Prayer Portrait: Kanekes

Amy Van Fossen
Nov 8, 2020
2 min read

Updated: Nov 15, 2020

The Kanekes or "Baduy" are a traditional Sunda community who live in Banten Province, Indonesia. They are considered an unreached group who are almost completely isolated from the outside world and the good news of Jesus Christ. They speak a dialect of Sundanese, one of 300 Java languages spoken before Bahasa Indonesia was introduced in the 1920’s. They have intentionally isolated themselves in the land they call Pancer Bumi, "the center of the world," at the foot of the Kendeng Mountain. For hundreds of years, the Kanekes community has remained relatively unchanged, cultivating dry rice following the exact methods of their ancestors. They also obtain additional income from selling fruit harvested from the forest such as durian and tamarind as well as wild honey.

At the heart of their universe are the three "Inner" villages, where residents adhere to the strictest form of their religion. These villages surround the most important object of this belief system, Arca Domas, a secret location on the top of the mountain that the Kanekes consider to be the most sacred place in the world. The Inner villages are the governing elite. They wear distinctive white or dark blue clothing with white head scarves (worn by men). Europeans are banned and few Indonesian outsiders are ever allowed to visit. Surrounding and protecting this secret world are the 44 "Outer" villages, acting as a buffer zone for tourists and a place of exile for those from the inner sanctum who break the rules. They can be recognized by their black clothing and blue head scarves.

Their traditional belief system, known as Sunda Wiwitan, is based on sacrifices made to their ancestor spirits and pilgrimages to Arca Domas. Their core belief is in pukukuh (adherence), which means following an absolute set of determined traditions in their daily lives. A Kanekes proverb says "The long must not be cut short, the short must not be lengthened." For example, in agriculture, pukukuh would demand that they not change the contour of the land for the fields. They do not cultivate the land with plowing or make any terracing, only using a sharpened bamboo to hoe. They also rely entirely on natural rainfall and many ritual sacrifices to provide water. Pukukuh also forbids education and written language, keeping the inner villages completely illiterate. Some in the Outer villages can converse in Bahasa Indonesia and may even be able to receive the gospel.

Oh sing to the LORD a new song;

sing to the LORD, all the earth!

Sing to the LORD, bless his name;

tell of his salvation from day to day.

Declare his glory among the nations,

his marvelous works among all the peoples!

For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;

he is to be feared above all gods.

For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,

but the LORD made the heavens.

Splendor and majesty are before him;

strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.