Indigenous practices for use of and managing tropical natural resources: A case study on Baduy community in Banten, Indonesia

Abstract

This research presents indigenous knowledge of the Baduy community in using and managing natural resources in their homeland. The Baduy community lives in a special reser ve of sacred forestland (in state forest) with an area of 5,101.85 ha in Banten Province, Java Island, Indonesia. They have indigenous knowledge of how to live in harmony with nature. To sustain their traditional customs, the Baduy people have been implementing a strict code of conduct and taboos guided by their traditional gover nment. They classify their land into five categories as follows: huma, kebon, reuma, leuweung kolot, and leuweung titipan. They also arrange specific terms for a traditional tenure system. Swidden farming is the main pillar of their livelihood and they follow sequential activities on their swidden far ming based on a traditional calendar. Due to the taboos imposed by their ancestors against using many products from outside, the Baduy people have been producing their livelihood products for a long time. They use raw materials extracted from the forest area which is rich in natural resources. With increasing contact with outside communities, as well as a high demand of cash income, the Baduy people sell some of their products to outsiders. Similar to many other indigenous people around the world, the Baduy people today live with a dual economy of subsistence and cash income. Key wor ds: Indigenous knowledge, swidden far ming, sacred forestland, Baduy community, Banten.