Who Are the Baduy?
The Baduy (or Badui) are an indigenous Sundanese people inhabiting the highland forests of the Kendeng Mountains in Banten province, western Java, Indonesia. Numbering approximately 12,000, they are famous for their strict rejection of modernity: forbidden are electricity, motorized vehicles, formal education, modern medicine, and even shoes. Divided into Inner Baduy (Baduy Dalam) who follow the strictest taboos, and Outer Baduy (Baduy Luar) who serve as a buffer with the outside world, they represent Southeast Asia's most determined resistance to modernization.
The Two Baduy Worlds
The Baduy divide into two distinct groups with different relationships to modernity. The Inner Baduy (Baduy Dalam), approximately 1,200 people in three sacred villages—Cibeo, Cikertawana, and Cikeusik—follow the strictest taboos. They wear only homespun white and natural indigo-blue clothing, cannot use soap or cut their hair, must walk everywhere barefoot, and have no contact with money. Their territory is sacred; outsiders are forbidden to enter except with special permission.
The Outer Baduy (Baduy Luar), living in roughly 60 villages surrounding the inner area, serve as intermediaries with the outside world. They observe most taboos but with some relaxation: they may wear black (indicating their "impure" status relative to the white-clothed Inner Baduy), use money, and interact with outsiders. When Inner Baduy need outside goods, Outer Baduy obtain them. Those who violate Inner Baduy rules are expelled to Outer Baduy status; serious offenders are exiled entirely.
The Forbidden and the Sacred
Baduy taboos (buyut) encompass extraordinary restrictions. Forbidden are: cutting down certain trees or cultivating certain crops; using fertilizer or pesticides; building in stone (all structures are bamboo and thatch); wearing modern clothing; using electricity or batteries; riding any vehicle (including bicycles); attending school; using modern medicine; killing animals except for food; working for wages; accepting government aid. These prohibitions are religiously mandated, violations bringing spiritual harm.
Behind these taboos lies a worldview where tradition (karuhun) is sacred and change is spiritually dangerous. The Baduy believe they are guardians of humanity's original traditions, charged with maintaining cosmic balance through strict adherence to ancestral ways. Their isolation is not mere conservatism but active resistance to a modernity they see as spiritually corrupting. They are, in their self-understanding, humanity's last faithful remnant.
Sunda Wiwitan Religion
The Baduy practice Sunda Wiwitan, an indigenous Sundanese religion predating Islam and Hinduism in Java. This tradition venerates Batara Tunggal as supreme creator and emphasizes harmony with nature, ancestor veneration, and strict adherence to taboos. The sacred forest at the center of Baduy territory is forbidden even to Baduy themselves except for rare ritual occasions. Natural features—springs, rocks, trees—are spiritually significant and protected.
Religious leadership falls to the pu'un, the spiritual head of each Inner Baduy village. The pu'un leads ceremonies, interprets taboos, and maintains the cosmic order through proper ritual observance. Ceremonies mark agricultural cycles, life transitions, and annual renewals. The largest ceremony, Seba, brings Baduy representatives to present tribute to government authorities—a ritual submission that paradoxically maintains their autonomy by acknowledging formal authority while continuing independent existence.
Agriculture and Survival
The Baduy economy centers on shifting (swidden) agriculture using methods unchanged for centuries. Rice, the sacred crop, is grown using traditional varieties and methods: no tractors, no chemical inputs, no modern irrigation. The rice goddess is honored throughout the cultivation cycle. Vegetables, fruits, and forest products supplement the diet. Outer Baduy weave cloth sold to tourists—one of their few market interactions.
This traditional agriculture, combined with population limits, maintains ecological sustainability within their territory. The Baduy forest remains intact while surrounding areas have been deforested. Their agricultural knowledge, passed orally across generations, includes sophisticated understanding of soil management, crop rotation, and forest ecology. In an era of environmental crisis, Baduy practices offer a living example of sustainable land use—achieved through cultural conviction rather than government policy.
Pressures and Persistence
The Baduy face growing pressures. Tourism brings income (from Outer Baduy guiding visitors) but also threats to isolation. Roads now reach the edge of their territory. Mobile phones, though forbidden, tempt young Outer Baduy. Land pressures from surrounding populations challenge territorial boundaries. Government programs—education, health, development—offer benefits the Baduy must refuse to maintain their way of life.
Yet they persist. The Indonesian government, after early attempts at forced modernization, now largely respects Baduy autonomy. Some young people leave, accepting exile from their community; but most remain. The annual Seba ceremony continues, reaffirming the relationship between tradition and authority. In a country of 270 million people modernizing rapidly, the Baduy walk barefoot through their forests, keeping ancient prohibitions, guarding—as they believe—the original ways of humanity against a world that has forgotten them.
References
- Garna, J.K. (1988). Tangtu Telu Jaro Tujuh: Kajian Struktural Masyarakat Baduy. Bandung University.
- Iskandar, J. (2007). "Responses to Environmental Stress in the Badui Swidden System." Modern Asian Studies.
- Persoon, G. (1994). "Baduy and the Outside World: Strategies for Survival." Indonesia Circle.