Baduy on Instagram

AGUIDO ADRI

Women from various villages in Outer Baduy pound rice in a mortar or Rempugan Nutu, on Thursday (21/7/2022).

For those who live in Jakarta and its surroundings, Baduy people they know and often meet are people from Kanekes Village, Banten, who walk barefoot, dress in black or white, wear a telekung or lomar (headband), and carry brown knitted bags, selling honey, and so on. This Baduy traditional dress and appearance became famous when it was worn by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo while attending the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Annual Session in August 2021.

The image of the Baduy people who are often found on the streets becomes different once we enter the world of social media, especially Instagram. The Baduy nuance on Instagram still shows traditional elements, but this time it looks more graceful, beautiful, clean, elegant and exotic. To the contrary of the general stereotypical image held of a society that rejects or does not know modernity, they are very adaptable to digital technology. This can be seen on Instagram accounts @ayudewibaduy (29K followers), @dewi.baduy.507 (3K), @wisatasukubaduy (13K), @souvenirbaduy (12K), @batikbaduy (7K), @jejak_baduy (49K) and others.

The visit to the Baduy village is usually referred to as Saba Budaya Baduy.

The location of the Baduy tribe is actually not far from Jakarta, about 150 kilometers or 3 hours by road. Located in Kanekes village, Lebak regency, the Baduy community is divided into two groups, namely the Outer Baduy and the Inner Baduy. The Outer Baduy location is not far from Ciboleger Terminal and visitors can stay at traditional houses or commercial inns outside the Baduy village. The difference is, when they stay in the Baduy village, visitors can experience their lives all day long, from waking up to night without electric lights, TV or radio, and sleeping on bamboo floors. The visit to the Baduy village is usually referred to asSaba BudayaBaduy.

KOMPAS/ELSA EMIRIA LEBA

Narman, founder of the Baduy Craft label, in Jakarta, on Monday (11/3/2019). Narman is a young Baduy who sells handicrafts from Baduy craftsmen online

There are so many writings about Baduy that it can even be called over-studied. The latest studies include Ade Jaya Suryani's dissertation titled From Respected Hermits to Ordinary Citizens (2021) and Lilis Mulyani's dissertation published by Routledge titled Traditional Communities in Indonesia: Law, Identity and Recognition (2022). Many of us do not understand the Baduy, or there are elements that have been missed from studies related to this tribe; for example, how they conduct their activities on social media.

Behind the process of maintaining traditions, it turns out that social media and digital devices can get in there.

The use of Instagram by Baduy children shows the cultural transformation that has taken place in the tribe. The religion of the Baduy community is still Sunda Wiwitan (an indigenous folk religion of the Baduy) and those who no longer hold this religion leave the traditional village. Marrying a non-Baduy also results in the loss of the right to remain in the traditional village. Even until now, the Inner Baduy still do not receive foreign visits. Both the Outer and Inner Baduy are not allowed to have TV, radio, electricity networks or motorized vehicles. They also do not use bank accounts and therefore they save money in the form of gold or land. Behind the process of maintaining traditions, it turns out that social media and digital devices can get in there. The internet network in Baduy village is quite good.

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What is the influence of Instagram on the cultural identity of the Baduy tribe? Different from other social media, Instagram displays more visual aspects. Instagram can show Baduy people in two different worlds at the same time: the virtual world and the real world. The appearance of some Baduy people on Instagram is often like an inverted mirror of the reality of Baduy life in Kanekes. Perhaps it cannot be called a mirror of reality outside of Instagram, but it is the opposite of or at least something different from the reality that exists there.

With the mediatization framework, as offered by Stig Hjarvard (2013), we see symbols, styles, traditions and products made by the Baduy community displayed differently on Instagram accounts. Baduy on Instagram look different from Baduy who can be found on the streets of Jakarta. In short, through the mediatization process, as shown by the Instagram accounts of Baduy people, the picture of Baduy life seems to be undergoing a transformation.

The visual cultural expressions of Baduy, who wear black, white or blue clothes, looks different when compared to what is seen on Instagram and when visiting there. That cultural transformation occurs when Baduy people take a snapshot of themselves, upload it on Instagram and get comments and likes -- even more so with followers that number up to tens of thousands, like those of @ayudewibaduy. This happens when some of the people there actually still prohibit visitors to take photos of the Baduy people.

AGUIDO ADRI

A Baduy woman weaves cloth, in Cibungur Village, Outer Baduy, Thursday (21/7/2022).

In short, what is happening on Instagram is a construction of a new cultural identity about the Baduy tribe. On the one hand, Ayu Dewi and her friends seem to want to maintain their identity as part of the Baduy community, but at the same time display it in a different guise. Borrowing the term of Stuart Hall (1996), there is a difference between what we are and what we have become with the presence and use of social media such as Instagram.

Because the audience is different, the image or self-portrait that appears is also different.

In the Kanekes community and the Baduy traditional environment, they position themselves as a part of local customs, culture, religion and rules. On Instagram, they are dealing with a global world, followers, people who could potentially like their photo or hit the like button or post comments or potentially become new followers or buy the merchandise for sale. On Instagram, they have to follow the logic of social media to be successful and have thousands of followers, and their pictures are liked by many people. Because the audience is different, the image or self-portrait that appears is also different.

So, Instagram does not only introduce and promote the Baduy tribe to the wider world. However, with the existing Baduy accounts, Baduy culture, traditions, customs and religion are displayed in a form that is more attractive to non-Baduy people. This is what is called the mediatization of a culture whose impacts include changes, negotiations and individualization of the culture.

KOMPAS/YUNIADHI AGUNG

Ahmad Najib Burhani

AHMAD NAJIB BURHANI, Research Professor at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN).

(This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo).