As a country rich in art and culture, Indonesia is inhabited by various tribes who settled in all corners of the archipelago. Local wisdom and customs to preserve the nature of Indonesia to be able to wake up well and synergize with nature. Baduy names are among the many tribes in Indonesia. These Sundanese ethnic groups live with nature in the Kendeng Mountains, Kanekes Village, Leuwidamar District, Lebak Regency, Banten.
Baduy tribe is divided into two groups called Baduy Dalam and Baduy Luar. The most fundamental difference of these two tribes is in carrying out the pikukuh or customary rules during its implementation. If Baduy still adheres firmly and adheres to customary rules well, on the contrary not with his brother Baduy Luar.
Outdoor Baduy society has been contaminated with outside cultures besides Baduy. The use of electronic goods and soap allowed custom chairman who called Jaro to sustain activities in carrying out daily activities. In addition, Outdoor Baduy also receive guests who come from outside Indonesia, they are allowed to visit up to stay in one of the house Baduy residents.
Another difference is seen from the way the dressing is worn. Traditional clothing or clothes in Baduy Outdoor daily implied in a white bandage that dominates, sometimes only the pants just black or dark blue.
The white color symbolizes purity and unaffected culture from the outside. Differences with Baduy Luar who use all black or dark blue clothes while doing the activity.
Baduy Dalam has three villages in charge of accommodating the basic needs that all Baduy people need. This task is led by Pu'un as the highest adat chairman is assisted by Jaro as his deputy. Kampung Cikeusik, Cikertawana, and Cibeo are the three villages where Baduy tribe live, while the group of Baduy Luar people live in 50 other kampung located in the hills of Mount Kendeng.
The term Baduy is a gift from a Dutch researcher who sees the resemblance of the people here with the Badawi or Bedoin people in Arabia. This resemblance is because in the past, people here often moved around looking for the perfect place to live in. But there is another version that says, the name of Baduy is the name Cibaduy River located in the northern part of Kanekes Village.
The livelihoods of Baduy people are generally farming and farming. Its fertile and abundant nature facilitates this tribe in producing daily necessities. The results of coffee, rice, and tubers became the most commonly grown commodities by Baduy people.
However, in the practice of farming and farming, Baduy tribe do not use buffaloes or cows in cultivating their land. Four-legged animals other than dogs are strictly prohibited from entering Kanekes Village for the sake of preserving nature.
The process of nature preservation is also very applicable when building their custom house made of wood and bamboo. Seen from the contours of land that are still tilted and not dug for the sake of preserving the nature that has given them life.
The houses here are built with stone times as the foundation base, which is why the poles of the house look not as tall as the other.
There are 3 rooms in Baduy traditional house with different functions. The front functioned as a reception and place of weaving for women. The middle section works for the living room and sleeping, and the third room located at the back is used for cooking and a place to store the produce of the fields and rice. All rooms are lined with floors made of woven bamboo. While on the roof of the house, fibers ijuk or leaves of coconut trees. Baduy tribe houses are built face to face and always facing north or south. The sunlight factor that illuminates and enters the room becomes the election why the house here is built in only two directions.
Layaknya suku kebanyakan di nusantara, tradisi kesenian di Suku Baduy juga mengenal budaya menenun yang telah diturunkan sejak nenek moyang mereka. Menenun hanya dilakukan oleh kaum perempuan yang sudah diajarkan sejak usia dini. Ada mitos yang berlaku bila pihak laki-laki tersentuh alat menenun yang terbuat dari kayu ini maka laki-laki tersebut akan berubah perilakunya menyerupai tingkah laku perempuan.
Tradisi menenun ini menghasilkan kain tenun yang digunakan dalam pakaian adat Suku Baduy. Kain ini bertekstur lembut untuk pakaian namun ada juga yang bertekstur kasar. Kain yang agak kasar biasanya digunakan masyarakat Baduy untuk ikat kepala dan ikat pinggang.
Selain digunakan dalam keseharian, kain ini juga diperjualbelikan untuk wisatawan yang datang berkunjung ke Desa Kanekes. Tidak hanya kain, ada juga kain dari kulit kayu pohon terep yang menjadi ciri khas dari Suku Baduy dalam urusan benda seni. Tas yang bernama koja atau jarog ini digunakan Suku Baduy untuk menyimpan segala macam kebutuhan yang diperlukan pada saat beraktivitas atau perjalanan.
Suku Baduy percaya, mereka keturunan dari Batara Cikal, salah satu dari tujuh dewa atau batara yang diutus ke bumi. Asal usul tersebut sering pula dihubungkan dengan Nabi Adam sebagai nenek moyang pertama. Menurut kepercayaan mereka, warga Kanekes mempunyai tugas untuk menjaga harmoni dunia. Kepercayaan ini disebut juga dengan Sunda Wiwitan. Kepercayaan yang memuja nenek moyang sebagai bentuk penghormatan.
Wilayah Suku Baduy telah ditetapkan sebagai cagar budaya oleh pemerintah daerah Lebak pada tahun 1990. Kawasan yang melintas dari Desa Ciboleger hingga Rangkasbitung ini telah menjadi tempat bermukimnya Suku Baduy yang menjadi suku asli Provinsi Banten. Wisatawan juga bisa mengunjungi suku ini melalui Terminal Ciboleger sebagai pemberhentian terakhir kendaraan bermotor.
Dari sini pemandu akan mengajak wisatawan melintasi bukit masuk ke dalam hutan hingga menemukan kampung terluar Desa Baduy Luar. Waktu yang ditempuh mencapai 1 jam dengan jalan mendaki dan menurun. Namun bagi wisatawan yang ingin mengunjungi wilayah Baduy Dalam bisa berjalan hingga waktu 7 jam sebelum tiba di Kampung Cibeo, salah satu kampung dari 3 kampung Baduy Dalam.