W. van Zanten Aspects of Baduy music in its sociocultural context, with special reference to singing and angklung In: Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, Performing Arts in Southeast Asia 151 (1995), no: 4, Leiden, 516-544 This PDF-file was downloaded from http://www.kitlv-journals.nl Downloaded from Brill.com10/06/2021 03:38:41PM via free access WIM VAN ZANTEN Aspects of Baduy Music in its Sociocultural Context, with Special Reference to Singing and Angklung The Baduy form an ethnic group of some 5,000 people, who live in an area of about 50 square kilometres located 100 km southwest of Jakarta, West Java. They speak a Sundanese dialect and are in this respect not very different from other Sundanese people. However, the Baduy have been living in this small area near the source of Ciujung River, called Desa Kanekes,1 for several hundred years in a rather isolated way. Their social organization and religion differ from those of the surrounding Islamic Sundanese. There are no other groups living in Desa Kanekes except the Baduy. As the Baduy form an enclave within Sundanese society, and have a very traditional way of living, knowledge of their music should give us some understanding of the historical development of music in West Java. However, because outsiders are usually not allowed to stay in the Baduy area for more than a few days, not a great deal is known about Baduy social organization and music. In this article I shall discuss some aspects of Baduy music, based on short periods of fieldwork in 1976, 1979, 1992,2 and 1993. The traditional Baduy way of life is under great pressure from the outside world. Their music making has been affected by recent develop- ments, for instance, by the Baduy transmigration project initiated by the Indonesian government in 1978. In the first part of this article I shall sketch the social organization of the Baduy and give an overview of their music. Their music is very much related to their traditional way of life, and especially the agricultural calendar. In the second part of the article, I shall discuss some particular genres of singing as well as music played with the angklung, a set of shaken idiophones. ' I follow the present-day spelling rules as used in dictionaries: Sundanese e is pronounced as in 'set' in English or as in 'mais' in French; it used to be written e or e. Sundanese e is pronounced like e in 'given'; it used to be written e. The use of accents to indicate the difference in pronunciation between e and e is only used in dictionaries; elsewhere both speech sounds are spelled e. 2 I would like to thank the Akademi Seni Tari Indonesia (ASTI; presently STSI: Sekolah Tinggi-Seni Indonesia) in Bandung for their help with this fieldwork. I am especially grateful to Enip Sukanda, who accompanied me to Desa Kanekes during my first trip in 1992. BK1 151-IV (1995) Downloaded from Brill.com10/06/2021 03:38:41PM via free access Aspects of Baduy Music 517 The Baduy within Sundanese and Indonesian societies In some sense, the Baduy partially represent the Sundanese past in the present time. There used to be more of these isolated communities in West Java, but the Baduy are the only ones to survive (Bakels 1989). They were once considered to be the descendants of the people who managed to escape Pakuan Pajajaran, the seat of the glorious Hindu kingdom near present-day Bogor, just before Islamic forces destroyed it in AD 1579. However, Van Tricht (1929:63-71) and Geise (1952:11-2) have pointed out that the Baduy most probably originate from Banten, in northwest Java. Judistira Garna (1988:34) argues that the Baduy were already living in the Desa Kanekes area before the Pajajaran kingdom (1333-1579). According to Berthe (1965:216-8), 'the Baduy consider themselves to be the guardians of the forest, irrigation sources, and the soil, and at the same time they hold themselves responsible for the destiny of the world'. They are seen as guarding the source of the river for the Sundanese people living on the northern plains, who depend on this river for irrigating their wet-rice fields. In this way the Baduy have a task to perform for the ruler of the north. Recently it has been suggested that the Baduy resemble a mandala community: they form a holy community in a holy area, and their ascetic way of life is beneficial for the 'king' and the whole world.3 The Baduy are in any case considered to be of older descent than the surrounding Sundanese (Judistira Garna 1988:62-3). The spiritual leaders of the Baduy (puun; pronounced pu'un) are the 'elder brothers' of the secular leader of