Multatuli brings me to Cikeusik, one of inner villages of Badui tribe.
I was exhausted after taking a trip to visit Multatuli’s house at Rangkasbitungthat was conducted on Saturday, 14 May 2011. But it was not the only reason to skip a dialogue that was presided. Next trip to Baduy Kampong had caused restlessness for tomorrow.The sun shone brightly on that day, 15 May 2011. Ubaidilah and his students started their trip to Baduy Kampong very early. First, we must go to Cigaclung, where the truck that took us to Rangkasbitungon the previous day, had waited.
The two-hours-trip on the truck had begun. Enthusiasm spread among the children. They are Ubaidilah’s students who had finished reading Max Havelaar, a novel that was written by Multatuli. Multatuli was Eduard Douwes Dekker’ pseudonym whom was assigned as deputy regent of Lebak in 1830s.
We stopped at Cijahe to take lunch. This village is located next to Cikeusik, or is known as the Inner Badui. Not many people chose the road that we had taken.Most of people who visited Baduiwould take another route,that is Ciboleger village.
People will meet the outer Badui’s people. Unlike the inner one, people at the OuterBaduihave been influenced by modernity. They wear clothes as we do, as well as use modern technology devices such as television and cellular phone.
Ciboleger is the entrance way to get into Cibeo, the first village of the outer Badui. I visited that village four years ago. Its residents are opened to visitors, and most of them get money by selling handicrafts to people who came to the village.
Ciboleger has invisible roles both to visitors and thepeople at theInnerBadui. It introduces the way of life at the Inner Badui for visitors, and it filters visitors who might come to the Inner Badui. This makes Ciboleger is taken as the “capital city” of Badui
Situation at Cikeusik is very different. This village is very quiet and cold.We walked for 25 minutes to get Cikeusik from Cijahe. One bamboo bridge spreads above a river. It is the entrance gate of Cikeusik.
The village has only one road. It spreads 200 meter at the same position with the river. A house erects at the end of the road. It is the house of the highest level of leaders of Badui people.
There are 80 houses at the village. Each house usually is inhabited by two families.
I felt tranquillity covered the village at the moment. I only saw a woman and her child sitting at their porch.
Ayah Asnah welcomed us at the entrance gate. He was our guide to make a tour at Cikeusik.
This charismatic man explained that it was the day to work on the paddy field. It explained the tranquillity that I felt at the village.
Ubaidilah told me that Cikeusik is the oldest village that Badui people have. Every village at Baduy has a leader, titled as Pu’un. Pu’un plays roles as a king, because he has many assistants who are called as Jaro.
I was amazed by a woman whom I saw at the entrance gate. She was bare breasted and elegantly passed me by without showing her curiousity on me.
It is not easy to see that kind of woman, even though at Cikeusik. The woman was a symbol of the purity of Badui. The way she wore clothes had told me that she has never been seduced by the glitter of the world outside the Badui.
Something with the woman had bothered me. That woman held a soda can in her hand. It was strange. Badui people are not used to buy food and beverage. I was very curious about who brought the soda can to Cikeusik.
Cikeusik is completely different with Cibeo. We will not see any food or handicraft stalls at the village. Ubaidilah explained, Cikeusik is the last village that enclaves Badui’s people with their outer world.
The important role of Cikeusik has made the village is not as crowded as Cibeo or any other Badui’s village.
There is one isolated area at Cikeusik. It is the house of Pu’un Ayah (Father) Jasih. The house has a gate, made of bamboo and located 75 meter from the house. Only Badui people are allowed to pass the gate. I stood by the gate and saw Pu’un sitting at his porch. He looked at me, he looked at our group.
Shortly, his wife sat beside Pu’un. She held his child in her arms. I thought that it was the way how the leader welcomed his guests.
Pu’un waved his hands to us. He tried to be nice to us, I guessed.
People are not allowed to take pictures at Cikeusik. Curse will attack them who use camera at the village, they said. But it was not my intention to avoid the curse. I didn’t use my camera to respect the Badui people.
Pak Acang was our guide from Ciseel to Cikeusik. I thought he was a Badui people, by the look at the way he dressed up. I talked to him on the way back to Ciseel. He told me many things about Badui accomplishedly.Pak Acang lives at Ciseel’s neighboring village. He has accompanied Ubaidilah to go to Badui’s area for several times.
Ubaidilah is not the only one whom Pak Acang takes to Badui. Many people have asked Pak Acang to bring them to Badui, as they want to get divine power from these tribal people.
Pak Acang admitted the fact. He also sells ancient coins, one of required things to by spells to obtain divine power from Badui people. The 60 year-old man showed me one of his coins. It is gold coin, published by Dutch in the 19th century. I thought it was the official coin during the colonialismin Indonesia. Ubaidilah told me that it was Dutch coin in Malaysia. “That is why we call it ringgit,” he said.
Ubaidilah decided it was time to go back to Ciseel. The sun was very cloudly, and he would not take any risks for his students to get caught in the rain.
It was the last day of my visit at Ciseel. It was also the last day of Multatuli Literature Festival. The festival will be closed by screening a movie, titled Max Havelaar (1976).
The movie screening was opened by a video of Ubaidilah’s students who were acting on a play, titled Saidjah dan Adinda. The video was taken on the first day of the festival, Friday (13/5).
The play presented a scene of robbery. It described how Demang (a head of particular region, subordinating several villages, during the Dutch colonialism) robbed Saidjah’s cow.
The video screening was a cultural event that rarely happened to villagers at Ciseel. These people, including children, converted at the field where the screen was put. They were very excited, particularly those whose face were shown up on the screen. “Urang, itu urang (that is me, that is me),” yelled a kid who tried to tell his friend when his face was shown on the screen.
Max Havelaar was screen after the documented video. The movie, directed by Fons Rademakers, presents the complete version of love story between Saidjah and Adinda. This movie also presents Havelaar’s speech to condemn Regent Kartanata Nagara who administered Lebak Regency arbitrary.The Multatuli Literature Festival had been completed. I am still impressed by Ubaidilah, who patiently introduces Multatuli to children at the village. They have read the novel for 37 weeks, four pages in every week. Then he took his students to trace back Multatuli’s life to Rangkasbitung, and introduced the high-technology, such as laptop, camera and video projector, to those kids.
I am waiting for travel notes of Ciseel’s children. Ubaidilah planned to publish the book. The book, in my opinion, would never be written by children who would not want to make a trip on truck! (E4)
Photos: VHRmedia / Hervin Saputra
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