The Kasepuhan or Kasepuhan Banten Kidul are a traditional community of approximately 5,300 people, who live in the southern part of Gunung Halimun National Park, in the Indonesian province of West Java. Gunung Halimun National Park is located within the borders of kabupaten Sukabumi, Bogor and southern Banten. The Kasepuhan is called "Kasepuhan Banten Kidul" (Kasepuhan of Southern Banten), their main village is Ciptagelar where Abah Anom, the community leader resides.
Contents |
The word kasepuhan is formed on sepuh, which means "old" in the Sundanese language. It refers to a way of living based on ancestral traditions and eventually, to the local community who lives according to these traditions.
According to oral information, the Kasepuhan have lived in this area for about 570 years. Around the year 1430, the ancestors of the Kasepuhan were still living in the area of Bogor, east of Gunung Halimun. At that time, their ancestors was the people of Pajajaran kingdom that encompassed the province of West Java and Banten.
The people of the Pajajaran also followed Hinduism as their main religion, but combined this with animism and Sundanese traditions. The people of the Kasepuhan claim they are genetically linked with the Baduy, which is another traditional group in West Java. The main belief system of Kasepuhan people is Sunda Wiwitan. Nowadays, the Kasepuhan are influenced by Islam, but they do not strictly follow all rules of this religion. Just as their ancestors, they have combined several traditions and religions with their own Kasepuhan tradition; that is, they are influenced by Islam, Sundanese traditions, Pajajaran traditions and thus Hinduism, and also animism.
The main ritual of Kasepuhan community is "Seren Taun", or rice harvest thanks giving as well as marking the new agriculture year in Sundanese tradition. Seren Taun festival also celebrated by other Sundanese traditional communities in other areas, such as; Sindang Barang, Pasir Eurih village, Taman Sari, Bogor; and the traditional Sundanese community in Cigugur Kuningan.[1]
By far the most important way of subsistence for the Kasepuhan is agriculture, which can split into three categories: sawah (wet rice cultivation), ladang (dry rice cultivation), and kebun (gardens on horizontal fields). About 85% of Kasepuhan agricultural land is sawah, 10% consists of ladang, and 5% kebun.
Bas Bolman (2006). Wet rice cultivation in Indonesia - A comparative research on differences in modernisation trends. Major Thesis, Wageningen University.