Dungus Kibujangga

The history of Warungbanten Village began when residents started clearing land in 1837. There were about 20 local residents who opened forest areas for farming. This activity was then followed by 100 other Head of Families (KK) who opened land and built houses, turning the area into a settlement. Cibadak Village was the first village to be opened and settled by the residents of Warungbanten Village—this aligns with the migration process of the indigenous Kaolotan Cibadak community, which descends from Sajra, and has migrated 12 times, eventually deciding to settle in Cibadak Village, Warungbanten. The migration route is as follows: Sajira – Kadu Luhur – Kadu Dampit – Kadu Jangkung – Buni Hiyeum – Huni Bera – Kadu Jajar – Calingcing – Bungbas/Pasir Hui – Panenjoan Kidul – Cibuut – Muhara 3 – Cilangkob – Cibadak. This migration process shows that the residents of Warungbanten Village are mostly descendants of Kaolotan Cibadak who then assimilated with other populations in line with the emergence of several gold mining activities around Cikotok, which were opened and managed by PT. Aneka Tambang in 1936. Historically, Warungbanten Village is an expansion of Cibeber Village in Bayah District in 1983, previously located in Bayah District, and after the expansion of the district in 1992, Warungbanten Village became part of the expanded district (Cibeber) in Lebak Regency, and in 2009, part of Warungbanten Village was expanded into Ciherang Village.

In addition, there are also other origin stories regarding the Indigenous Kaolotan Cibadak Community. Based on the ancestry, in 1909, Kaolotan Cibadak was one of the community groups that was a descendant of the kasepuhan related to Prabu Siliwangi from the marriage lineage—one of the descendants of Prabu Siliwangi. The Kaolotan community is one of the historical and cultural social units with other kasepuhan communities. At the beginning of the spread of Islam, they did not want to embrace/avoid the existing Islamic kingdom. During the Dutch colonial period, to avoid attacks from the colonial government, which was considered cruel and inhumane, they found a quiet and fertile area for farming, which was considered a safe and comfortable place to establish a new life. Therefore, they chose this area as a place to settle.

The occurrence of a long drought caused the Kaolotan Cibadak community to experience water shortages, so the Kaolotan community had to hold a riungan, which means (gathering) to work together to check the conditions occurring upstream. When the Kaolotan community checked upstream, they found that the river water was still very clear and abundant, but the water/river could not flow because it was blocked by a lot of rhino dung, preventing the water from flowing smoothly. However, the forest located upstream is one of the breeding grounds for rhinos, which is why the Kaolotan community must always hold riungan. Around 1919, the river was named Cibadak River, and Kaolotan was also named Kaolotan Cibadak. Kaolotan Cibadak is located around Mount Halimun, precisely at the foot of Dungus Kibujangga and Dungus Kondang.

Dungus Kibujangga is an area protected by the Indigenous Kaolotan Cibadak Community. Dungus Kibujangga is a forest entrusted by ancestors that has existed for hundreds of years and is still intact and preserved. The Adat Forest of Dungus Kibujangga is a sacred area for the community as a place to perform customary rituals aimed at expressing gratitude to Sang Hyang Widi (Allah SWT) for the benefits provided and hoping that the forest continues to provide benefits. The existence of the Adat Forest of Dungus Kibujangga is considered important as Aub lembur (village guardian) to protect the community from disasters. In addition, it also provides benefits as a source of water that never runs dry even during very long dry seasons, as well as flora, fauna, and medicinal plants. Besides the intact ecosystem, the Adat Forest of Kibujangga has a site named Batu Tumpeng—as a symbol of food fertility in Kaolotan Cibadak.

The Indigenous Kaolotan Cibadak Community has a slogan “Mipit Amit Ngala Kudu Menta,” which means that when visiting the adat forest, one must ask permission from the local leaders—guarded, protected, cared for, and loved, meaning that the forest must mutually protect and provide shelter to remain sustainable. The management practices of the Adat Forest of Dungus Kibujangga are the responsibility of the adat and village institutions. The village plays a role in policy, protection, and formal regulations. Meanwhile, Kaolotan acts as the guardian and manager of the Adat Forest of Dungus Kibujangga. The structure of the Kaolotan Cibadak adat institution consists of 2 parts—entering the Kasepuhan Cicarabub and Kasepuhan Ciptagelar. These two kasepuhan are the centers of the kasepuhan in the Kaolotan Cibadak area. The following are parts of the adat institution:

1. Oyot cicarucub olot dalim, olot surjaya, olot anda.

2. Oyot Ciptagelar, olot erus, olot ardasa, olot arma olot armun, olot asik.

3. Juru Basa (Olot Wikanta) as the spokesperson for the kasepuhan during adat events.

Decisions related to the management of the Adat Forest of Dungus Kibujangga are made through deliberation (rembuk) and decided by the adat chief and village government. The management and maintenance of the adat forest are carried out collaboratively, and when part of the forest is damaged or deforested, the community works together to plant trees that can produce water so that the benefits of the water source from the adat forest become more fertile and the forest remains intact. The following are the regulations applicable in the Adat Forest of Dungus Kibujangga:

1. The community does not exploit timber in the forest, as adat rules prohibit the community from taking, cutting down trees, or animals that grow and live in the adat forest area. Unless there is fallen wood with permission from the kaolotan.

2. The community does not utilize it for trade.

3. The community does not utilize it as a tourist spot.

4. The community can only benefit from the adat forest by taking water sources for drinking and water sources for rice fields, and whenever some community members need medicinal plants, they can take them with permission from Kaolotan Cibadak.

5. The community does not have commercial utilization rights because the forest is owned by adat, so they cannot sell the results either individually or in groups. However, the forest products that can be sold are from private land.

If someone violates the regulations, the violator may be subject to Kabendon. The term Kabendon itself comes from the Sundanese language, originating from the words babendon or bebendu or anger. Thus, Kabendon can be interpreted as someone who receives anger from something supernatural due to committing a legal violation.

The management carried out by the Indigenous Kaolotan Cibadak Community contributes to the preservation of ecosystems and biodiversity. There are high-value flora and fauna in the Adat Forest of Dungus Kibujangga, such as: flora (Orchid, gadung, hanjuang, glass plate, rattan, pasang tree, Kiara tree, Teureup, manglid, garu, kawung, Ngenge, Bungur, Bamboo, Aren, Ceuri, Bubuai, Pelah) and fauna (Lutung, monkey, snake, pig (begu), pangolin, porcupine, squirrel, otter, civet, and various types of birds).

The Indigenous Kaolotan Cibadak Community preserves the Adat Forest of Dungus Kibujangga through generations and focuses on forest management based on community knowledge. The Indigenous Kaolotan Cibadak Community—through local knowledge and values upheld by their ancestors—does not exploit timber excessively and does not utilize the adat forest as a commercial means, ensuring that the Adat Forest of Dungus Kibujangga remains sustainable in its natural resources. Additionally, the springs are also very beneficial for the welfare of the community today and in the future, and their ritual places are also kept protected. This shows that the Adat Forest of Dungus Kibujangga is also closely related to the identity and spirituality of the Indigenous Kaolotan Cibadak Community.

There is currently no legal basis regulating the recognition and protection of the Kaolotan Cibadak Community as an indigenous community or the legal basis for the recognition and protection of the Adat Forest of Dungus Kibujangga itself.

Other sources:

https://warungbanten.id/artikel/2019/4/15/sejarah-desa

https://aman.or.id/regional-news/komunitas-kaolotan-cibadak-generasi-ke-9-(sembilan)