the north. This used to be the ruler (ratu, king, later the sultan) of Banten. As there is no longer a sultan of Banten, secular power nowadays is invested in the regent of nearby Serang and some of his sub- ordinates in Leuwidamar and Rangkasbitung (Judistira Garna 1988:122, 366; Bakels and Boevink 1988:129). On a higher level it is the governor of the province of West Java and the Indonesian government, notably the minister of internal affairs, and even the Indonesian president, who today are seen as the 'younger brothers' of the Baduy. The Baduy have always had the function of foretelling the future for the rulers. Every year, Baduy spiritual leaders climb the terraces of the holy place Sasaka Pusaka Buana4 on Mount Kendeng in the southern part of the Baduy area, and read the future from the growth of mosses or changed position of stones. When a Baduy delegation pay their annual respects to the rulers during the seba ceremony, which takes place around the first of June, after the rice harvest, they may foretell the future. It is said that President Suharto and some of his advisers have consulted the Baduy 3 See, for example, Saleh Danasasmita and Anis Djatisunda 1986:5-7; Judistira Garna 1988:180, 221; Bakels 1988:40, 1989, 1991:14,35; Bakels and Boevink 1988:12-7. 4 Also known as Area Domas, or Sasaka Pada Ageung; see Judistira Garna 1988:280, 294. Downloaded from Brill.com10/06/2021 03:38:41PM via free access 518 Wim van Zanten about the future.5 In one sense the former ruler of Banten has been replaced by the Indonesian president. In 1985 a Baduy delegation was received by President Suharto. They pointed out to the president that, by their ascetic way of life, they had always helped to promote harmony in the kingdoms of West Java. In his turn, the king had always protected the Baduy area and respected their traditions. Now, with surrounding farmers using Baduy grounds in Desa Kanekes for wet-rice fields (the Baduy traditionally only have dry-rice fields, or huma), they asked President Suharto for his help. This was granted: the boundary of Desa Kanekes was marked with concrete poles, not painted with the usual red colour, but with the holy colour of the Baduy, which is white.6 Social organization Baduy society consists of the 'Inner' Baduy (kajeroan, urang tangtu, kaum daleum, or urang girang) and the 'Outer' Baduy {urang luar, panamping). The Inner Baduy live in three small villages in the south- central part of Desa Kanekes, and their area includes the holy places Sasaka Pusaka Buana and Sasaka Domas, and the source of the Ciujung River in the south. According to Bakels and Boevink there are about 800 Inner Baduy (Bakels 1991:10; Bakels and Boevink 1988:31-3). Judistira Garna (1988:59, 1989:26) estimates 472 in 1983, and 500 in 1986. The Outer Baduy number about 4,500. They live in the area around the Inner Baduy, to the north, the east, and the west, in some forty villages. Some of them live in a so-called dangka village outside Desa Kanekes. Furthermore, in 1992, around one hundred families of Baduy descent {Baduy pamukiman) were living in nearby resettlement areas. Both Inner and Outer Baduy men can immediately be recognized by their special clothing. The most visible difference is that Inner Baduy men always wear a white head cloth, while Outer Baduy men wear a blue-black one. There are, however, no clothes, colours, or other symbols that distinguish a leader from other Baduy people. Baduy life is regulated by many prohibitions, as handed down by the 5 In a newspaper article Dirk Vlasblom (1995) points out that lately Suharto has tried to present himself as a devout Muslim. However, it is a public secret that he regularly consults seers and traditional healers, and that he seeks esoteric knowledge. A critic of the present regime, Permadi Satrio Wiwoho, got into trouble when he said during a seminar at Gajah Mada University, Yogyakarta, on 28 April 1994: 'Do you know why you have to study the kejawen [Javanese traditional life and culture, including esoteric knowledge and concepts of power]? Because Suharto also studies it. This knowledge is necessary to anticipate those who misuse it.' (my translation from the Dutch newspaper) 6 I am grateful to Gerard Persoon for drawing my attention to an article in the newspaper Pelita (28 May 1985). In a photograph, the Baduy village head Nakiwin is seen being welcomed by President Suharto in his state palace. See also Judistira Garna 1988:220, 224, 367, 1989:31 and Persoon 1994:313. Downloaded from Brill.com10/06/2021 03:38:41PM via free access Aspects of Baduy Music 519 forefathers.