Tending the Spirit’s Shrine: Kanekes and Pajajaran in West Java

This article proposes that the people of Kanekes, also known as Baduy, in Banten (West Java), viewing themselves as guardians of the shrine of state, the source of the ruler’s power and authority, due to their historical relation with the ancient Sundanese court of Pajajaran, have attempted to maintain the ritual purity of their territory. Various older theories are discussed and compared with newer studies on founders’ cults and Javanese and Indian courts. The Kanekes belief that their duties include the maintenance of the world—here, the kingdom of Pajajaran—has lead them to maintain a high degree of cultural purity, while their original culture may not have been all that different from that of the peoples around them. Believing that, someday, the old ruler will return and the state will arise anew, they continue to practice the old customs that assured a balance between the state and the forces of nature upon which this state depended.

Abstract licence: CC BY-NC-ND

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