Towards the modern Baduy<http://imo.thejakartapost.com/baduy/2010/11/10/towards-the-modern-baduy/> Posted by Rifki Luthfi November 10, 2010 8:39 pm | Education<http://imo.thejakartapost.com/baduy/category/education/> ,Lifestyle <http://imo.thejakartapost.com/baduy/category/lifestyle/>, Politics <http://imo.thejakartapost.com/baduy/category/politics/>,Social<http://imo.thejakartapost.com/baduy/category/social/>
(*Pikukuh Adat*, reinterpreted) The advent of technology that marks the modern civilization<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_history>surrounding the Baduy <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baduy> Villages will eventually impact the unchanged ‘*Pikukuh Adat*.’ The *Pikukuh Adat* is the Kanekes’ unwritten Customary Laws that govern ‘no change’ for the ancestor’s tradition lifestyles and beliefs upheld by the Baduy in everyday activities. As such, until to day there is no formal education in the villages. This brings about the illiterate <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literacy> society of Kanekes. No Kanekes man knows calculus. No Kanekes man speaks English. [image: Baduy man making a call]<http://imo.thejakartapost.com/baduy/files/2010/11/Baduy-make-a-phone-call.jpg> Baduy man making a call The *Pikukuh Adat* prevents the Baduy people from enjoying the conveniences of modern apparatus. To the unbelievable consequences , because the leaders forbid the formal education for Baduy children, they place their next generation in front of the serious danger of losing their own precious cultural heritage <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_heritage> and identity. Of course, the danger comes from outer boundaries. Although so far the Baduy have been able to preserve the cultural identity for centuries, I daresay five hundred years, it does not prove that they will have the same endurance, say for the next fifty years. The enemies hat encroaching the villages have now changed to be so gigantic as a result of incessant metamorphosis process. The Baduy must learn from the Godzilla film maker, SIZE DOES MATTERS! It is the size of their enemies that will devastate the villages. I arise one of this hypothetical situation, if under the belt of the Baduy land lies silently a huge deposit of gold, how the people will stand in front of the plots of US mining investors that have signed contract with Indonesian authorities for the next 30 years? “Despite the fact that existing National Education System’s failure to cope the corrupt attitude which prevail in almost all affairs from businessmen to government officials, the Baduy educational system will have to conform with that of the Nation’s.” Into the pace of modern history, the Baduy must reinterpret the *Pikukuh Adat*. While the Kanekes cultural heritage is existing, there may be a modern university in the village of *Gazebo* or the *Cibaduy* Institute of Technology. And most importantly, they may speak English as well. My understanding the way the Baduy translate the Adages is that they just make a textual interpretation. The adage “*Lojor teu meunang dipotong, pondok teu menunang disambung*” (*In English, what is Long should not be shortened and what is Short should not be lengthened)* make them think that no one should be able to read and write! I imagined one of the Baduy leader, having read my story, tried to reshaping his mindset as to reinterpret the adage. If they translate the laws to the extend of accommodating the changes, at least let the children learn how to read and to write, the next generation of Baduy will pace the history differently. I am not in the position to talk about the technicality of the social transformation of the Baduy towards modernization, Indonesiazation or event westernization. Instead, I’d like to note that the people of Kanekes must be approached somehow to prevent them from losing their perpetual balance. The Kanekes culture is a set of property that must be preserved, reshaped and reinforced. However, preserving the Kanekes heritage does not mean that they must stay as it is now. Neither does it mean keep us away from them, nor keep them illiterate. Preserving them means that we protect the *Kanekes identity*, *the land* where they live, *the culture* that shapes their life from the bombardments of outer cultural waves influxing the Baduy boundaries. Making the children of Baduy literate is one of the process that preserve the Kanekes identity. Literacy will equip the next generation of Kanekes to shield the identity and to adopt proper reaction to the shocking future. Those whoever interact with the Baduy, the local government, the Banteners and even the travelers who are on *Saba Budaya Baduy* vacation, must responsibly take the initiative engagement to actively support the actions of preserving the Baduy heritage. *Save Baduy*<http://visitbaduyvillage.com/>. It is advisable to put the Baduy culture issues into the local content of educational curriculum of Banten Province<http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=-6.5,106.25&spn=1.0,1.0&q=-6.5,106.25%20%28Banten%29&t=h>. The preliminary works of presenting the Baduy culture can be seen from several published school textbooks of sociology. It is also a good movement to build a society that learn the Baduy and spread the issues. What can be learned from the Baduy? Take some examples, how can they (their culture) manage to record in human history of leadership that no Baduy leader is corrupt? How do they come to a firm decision that they implement a political economy not to sell the harvested rice to outsider but they force the ‘citizen’ to buy from outside? How strong are they politically to reject any government development program proposed to the villages? They proved you were wrong! They did it. What marks the modern Baduy? The ideal picture of modern Baduy is marked, amongst other, by the incorporation of the formal educational system into the Kanekes tradition. Traditionally the Baduy may as it can be seen to day, the way they dress, their bridge and housing technology may stay the same, no hotmix road in the villages, no use of fertilizer, no use of fossil fuel. These all are OK. But the Baduy are able to read and write. They have schools and universities well managed and provided for them. The education will bring the next generation of Baduy into stepping ahead, civilizing their precious heritage and equipping them with ‘modern know-how’ to solve every problems posed to the community. The taking of education activities will involve the Kanekes culture with outer cultures, nationally and globally. They can become a source of insights and inspirations as how to manage ‘prosperous village.’ Nevertheless, the education for the Baduy need clear concepts and firm implementations. Despite the fact that existing National Education System failure to cope the corrupt attitude which prevail in almost all affairs from businessmen to government officials, the Baduy educational system will have to conform with that of the Nation’s. The differences lie on the local contents which are made according to the Baduy needs. These are possible to be made due to decentralization of educational system. *Rifki Luthfi* is an author at visitbaduyvillage.com http://imo.thejakartapost.com/baduy/2010/11/10/towards-the-modern-baduy/
