Cultural Sciences students of UGM, Charistya Herandy, Aisyah Suki Pratiwi, and Rahmalia Intan Sulistyawati, examined the life of the Baduy tribe, particularly Baduy Dalam, as part of the Student Creativity Program for Socioal Humanities research.
“Our research employed observation method of the participants and in-depth interviews through a casual chat with the community in our daily life,” said Charistya.
The Baduy tribe that is also known as Urang Kanekes, she said, consisted of two sub-groups: Baduy Luar (Outer) and Baduy Dalam (Inner). They live at the foot of Kendeng hills in Lebak, Banten province.
The two groups differ based on the “freedom” to live their lives. Baduy Luar is allowed to use electronic devices, sandals, means of transportation, and clothing. Baduy Dalam forbids all of those.
“Despite this difference, both groups still respect and maintain their tradition from their ancestors. One of those is the Kawalu tradition,” she said.
Kawalu tradition is also known as a holy month for the Baduy people. This tradition is run every three month in each year during the months of Kasa, Karo, and Katiga. Kawalu is filled with prayers for the safety of human beings and nature. During the Kawalu period, local and foreign tourists, regional officials, and state officials are not permitted to enter Baduy Dalam areas which include Cibeo, Cikawartana, and Cikeusik villages.
The Kawalu tradition is also aimed as a ceremony to pray for God’s blessings for the country. This, she said, shows the existence of the value of nationalism in the Kawalu Tradition that supports national integration.
“This is because the Baduy Dalam tribe seems ‘distant’, ‘remote’, ‘primitive’ as if they were not part of Indonesia. That does not mean that they cannot integrate, in fact, there is love and loyalty towards the country in their tradition,” said Charistya.
In this research, the students tried to further investigate the existence of the Kawalu Tradition of the Baduy Tribe, which according to them could play a role in supporting integration in Indonesia.
“The results of this research are expected to open new views regarding the persistence of the Baduy tribe in upholding the unity of Indonesia,” she concluded.
Source: https://ugm.ac.id/id/berita/17987-mahasiswa-ugm-menelisik-tradisi-kawalu-di-suku-baduy-dalam
