|
 |
|
The Badui
There is a holy place in Indonesia you will never see. Its
exact location has not been revealed, but it is rumored
to be on the western slope of Mount Kendeng in western Java.
The Badui, a tribe that lives nearby, call it the Arca Domas,
and for them it is the navel of the world: the first point
of contact between humankind and the realm of the spirits.
Each year, the senior priests of the Badui make a pilgrimage
there to meditate among huge megaliths. They do so for the
welfare of the entire planet. If they didn't, who knows
what disasters would occur?
Some 40 km to the south of the town of Rangkasbitung is
a community of some 3000 Badui people who live in a relatively
small 50 square km territory near Gunung Kendeng (Kendeng
Mountain).
The anthropologically interesting Badui people inhabit 40
villages in the hilly country near Gunung Kendeng. The Badui
Luar (Outer Badui) predominate but three villages are inhabited
by the Badui Dalam (Inner Badui) who avoid contact with
the outside world beyond their territory.
The Badui Dalam must wear their home spun and woven rough
white cloth. They may not cultivate cash crops, eat any
four legged animals or use medicines other than their own
herbal preparations. Each Badui Dalam village has a spiritual,
inherited leader, a Puun, whose person is sacred.
The Badui Luar are bound by the same basic laws and traditions
as the Badui Dalam but such traditions are less rigidly
observed. The Badui Luar are gradually adopting the ways
and dress of their Sundanese neighbours.
It is difficult to ascertain the precise origins of the
Badui Tribe. They may be connected with the last Hindu Kingdom
in West Java though ethnically they appear linked to the
Sundanese and Javanese.
It is possible to visit the Badui territory after seeking
prior permission from the district office in Rangkasbitung.
From the village of Leuwidamar (25 km south of Rangkasbitung)
the Badui villages can be reached on foot after several
hours trekking in the hilly country.
 
|
