Hongsok Lee
The speaker for the Wednesday Forum on October 2 was lis Badriatul Munawaroh, a researcher with a degree from the Center for Religious and Cross-Cultural Studies (CRCS) at Universitas Gadjah Mada. During her eight years at the Ali Maksum Krapyak Islamic Boarding School, she was eager to explore the intersection of tradition and modernity and was fascinated by Indonesia's Indigenous communities, especially the Baduy people. The topic of the forum was about the complex encounters of Indigenous people in the Baduy Luar with modernity. She shared research findings and insights from her ethnographic fieldwork from December 2023 to February 2024 through participant observation, interviews, and documentation methods at the forum.
The Baduy people have a population of about 12,000 and live in 65 villages, three of which - Cibeo, Cikertawana, and Cikeusik - are part of the Baduy Dalam (inner Baduy), while the remaining 62 villages are part of the Baduy Luar (outer Baduy). Baduy people claim themselves as wiwitan (Sunda Wiwitan) who have to Tapa ing mandala (being hermits). The Baduy luar community is sometimes characterized as a community that has departed from the traditional Baduy customs due to their tendency towards embracing diverse influences of modernity. Nevertheless, the geographical location of the Baduy Luar villages and the history of Baduy, indicates a significant connection between the two communities. In Baduy custom, Baduy Dalam and Baduy Luar are unified entities. To sustain the community, the Indigenous people of Baduy Luar actively engage in negotiation and undergo transformations.
There have been changes in Baduy Luar's economic activities and livelihoods. Industry changed from agriculture to trade, commerce changed from barter to Qris, from gold to M-banking and e-commerce. Education and knowledge systems have shifted from family literacy to digital literacy. Rituals and spiritual practices have also shifted from natural to plastic materials, and technology, material culture, and daily life have shifted from oral to digital communication. Health and medical practices have changed from natural medicine to pushkema (health centers).
However, these changes do not always come naturally to the Baduy community. Sometimes these changes cause Baduy Luar residents to experience psychological burden or discrimination. The example given by the presenter through her field notes illustrates this well.
Before arriving at the terminal in Ciboleger, Kang KM said that he and his wife would not come down to Ciboleger because his pick-up car could not be parked there. For Baduy people, owning a vehicle or other modern technology often gets a negative stigma that can discredit them. Kang KM prefers to park his car in Cihulu rather than being labeled as ‘not indigenous anymore’ said Kang KM. Kang KM stated that this situation made him feel discriminated against and excluded from social life. He wants to express the way he lives freely (Fieldnote, January 2024).
The presenter believes that it is insufficient to describe the religiosity of the Baduy people in terms of the paradigm of world religions, as transformation of the Baduy Luar community may be perceived as a violation of tradition. However, from an Indigenous religion paradigm, this is explained differently. The transformation in Baduy Luar can be seen to be driven by their worldview, as they aim to preserve sacred sites and sustain their communities. The following description illustrates this well.
Ayah Mursid states, "We are not obligated to pray like our [Muslim] brothers because our responsibility is to preserve the equilibrium of nature." The teachings are ingrained in nature, so we do not have a sacred book. The Baduy people do not distinguish between worldly matters and religiosity.
The presenter explained the transformation of the Baduy Luar people from the perspective of the Indigenous religion paradigm. 1) Concept of Personhood: Sasaka Domas area is considered sacred and embodies Hirup numpang di Alam (living in harmony with nature). It reflects the extension of personhood to non-human entities and the Baduy Luar use technology to protect the sacred area, 2) Kang Sarkar's online business approach is seen to reflect their worldview through the principle of not over-exploiting natural resources by respecting nature as a “person” in order to generate income without damaging the environment, 3) According to the “Sabah Budaya” approach, the concept of “tourism” is replaced by “Sabah Budaya”. By regulating visitor access and preserving Baduy culture and the environment, Baduy people can access economic opportunities without having to leave their communities.
She concluded her presentation at the forum with the following conclusions: 1) To sustain and establish the community, Baduy people uphold the Pikukuh Karuhun that governs all areas of Baduy people's life and engage in transformation, 2) Indigenous Religion Paradigm shows that Baduy Luar's engagement with "modern" elements and their transformation is actually an expression of their indigenous worldview, not abandonment of tradition, 3) This study challenges essentialist narratives and promotes a more in-depth understanding of indigenous peoples' engagement with modernity.