A Tale from Baduy

Baduy refers to an ethnic group residing in valleys of Kendeng Mountains in Banten, West Java. There are two kind of groups of Baduy, called Outer Baduy (Baduy Luar) and Inner Baduy (Baduy Dalam). Inner Baduy hold tighter tradition and tribe rules. However both of groups practice a very simple life. And, this is very amazing, how a society still manages to live in a modest way while their homes are relatively close to Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia, where people are so materialistic and chasing for money and greedy.

How simple they are is reflected on their possession, their homes, their way of making a living, and their daily activities. They barely have electronic stuff since there is no electricity. They don’t have many clothes. Five or six clothes are at most. They grow paddy in dry fields with no help from chemical fertilizer. They don’t trade rice. The harvests are for their own consumption only. The tribe leader, called Puun, hereditary doesn’t allow them to plant anything but paddy and durian tree or kadu in their language. In fact, they don’t have to plant durian trees since they grow naturally in the forests which are surrounding their villages. Also, they collect coffee beans from the forests. However, nowadays some Outer Baduy people plant Albazia Falcataria and Cocoa trees. Of course with the risk, the trees would be destroyed by the people of Inner Baduy for the shake of establishing the tribe rules or under command of the Puun. They are neither allowed to raise any kind of animals, except cats and chicken.

Here are some pictures I took on my visit to Baduy some weeks ago:

A baduy village. A baduy village hiding behind Kendeng Mountains. Baduy houses are made of woods and bamboo while the roofs are made of a kind of palm tree leaves.

A young woman is making a woven fabric (kain tenun). After growing seasons, weaving is a common activity among women in Baduy. Young women usually produce shawls while grown up women usually make wider fabrics such as sarong.

Janah (around 15 years old) is finishing a woven shawl. Baduy women can make around 4 shawls from 10 rolls of yarns. They sell each shawl for Rp20,000-Rp35,000 only. Very cheap, isn’t it? And still, wider woven fabrics are priced under Rp200,000 each.

Pulung (around 9 years old) is working on her woven shawl.

A baduy woman is diligently inserting yarns through a kind of comb, a part of traditional weave tool. This process is the first step to make a woven fabric.

Children of Baduy (Left-Right): Janah, Pulung, Marno, (sorry, I forgot the names of the next two boys), and Sarhani, wearing their traditional clothes.

A flock of Baduy people are stopping by at a home of Outer Baduy on their way back to Inner Baduy (Baduy Dalam).

A Baduy Family. Kang Idong and his wife Anik, with their three children and two sisters. Once become a father, a Baduy man would be called after his son. Like Kang Idong. Idong is actually the name of his first son.

Saman, an Inner Baduy boy.

Keep on learning. Two Baduy boys, Marno (left) & Sarhani (right) are learning how to write and read at the evening. Since no electricity in Baduy, they are using a kerosine lamp and a battery powered torch for the light. They don’t go to school because the tribe rules prohibit them do so. However they have the spirit to keep on learning.

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