus. (unless busses are normally referred to separately from public transportation in Indonesia, it’s probably fine to not mention ‘busses’ and just say ‘public transportation or private vehicle here) public transportation, or private vehicle to ciboleger, where gateaway to Baduy is located.

DO’S AND DON’TS

• The Baduy people speak in an archaic Sudanese dialect. (assuming Sundanese was a typo, if it wasn’t, obviously change it back). This language does not recognize any hierarchical system regarding their social status. As a result, any sense of respect is usually conveyed through behavior, rather than words.
• Radios, guitar, and gas guns are prohibited among visitors. You must also refrain from catching or killing animals, littering, chopping down trees, lighting a fire in the woods, drinking alcoholic beverages, and breaking the moral norms of the Baduy people .
•  If you want to take a shower, do so outside the village, in the river that borders the area. Soap, toothpaste, and shampoo are prohibited.
•  For lighting, the Baduy people usually use candles rather than torches. When using the toilet at night, you can use a flashlight as long as it doesn’t run on batteries. Thus, it is also recommended that you put your cellphones, camerasm and radios away.
• You can take pictures within the Outer Baduy area, but not as you proceed into the Inner Baduy area.
•  Bring whatever medicine you might need with you, as there is no medical clinic or pharmacy in the Baduy Village.
•  Shoes or hiking sandals or are recommended to keep you from slipping on the uphill trails. Don’t forget your jacket or raincoat, and waterproof bag covers, to keep your belongings dry. Mosquito repellant lotion will also prove useful to keep away insects as you hike through forests and fields.
•   It is best not to visit during the season of kawalu, a three-month harvest streak from February to April. The inner Baduy is completely closed off from outer civilization during this time. Nevertheless, if you decide to visit during this time, you can still meet the people of Inner Baduy when they periodically leave their village.