Baduy, Peaceful in Nature’s Embrace

The indigenous Baduy people lead a peaceful life through humility. Their happiness is like a bonus from their perseverance in respecting nature by practicing the life philosophy inherited from their ancestors.

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

Ana (left) and Mila wait for their friends to cross a bamboo bridge in Gajeboh Village, Kanekes Village, Leuwidamar District, Lebak Regency, Banten, Thursday (16/3/2023). The Baduy people live peacefully with simplicity.

Living under customary norms, away from the modernity and glamor of city life, by no means restrains the happiness of the Baduy community. Amid various limitations, they control their desires in order to live peacefully in the embrace of nature.

The settlements in the Outer Baduy zone of Kanekes village in Leuwidamar district, Lebak regency, Banten, were shrouded in a thin mist on Thursday morning (16/3/2023). The sound of insects accompanying the night’s sleep was gradually drowned out by the crows of roosters responding to each other.

A light breeze was blowing in the indigenous settlement, surrounded by hilly and forest areas. The cool breeze penetrated through the cracks of the rooms and floors in the stilt houses made of bamboo. There was no sound of vehicles to disrupt the peaceful ambience.

At 5 a.m., kitchens were puffing out smoke, indicating that the day’s activities had begun. The smell of food filled the air, whetting everyone’s appetite. The Baduy people cook primarily over a wood fire.

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> The Call of Baduy Culture

This month is the Baduy people’s time to harvest their dry rice fields. There, rice is cultivated on hilly land without flooding the fields or using chemical fertilizer. The paddy is harvested after six months.

From Kampung Balimbing, Kasman, 30, and his wife Artisa, 30, trekked up a stony path to the field. Along with five relatives, they pass the hilly path and crossed the Ciujung River, which is half a meter deep.

After walking 15 minutes and covering 1.5 kilometers, Kasman arrived at his field. They gathered in a small hut in the middle of the field. They ate their breakfast of rice, salted fish, boiled cassava leaves and chili sauce they had carried from home before starting work.

“When heading to the field, the people here usually bring breakfast and lunch. A strong family atmosphere is thus felt,” he said.

After breakfasting, they began harvesting by using etem, or ani-ani. This is a handheld blade for harvesting each stalk of rice, one by one.

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

Baduy Residents work together to harvest field rice using etem on steep hills in Gajeboh Village, Kanekes Village, Leuwidamar District, Lebak Regency, Banten, Thursday (16/3/2023). Rice is grown without irrigation and chemical fertilizers.

Kasman gripped several rice stalks with his both hands and tied them up. He harvested 66 bundles of paddy in six days. The paddy was not taken home, but was sun-dried in the field for one to two weeks.

“Whatever quantity the yield is, we always feel grateful for nature’s blessing. The paddy is stored in leuit (granary) and is consumed only when there are events such as circumcisions, wedding ceremonies and funerals,” he explained.

In Legok Jeruk, another Outer Baduy settlement, Dani, 32, sat resting on the terrace of his stall. This kampung was founded only four months ago. Only five families live in the settlement.

The customary leader, called jaro, has limited the number of the kampung’s inhabitants to a maximum of 60 families. This is meant to prevent arbitrary land use. “We are allowed to live here, but the surrounding nature must not be harmed,” he said.

We live peacefully without seeking to fulfill our desires.

Life in the Baduy community land is laden with rules. Many things are forbidden. However, he understands that this way of life has been handed down by his ancestors for peace.

Dani and his family are not tempted to live in the city or outside the Baduy community. “There is sure to be many more needs and desires outside. While we live here, even with just rice and salted fish, we feel like we enjoy a lot of happiness. We live peacefully without seeking to fulfill our desires,” he said.

The Baduy children are also happy. Almost every afternoon, after returning from the fields, the boys in Kampung Balimbing play football in a bald field.

They don’t keep score, let alone keep time. Enjoying the game is more important than winning. The darkening sky is the “long whistle” that ends the game.

Girls also spend their days cheerfully. They don’t go to school but they learn various skills, including weaving. Their textiles are sought after by tourists at weekends or during holidays.

ALBERDI DITTO PERMADI

Aerial photo of Balimbing village, which is one of the tourist destination villages of the Baduy cultural tourism village, Kanekes village, Leuwidamar sub-district, Lebak, Banten.

Inner Baduy

The Inner Baduy community follows more rigid customary. The people who live in Kampung Cibeo, Cikeusik and Cikartawana are prohibited from wearing shoes or using vehicles, although they are permitted to venture outside the Baduy lands.

In the current period called Kawalu, access to tourists is closed for three months starting on 24 Jan. Government and village officials are permitted to enter, their number limited to no more than five people.

The Baduy community observes the Kawalu tradition each year. It is an expression of gratitude for the coming harvest, and is held before the Seba harvest ceremony.

Nevertheless, they are allowed to see their relatives or acquaintances in the Outer Baduy zone. Narja, 70, for instance, walked for an hour from Kampung Cibeo to Kampung Kaduketug 1 to meet relatives from Jakarta.

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> Loyalty to the Baduy

He wore typical Inner Baduy dress of a white shirt, white headdress and black sarong. He also wore a sash and a bag to carry his belongings.

Narja is not affected by the ban on using vehicles. His feet are used to treading on muddy, stony tracks and asphalt roads when he sets out to Jakarta to sell honey and handicrafts, like bags made from tree bark. His journey to the capital city takes 2.5 days.

Inner Baduy residents are not allowed to use soap, shampoo or toothpaste for fear of polluting nature. “We are happy to comply with it. Otherwise we would have [left] a long time ago,” he said.

Narja admitted that modernization and technological advancements offered various facilities. Many jobs could be completed faster. But it did not guarantee a better quality of life.

“In the kampung, we don’t have many demands in life. We have no goal for how much money to earn in a month. Desire is there, but it should be controlled so it does not turn into greed. It’s important to live a peaceful and happy life,” he stressed.

Although they have financial capacity, residents are not allowed to clear rice fields in the forest area.

Sarpin, the head of the local administration overseeing Kanekes Village, said the total area of the village was around 5,000 hectares. Around 3,000 hectares were protected forests. The remainder was used for agriculture and settlements.

“Although they have financial capacity, residents are not allowed to clear rice fields in the forest area. This is the rule, and the permission of the customary leader is needed. So, several residents buy their fields outside Kanekes,” he added.

The peaceful life of the Baduy people is achieved through modesty. Happiness is like a bonus from their perseverance in respecting nature by practicing the life philosophy passed down by their ancestors: Lojor teu meunang dipotong, pondok teu meunang disambung, gunung teu meunang dilebur, lebak teu meunang dirusak (What is long must not be cut, what is short must not be extended, the mountains must not be destroyed, hills must not be damaged).

This article was translated by Aris Prawira.