Why do I write about the Baduy of Indonesia?
A friend of mine raised a skeptic question as why I chose the Baduy of Indonesia to be the project on the Internet. She argued that there was no direct commercial benefit in doing so. Moreover, the Baduy Land is not such a remarkable thing to be promoted online. I explained to her the reason behind the action that we are a learning community which are currently learning how to make a website and practicing English in a written forms. We must have something interesting to talk about and we choose the Baduy of Indonesia, its People, Land and Life as subject of discourse. At least, I have the following reasons in mind why the Baduy are interesting enough.
They are Indonesian citizen.
In spite the fact that they are Indonesian citizen, they are differentiated by how they are occupying their land and designated as one Adat Community protected by Law.
They have their own territory.
The protected-by-law land of the Baduy Ulayat gives the Baduy people special control and governance over their own land. This land occupies more than 12,000 acres (5,000 hectares) as stated by PERDA Kabupaten Lebak numbered 32 year 2001.
Image -- Courtesy of Suhada
They speak a unique archaic Sundanese language.
Most of the Baduy people do not speak the national language of Bahasa Indonesia. They speak Sundanese language in a unique dialect.
The Baduy has its own Customary Law.
The ‘Pikukuh Adat’ as the Baduy Customary Law binds and unites the Baduy people. This unwritten tradional law is applicable only to the Baduy decendant within the Baduy territory. The Baduy has managed so far in preserving their identity and culture. Surrounded by the majority of outside hegemonic modern culture, the Baduy culture has managed to exist without any significant changes.
They reject the modern lifestyles and conveniences.
The Baduy produce their own garment to fulfill the need of clothes and fashion. In fact, they create the subsistent economic system of the Baduy. The Baduy agriculture does not utilize fertilizer –it is forbidden by the customary law! They do not sell the harvested rice, but they buy the rice from outside traders, making the Baduy deposited rice at every villages rice barns abundant and just enough to feed the whole community for years.
Amazingly, some padi barns aged over hundred years with the padi’s quality in it left unaffected. And some more interesting lists can be added about the life of the Baduy. After considering the points above, I decided to write the Baduy of Indonesia on this site.
wow!! great!